The nervous system is part of an organism’s body that coordinates the voluntary and involuntary actions which transmits signals between different parts of the human body. The system is responsible for sending, receiving, and interpreting information from all parts of the body. Together with the peripheral nervous system and central nervous system is has a fundamental role in the control of behavior.
The central nervous system integrates information that it receives from the central nervous system and coordinates the activity of all parts of the body. Together the brain and spinal cord form the central nervous system.
The average adult human brain weighs 1.3 to 1.4 kg (approximately 3 pounds).
The brain contains about 100 billion nerve cells (neurons) and trillons of “support cells” called glia. The brain is the control Centre of the body. It receives sensory input from the spinal cord as well as from its own nerves also devotes most of its volume and computational power to processing its various sensory inputs and initiating appropriate and coordinated motor inputs. The brain is divided into 3 major regions each region is composed of different parts that work together to process the information they receive.
* The forebrain is considered as the highest part of the brain it differentiates us humans from the rest in the animal kingdom. The forebrain is responsible for a variety of functions including receiving and processing sensory information, thinking, perceiving, producing and understanding language, and controlling motor function. The forebrain is composed of the limbic system, the thalamus, the hypothalamus, the basal ganglia, and the cerebral cortex.
The Essay on Nervous System 2
... out two main functions: It connects a large part of the peripheral nervous system to the brain. Information reaching the spinal cord through sensory neurons ... that control movements of the eyes and of other part of the body. The hindbrain lies toward the back and base of ... cerebral cortex, contains most of the master controls of the body. In the cerebral cortex ultimate analysis of sensory data occurs, ...
1. The limbic system is made up of the amygdala and the hippocampus, the amygdala is responsible for processing emotions – how humans become aware of them and how we express them. It is also critical for our survival because it helps us discriminate one object from another The hippocampus, on the other hand, is presumably involved in memory storage because damage to the part actually results to inability to store new information.
2. The thalamus sits on top of the brain stem. It sorts and relays incoming information to the different parts of the forebrain. For example, information coming from the cerebellum is oftentimes relayed to the motor cortex in the cerebral cortex (discussed below).
The thalamus also works with the reticular formation on regulating states of sleep and wakefulness.
3. The hypothalamus is located just below the thalamus, hence the name. It monitors pleasurable activities such as eating, drinking and sex. It influences the endocrine system, particularly the pituitary gland, in secreting hormones in response to different emotions, stress and rewarding feelings.
* The midbrain serves to relay information between the hindbrain and forebrain, particulary information coming from the eyes and the ears this region of the brain is involved in auditorry and visual resposnses as well as motor function It is composed of two (2) systems – the reticular formation, and a cluster of neurons having dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine receptors.
* The Hindbrain is located at the rear of the skull and is the lowest portion of the brain. Hindbrain parts include the medulla, the cerebellum and the pons.
1. The medulla is where the spinal cord enters the skull. It is responsible for controlling breathing, regulating reflexes, and maintaining an upright posture of the body.
2. The cerebellum are two (2) rounded structures located besides the medulla. It is responsible for coordinating motor activity (movements of the body), so that extensive damage of the cerebellum can cause failure to even stand up.
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Market information system may be defined as factual knowledge about the action, antecedents or consequences of social actors outside or inside the firm and the environment in which they operate. Social actors are as consumers, completions, employee, institutions, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, govt. bodies and NGO’s. The environment actors are physical, technological, economic, legal and ...
3. The pons serves as the bridge towards the midbrain. It is a cluster of neuronal fibers surrounding the reticular formation (discussed below), and is responsible for monitoring sleep and arousal by coordinating with the autonomic nervous system.
The peripheral nervous system is divided into two major parts: the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. The somatic nervous system consists of peripheral nerve fibers that send sensory information to the central nervous system and motor nerve fibers that project to skeletal muscle. The autonomic nervous system is divided into three parts: the sympathetic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system and the enteric nervous system. The autonomic nervous system controls smooth muscle of the viscera (internal organs) and glands.
Central Nervous System: Spinal Cord
The spinal cord is a cylindrical shaped bundle of nerve fibers that is connected to the brain. The spinal cord runs down the center of the protective spinal column extending from the neck to the lower back. Spinal cord nerves transmit information from body organs and external stimuli to the brain and send information from the brain to other areas of the body. The nerves of the spinal cord are grouped into bundles of nerve fibers that travel in two pathways. Ascending nerve tracts carry sensory information from the body to the brain. Descending nerve tracts send information pertaining to motor function from the brain to the rest of the body.
Central Nervous System: Neurons
Neurons are the basic unit of the nervous system. All cells of the nervous system are comprised of neurons. Neurons contain nerve processes which are “finger-like” projections that extend from the nerve cell body. The nerve processes consist of axons and dendrites which are able to conduct and transmit signals. Axons typically carry signals away from the cell body. They are long nerve processes that may branch out to convey signals to various areas. Dendrites typically carry signals toward the cell body. They are usually more numerous, shorter and more branched than axons. Axons and dendrites are bundled together into what are called nerves. These nerves send signals between the brain, spinal cord, and other body organs via nerve impulses. Neurons are classified as either motor, sensory, or interneurons. Motor neurons carry information from the central nervous system to organs, glands, and muscles. Sensory neurons send information to the central nervous system from internal organs or from external stimuli. Interneurons relay signals between motor and sensory neurons.
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... nervous system CNS- nerves in the brain and spinal cord Peripheral nervous system PNS- nerves from the CNS to the body, consists of somatic and autonomic nerves Somatic nervous system ... hormone, people tend to get nervous and irritable and lose weight. Neurons send signals throughout the body as electrochemical signals. People estimate between 100 to ...
Epinephrine is a naturally occurring hormone. The hormone epinephrine is a fluid released from the adrenal gland. The hormone acts as a neurotransmitter. A neurotransmitter transfers and regulates the signals between the neurons and other cells of the body. The fight-or-flight response of the body is initiated by the secretion of epinephrine. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS), a sub division of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is responsible for the generation of the response.
Epinephrine has many functions in the body, regulating heart rate, blood vessel and air passage diameters, and metabolic shifts; epinephrine release is a crucial component of the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system During the fight-or-flight response response, the adrenal gland releases epinephrine into the blood stream, along with other hormones like cortisol, signaling the heart to pump harder, increasing blood pressure, opening airways in the lungs, narrowing blood vessels in the skin and intestine to increase blood flow to major muscle groups, and performing other functions to enable the body to fight or run when encountering a perceived threat.
