THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Subdivisions
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS)
- brain and spinal cord

PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (PNS)

- outside the CNS
- nerves
* spinal nerves – carry impulses to and from
the spinal cord
* cranial nerves – carry impulses to and from
the brain
Principal subdivisions of the PNS
1. Sensory/ Afferent division
- consists of nerves that convey impulses TO the CNS
from sensory receptors located in various parts of the
body

2. Motor/Efferent division
- carries impulses FROM the CNS to effector organs,
the muscles and the glands
- activates muscles and glands, that is, they effect a
motor response
2 subdivisions of the motor response:
a. somatic nervous system
b. autonomic nervous system
Cells in the nervous tissue
1. Supporting cells
* neuroglia
* includes many types of cells that generally support,
insulate, and protect the delicate neurons

CNS glia:
a. astrocytes
b. microglia
c. ependymal
d. oligodendrocytes
Classification of neurons on the basis
of structure
Five basic elements of reflex arc
Five basic elements of reflex arc
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
The cerebral hemispheres are the highest level of the Central
Nervous System. They are like two mushroom caps bulging of
the left and right front end of the brain stem, as shown in Figure
1 at the right. They control the activity of the lower levels,
directing the overall plan and direction of behavior.

The outer surface of the hemispheres,, is called the cerebral

cortex (Greek for rind), which is filled with cell bodies and
dendrites, and synaptic connections from axons. The cortex
contains about half of all neurons in the human brain and
serves as the highest level of brain function. It is essential for
the highest levels of mental and behavioral functions.
Underneath the cortex are the axons connecting each cortical
area with other parts of the brain. 
The cortex is divided into three different kinds of areas

Primary areas, one for each major sense and one for motor
control. They are most directly connected to the input from
the senses and output to the motor system.

Sensory and motor association areas, several for each major

sense and for motor control. These are involved in perceptual
and motor organization.

Higher order association areas, one on the back half of the

brain and one in the front. These are essential for mental
functions, like language that do no depend on one particular
sense.
Lateral view of the brain
DIENCEPHALON
Diencephalon & brain stem structure
brain stem
MENINGES
CEREBROSPINAL FLUID (CSF)
SPINAL CORD
SPINAL CORD WITH MENINGES
PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

Schematic of ascending
(sensory) and
Descending (motor)
pathways between the
brain and spinal cord
CRANIAL
NERVES
SPINAL NERVES AND NERVE PLEXUS

A spinal nerve is a mixed nerve, which carries motor,

sensory, and autonomic signals between the spinal cord
 and the body. In thehuman there are 31 pairs of spinal
nerves, one on each side of the vertebral column. These
are grouped into the correspondingcervical, thoracic, 
lumbar, sacral and coccygeal regions of the spine.[1]
 There are eight pairs of cervical nerves, twelve pairs
ofthoracic nerves, five pairs of lumbar nerves, five pairs
of sacral nerves, and one pair of coccygeal nerves. The
spinal nerves are part of the peripheral nervous system.
 AUTONOMIC NERVOUS
SYSTEM(ANS)
a division of the peripheral nervous system that influences the
function of internal organs.[1] The autonomic nervous system is
a control system that acts largely unconsciously and regulates
bodily functions such as the heart rate, digestion, 
respiratory rate, pupillary response, urination, and 
sexual arousal. This system is the primary mechanism in control
of the fight-or-flight response and the freeze-and-dissociate
response
Within the brain, the autonomic nervous system is
regulated by the hypothalamus
The ANS is divided into three parts:
The sympathetic nervous system
The parasympathetic nervous system
The enteric nervous system