Nervous system

Dr Vidyashree M
Asst professor & Medical officer, Arogyadhama
SVYASA, Deemed to be University, Bengaluru
Classification
Central Peripheral
nervous nervous
system system

Sensory Motor
Brain Spinal cord
division division

Autonomic Somatic
nervous nervous
system system
Cells of nervous system
• Neuron
• Glial cells
Neuron
• Neuron bind together to form a nerve
• 3 parts
• Cell body
• Axon
• Dendrites
• Neurons generate and transmit electrical impulses called action
potentials.
• Transmission of nerve signals is both electrical and chemical.
Neuron
Cell body
• Also called as soma
• It forms the grey matter
• It has cell membrane and nucleus
• The key role of neurons is to
receive information from cells (via
their dendrites) and pass this
information on to other cells
(through the axon)
Neuron
Axon
• Forms white matter of the brain
• Extension of the cell body and begins at
axon hillock
• They carry impulses away from the cell
body
• 2 types
• Myelinated and unmyelinated
• Axolemma, neurilemma and nodes of
Ranvier
• nodes of Ranvier assist the rapid
transmission of nerve impulses in
myelinated neurons.
Neuron
Dendrites
• Forms white matter of the brain
• These are the many short processes that receive and carry incoming
impulses towards cell bodies.
Depolarization
Repolarization
Action potential of neuron
Synapse
• The point at which the nerve
impulse passes from the presynaptic
neuron to the postsynaptic neuron is
the synapse.
• Synaptic vesicles release the
neurotransmitters into the synaptic
cleft.
Neurotransmitter
• Neurotransmitters are chemical
messengers in the body.
• Their job is to transmit signals from nerve
cells to target cells.
• There are more than 50 neurotransmitters
in the brain and spinal cord including
noradrenaline, adrenaline, dopamine,
histamine, serotonin, gamma aminobutyric
acid (GABA) and acetylcholine.
• Other substances, endorphins and
substance P are responsible for
transmission of pain signals.
Nerves
• A nerve consists of numerous
neurons collected into bundles
• Three connective tissue layer
• Endoneurium
• Perineurium
• Epineurium
Nerves
• Sensory nerves (afferent nerves)
• Sensory nerves carry information from the body to the spinal cord
• Motor nerves (efferent nerves)
• Motor nerves originate in the brain, spinal cord.
• They transmit impulses to the effector organs: muscles and glands
• There are two types:
• Somatic nerves - voluntary and skeletal muscle contraction
• Autonomic nerves (sympathetic and parasympathetic): cardiac and smooth muscle
contraction and glandular secretion
• Mixed nerves
• Sensory and motor nerves are enclosed within the same sheath of connective
tissue
Neuroglial cells
Central neuroglial cells
• Astrocytes:
• Star shaped
• Forms the blood brain barrier
• The blood–brain barrier is a
selective barrier that protects the
brain from potentially toxic
substances and chemical variations
in the blood
Central neuroglial cells
• Oligodendrocytes

