NERVOUS SYSTEM

A. FUNCTION

1. Reception of stimulus

2. Transmission of impulses

3. Coordination of body activities

B. DIVISIONS:
1. Central Nervous
System
• Composed of brain and
spinal cord
• Acts as body’s control
center, coordinates
body’s activities
- Impulses travel through
the neurons in your body
to reach the brain
B. DIVISIONS:
2. Peripheral Nervous System
• Composed of cranial nerves
from the brain and spinal
nerves from the spinal cord
• Made up of all the nerves that
carry messages to and from the
central nervous system.
– Similar to telephone wires
that connect all of our
houses in the community
• Central Nervous System and
Peripheral Nervous System
work together to make rapid
changes in your body in
response to stimuli.
2 PARTS OF PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

A. Autonomic Nervous System

• Relay information from central nervous system to organs
• Involuntary: You do not consciously control these

1. Sympathetic Nervous System: controls

in times of stress, such as the flight or
fight response
2. Parasympathetic Nervous System:
controls body in times of rest
2 PARTS OF PERIPHERAL
NERVOUS SYSTEM
B. Somatic Nervous
System
• Relay information
between skin, skeletal
muscles and central
nervous system
• You consciously control
this pathway by deciding
whether or not to move
muscles (except reflexes)
• Reflexes: Automatic
response to stimulus
 BRAIN
Embryonic Adult Division:
Division:

1. Prosencephalon a. Telencephalon or
or forebrain Cerebral
Hemispheres

b. Diencephalon or
Twixtbrain

2. Mesencephalon a. Mesencephalon
or midbrain or optic lobes

3. a. Metencephalon
Rhombencephalon or Cerebellum
or hindbrain
b. Myelencephalon
or Medulla
Oblongata
TELENCEPHALON OR CEREBRAL
HEMISPHERES
- composed of two hemispheres
connected by corpus callosum

• Left hemisphere:
- controls right side of body
- responsible for math,
analytic, and speech

• Right hemisphere:
- controls left side of body
- responsible for music, art,
abstract ideas
TELENCEPHALON OR CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES

- it is the embryonic structure from which the

cerebrum develops prenatally

- Controls conscious activities, intelligence,

memory, language, muscles

- divided by fissures into four major lobes:

a. Frontal lobes – for
abstract thinking, sense of
humor, and uniqueness of
personality; contraction of
skeletal muscles and
synchronization of
muscular movement
b. Parietal lobes –
translate nerve impulse
into sensations, provides
appreciation of size,
texture, and weight; sense
of taste
c. Temporal lobes –
translate nerve impulse
into sensation of
sound; control behavior
patterns; sense of smell
d. Occipital areas –
translates nerves
impulses into sight;
provides appreciation
of size, shapes and
color
 SPEECH
• Mainly in left
hemisphere
• Sensory speech
(Wernicke’s
area):
- parietal lobe
- where words
are heard and
comprehended
• Motor speech
(Broca’s area):
- frontal lobe
- where words
are formulated
DIENCEPHALON
OR TWIXTBRAIN
- unpaired
division of the
forebrain
- cavity inside is
the third
ventricle
- consists of
Thalamus and
Hypothalamus
a. Thalamus
• paired structure of
gray matter below
the corpus callosum
which is a relay
center for all sensory
impulses; functionally
related to all motor
centers
• Characteristics:
largest portion of
diencephalon
• Function:
influences moods
b. Hypothalamus
• forms the floor of the third
ventricle
• regulates the peripheral nervous
system discharges which
accompanies behavior and
emotional expression manufactures
hormones of the neurohypophyses
• Location:
- below thalamus
• Characteristics:
- controls secretion of pituitary
gland and other EG
Function:
- controls homeostasis, body temp,
thirst, hunger, fear, rage, sexual
emotions
MESENCEPHALON
OR MIDBRAIN
- found between
the forebrain
and the
hindbrain
- contains four
nuclear masses
collectively
known as the
corpora quadri-
gemina
• a. superior
colliculi–involved
in visual reflexes
• b. inferior
colliculi –
associated with
hearing
• - contains reflex
centers from
cranial nerves III
(occulomotor)
and IV
(trochlear)-
cavity is called
mesocoel
• Midbrain
– Location:
above pons
– Function:
coordinated eye movement, pupil diameter, turning
head toward noise
METENCEPHALON OR CEREBELLUM
- second largest part of the human
brain which exerts synergic
control over skeletal muscles
resulting in coordinated skeletal
muscle contraction to produce
smooth, steady, and precise
movements
• Location:
below cerebrum
• Characteristics:
- means little brain
• Functions: controls balance,
muscle tone, coordination of fine
motor movement
- its cavity is the metacoel
MYELENCEPHALON OR
MEDULLA OBLONGATA
• Location:
- most posterior
portion of the
hindbrain
• Function:
- regulates heart rate,
blood vessel diameter,
breathing, swallowing,
vomiting, hiccupping,
coughing, sneezing,
balance, and conducts
impulses between the
cord and the brain
• Pons
– Location:
above medulla, bridge
between cerebrum
and cerebellum
– Function:
breathing, chewing,
salivation, swallowing
BRAINSTEM
SPINAL CORD

