Explain the process of transporting information by the human’s nervous system

The human nervous system is one of the wittiest and most complicated systems of our body. The
system is divided into two major components: the central nervous system (CNS) which contains grey
matter, and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that consists of white matter.

The CNS includes the brain as well as other structures like spinal cord. It is also often separated into
three divisions: the brainstem which controls breathing, heart rate and digestion; medulla oblongata
which controls blood pressure; and cerebellum that helps coordinate muscle movement.

The PNS includes nerves outside neurons in skin, muscles, organs etcetera. These nerves are often
divided into motor neurons that transmit information about muscle contraction, and sensory neurons
that transmit information about temperature, pressure, pain etcetera.

The main function of the PNS is to allow us to receive stimuli from our environment and send signals
to our CNS. The stimuli that the PNS receives are sensory input (touch and pain) or motor input
(movement and touch). Sensory impulses travel through nerves that connect the organs with the
brain, while motor impulses travel through nerves that connect muscles or limbs with the brain.

All these nerves are contained in the central nervous system which is also known as grey matter
because it consists mainly of cells called neurons. The neurons in the central nervous system can be
categorized as:

1. Sensory neurons: sense the environment and send impulses to the CNS

2. Motor neurons: control muscles and other organs, and send impulses from CNS to them.
The 4 mechanisms for transmitting information in the human body are:

The motor neuron is either excitatory or inhibitory depending on its function. It is excitatory if it
causes a muscle to contract, or inhibits contraction of muscle by releasing a neurotransmitter which
interferes with impulse transmission. The sensory neuron also has two modes namely afferent and
efferent. Afferent neuron sends impulses into the central nervous system while efferent sends it back
out of the CNS, e.