The nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord, sensory organs, and all of the nerves that connect these organs with the rest of the body. Together, they control of the functions of the body and the communication among its parts.
BRANCHES of THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS)
SOMATIC NERVOUS SYSTEM(SNS)
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PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (PNS)
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS)
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Functions of the Nervous System
The nervous system has 3 main functions: sensory, integration, and motor.
The nervous system has 3 main functions: sensory, integration, and motor.
- Sensory:
- collects information from sensory receptors and then pass it on to the central nervous system (CNS) for further processing by afferent neurons (and nerves). What does afferent mean? What direction do they travel?
- Integration:
- Takes place in the gray matter
- Performed by interneurons
- The process of evaluating & comparing signals
- They can be used for decision making
- discarded or
- committed to memory
- Motor:
- Stimulates efferent neurons. What are efferent neurons? What direction do they travel?
- Carry signals from the gray matter of the CNS through the nerves of the peripheral nervous system to effector cells.
- The effector cells may be smooth, cardiac, or skeletal muscle tissue or glandular tissue.
- These cells releases hormones or moves a part of the body to respond to the stimulus.