- posterior continuation
of the brain located in
the spinal cavity
- conducts impulses to
the brain through its
sensory tracts; contains
reflex centers for all
spinal cord reflexes
- Protected by vertebral
column
- If damaged paralysis can
occur
 MENINGES
- membranous coverings or protective wrapping
around brain and spinal cord consisting of three
layers

• Meningitis
- infection of
meninges
(bacterial or
viral)
 TYPES OF MENINGES

a. dura mater
- outer layer of white fibrous tissue
- thickest layer

b. arachnoid membrane
- middle layer

c. pia mater
- innermost layer adhering to the
surface of the brain and spinal cord
and containing blood vessels

d. Subarachnoid space:
- where cerebrospinal fluid sits
 CEREBROSPINAL FLUID
• Fluid that bathes
the brain and
spinal cord
• Provides a
protective cushion
around the CNS
• Produced in
choroid plexus of
brain
 VENTRICLES

• What are they?

cavities in CNS
that contain fluid

• Fourth ventricle:
- base of
cerebellum
- continuous with
central canal of
spinal cord
CRANIAL NERVES
- nerves originating from the brain (12 pairs in
man)

I - Olfactory VII - Facial

II - Optic VIII - Vestibulocochlear
III – Oculomotor IX - Glossopharyngeal
IV - Trochlear X - Vagus
V - Trigeminal XI - Accessory Nerve
VI - Abducens XII - Hypoglossal
I - Olfactory - Sensory
II - Optic - Sensory
III - Oculomotor - Motor
IV - Trochlear - Motor
V - Trigeminal - Mixed
VI - Abducens - Motor
VII - Facial - Mixed
VIII - Vestibulocochlear - Sensory
IX - Glossopharyngeal - Mixed
X - Vagus - Mixed
XI - Accessory Nerve - Motor
XII - Hypoglossal - Motor
SPINAL NERVES
- nerves originating from the spinal cord (31 pairs
in man)

- each nerve is attached to the cord by short roots

- branches of spinal nerves form plexus or

intricate network of fibers from which the nerves
supplying various parts of the skin, mucosa, and
skeletal muscles emerge

- all spinal nerves are mixed nerves

 SENSE ORGANS
KINDS LOCATION STIMULATED BY FUNCTION

Exteroceptors skin, mucosa, ear, eye Changes in external initiate reflexes,

environment (ex. sensation of many
Heat, cold, pressures) kinds
(ex. heat, cold, pain,
vision)

Visceroceptors Viscera Changes in internal initiate reflexes,

(interoceptor) environment initiate sensation of
(ex. pressure) many kinds (ex.
hunger, sex, nausea,
pressure)

Proprioceptors Muscles, tendons, pressure changes initiate reflexes,

joints, semi-circular initiate muscle sense,
canal of inner ear or sense of position
and movement of
parts, also called
kinesthesia
TASTE
- taste buds in the tongue
innervated by the facial and
glossopharyngeal nerves
- responds to chemicals;
sweet at tongue tip; sour and
salt at tip and sides; bitter at
back
OLFACTION
- receptors in the epithelium
of the nasal mucosa
- odors sensed as chemicals
interact with receptor sites on
sensory
- hair of olfactory cells
SIGHT
- eyeball consists of
three coats: outer sclera,
and cornea, middle
choroid, ciliary body, and
iris, and inner retina
- with anterior cavity
containing a liquid
aqueous humor and
posterior cavity
containing a gel-like
vitreous humor
HEARING
- external ear consisting of the
pinna, ear opening and
external auditory canal
- middle ear separated from
the external ear by the
tympanic membrane;
contains the ear ossicles and
opening from the eustachian
tubes
- inner ear (or labyrinth)
composed of body vestibule,
semicircular canals and
cochlea (containing the organ
of Corti), the hearing sense
organ innvevated by the