• These cells are smaller than

astrocytes and are found in clusters
in the grey matter
• Present adjacent to the myelinated
nerve fibres.
Central neuroglial cells
• Ependymal cells:
• These cells form the epithelial lining of
the ventricles of the brain and the
central canal of the spinal cord.
• Secrete cerebrospinal fluid.
Central neuroglial cells
• Microglia
• The smallest and least numerous glial cells
• They are found mainly in the area of blood
vessels.
• They enlarge and become phagocytic,
removing microbes and damaged tissue, in
areas of inflammation and cell destruction
Peripheral neuroglial cells
• Satellite cell:
• cover the surface of neuron cell
bodies
• protective, cushioning cells.
• Schwann cell:
• covers the axon
• Protection
Central Nervous system
• Brain
• Spinal cord
Meninges
• Outer Dura mater
• Middle arachnoid
mater
• Inner Pia mater
Ventricles of the brain
• The brain contains four irregular-shaped cavities, or ventricles,
containing cerebrospinal fluid.
Cerebrospinal fluid
• Cerebrospinal fluid is secreted into each ventricle of the brain by choroid plexuses.
Composition of CSF
• CSF is a clear, slightly alkaline fluid with a specific gravity of 1.005,
consisting of:
• Water
• Mineral salts
• Glucose
• Plasma proteins: small amounts of albumin and globulin
• Leukocytes
• Function:
• Acts like shock absorber
• exchange of nutrients and waste products
Brain
• Weight: 1300 grams
• Leis in the cranial cavity
• Parts:
• Cerebrum
• Thalamus
• Hypothalamus
• Midbrain
• Pons
• Medulla oblongata
• Cerebellum
Cerebrum
• Largest part of the brain
• Right and left hemisphere
• 4 lobes
Cerebrum
White matter and grey matter
Cerebrum
Sulci and gyri
Functions of cerebrum
• Higher order functions, i.e., The mental activities involved in memory,
sense of responsibility, thinking, reasoning, moral decision making
and learning
• Sensory perception, including the perception of pain, temperature,
touch, sight, hearing, taste and smell
• Initiation and control of skeletal muscle contraction and therefore
voluntary movement.
Functional areas of cerebrum
Diencephalon
• This connects the cerebrum and
the midbrain.
• It consists thalamus and
hypothalamus.
• Also has the pineal gland and the
optic chiasma
Thalamus
• This consists of two masses of grey and white
matter situated within the cerebral
hemispheres just below the corpus callosum,
one on each side of the third ventricle
• The thalamus relays and redistributes
impulses from most parts of the brain to the
cerebral cortex.
• Sensory receptors of touch, pain and
temperature, and input from the special sense
organs travels to the thalamus where there is
recognition.
• It is thought to be involved in the processing
of some emotions.
Hypothalamus
• It is situated below and in front of the
thalamus, immediately above the pituitary
gland.
• Weight: 7 grams
• The hypothalamus is linked to the posterior
lobe of the pituitary gland by nerve fibres
and to the anterior lobe by a complex system
of blood vessels.
Functions of Hypothalamus
• The autonomic nervous system
• Appetite and satiety
• Thirst and water balance
• Body temperature
• Emotional reactions, e.g. Pleasure, fear, rage
• Sexual behavior
• Sleeping and waking cycles.
Brain stem
• Mid brain
• Pons
• Medulla oblongata
Midbrain (mesencephalon)
• Also called as mesencephalon.
• Present between the cerebrum and
pons
• It connects the lower parts of the
brain with the spinal cord.
Pons
• The pons is situated in front of the
cerebellum, below the midbrain and above
the medulla oblongata.
• It consists mainly of nerve fibres (white
matter) that form a bridge between the two
hemispheres of the cerebellum, and of fibres
passing between the higher levels of the brain
and the spinal cord.
• Pneumotaxic and apnoustic centres
Medulla oblongata
• Extending from the pons above, it is
continuous with the spinal cord below
• lies just within the cranium above the
foramen magnum
• Three vital centers:
• Cardiovascular centre
• Respiratory centre
• Reflex centres of vomiting, coughing,
sneezing and swallowing.
 Cerebellum
The cerebellum is situated behind the
pons and immediately below the
posterior portion of the cerebrum
Functions:
• It coordinates activities associated
with the maintenance of posture,
balance and equilibrium.
• The cerebellum have a role in
learning and language processing
Spinal cord
• The spinal cord is the elongated,
almost cylindrical part of the
central nervous system, which is
suspended in the vertebral canal
surrounded by the meninges and
cerebrospinal fluid
• 45 cm long
Spinal cord cross section
Peripheral nervous system
• Spinal nerves
• Cranial nerves
• Autonomic nervous system
Spinal nerves- 31 pairs
Cranial nerves
Cranial nerves
Autonomic nervous system
• The autonomic or involuntary part of the nervous system controls
involuntary body functions.
• The autonomic nervous system is separated into two divisions:
• Sympathetic (thoracolumbar outflow)
• Parasympathetic (craniosacral outflow)
Autonomic nervous system
Sympathetic nervous system
Parasympathetic nervous system