Nervous system

The Nervous System

Neurons work together forming the nervous
system
There are two major divisions of the nervous
system:
Central nervous system (CNS)
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Parts of the Nervous system

Central nervous system (CNS):
Brain
Spinal Cord

Peripheral nervous system (PNS):

Sensory division
Motor division
Somatic nervous system
Autonomic nervous system

Central Nervous System

The CNS is the control center of the body:
Relays messages
Processes information
Analyzes information

Brain and Spinal cord

Both are
protected by bone
wrapped in 3 layers of connective tissue =
meninges
layers may have a space between them filled with
cerebrospinal fluid which protects (shock
absorber) and exchanges nutrients and waste

Brain
About 100 billion neurons, mainly
interneurons
Major parts of the brain:
Cerebrum
Cerebellum
Brain stem
Thalamus
Hypothalamus

Figure 35-9 The Brain

Section 35-3

Cerebrum
Thalamus
Pineal
gland

Hypothalamus
Cerebellum

Pituitary gland
Pons
Medulla oblongata

Spinal cord

Spinal Cord
Links communication between the brain and
the rest of the body
31 pairs of spinal nerves branch out from the
spinal cord connecting brain to body
Reflexes = quick, automatic responses to
stimuli are processed directly in the spinal
cord

Figure 35-11 The Spinal Cord

Section 35-3

Gray matter

Spinal nerve

Central canal

White matter

Meninges

Peripheral Nervous System

Consists of nerves and associated cells that are
not part of the brain or spinal cord
Receives information from the environment and
relays commands from the CNS to organs and
glands
Divided into two parts:
Sensory division: transmits impulses from sense organs
to the CNS
Motor division: transmits impulses from the CNS to the
muscles or glands

Somatic System
Part of motor division that regulates activities
that are under conscious control (movement
of skeletal muscles)
Some reflexes too

Autonomic System
Part of the motor division that regulates activities
that are automatic or involuntary (heart beat and
smooth muscle in digestive system and blood
vessels)

What is a Reflex?
A reflex is an involuntary behavior. Reflexes are usually coordinated
in the spinal cord not the brain.
They are present from birth
They are automatic
They are meant to protect the body
Examples:
blinking (keeps your eyes hydrated)
pulling your hand away when you touch something hot.
changing pupil size as you move from dark to light.

Reflex Arc
The pathway that an impulse travels:

1. from the sensory receptor

2. up the sensory neuron
3. over the synapse
4. to the spinal cord (interneuron)
5. over another synapse
6. back down the motor neuron
7. to the effector

Types of Sensory receptors

Sensory receptors within each organ enable it to
respond to particular stimuli. The five general
categories of sensory receptors are:

Pain receptors
Thermoreceptors
Mechanoreceptors
Chemoreceptors
Photoreceptors

Thermo receptor
A thermoreceptor is a sensory receptor,
or more accurately the receptive portion of a
sensory neuron, that codes absolute and
relative changes in temperature
The adequate stimulus for a warm receptor is
warming, which results in an increase in
their action potential discharge rate. Cooling
results in a decrease in warm receptor
discharge rate.

Chemoreceptor
A chemoreceptor is a sensory
receptor that transduces a chemical signal
into an action potential
Sensory receptor works under principle of pH

Baro receptors
In Baro receptors sensory neuron is excited by
stretch of the blood vessel. Thus, increases in
the pressure of blood vessel triggers
increased action potential

Sense organs
Sensory receptors are concentrated in the
sense organs:
Eyes
Ears
Nose
Mouth
Skin

Hearing and Balance

Sound = vibration in air
detected by
mechanoreceptors

Smell
Smell = ability to detect chemicals detected by
chemoreceptors in nasal passageway and send
impulses to CNS through sensory nerves

Taste
How food tastes is strongly
influenced by smell
Taste = ability to sense chemicals
by chemoreceptors in taste buds
mostly on tongue (sweet, sour,
salty and bitter sensitivity is
different on different parts of
tongue)

Touch
Skin = largest sense organ
containing pain receptors,
thermoreceptors, and
mechanoreceptors

Thank You