Nervous System
NERVOUS SYSTEM
The human body’s activities are regulated by two systems – the nervous system and the endocrine system. Although both systems control body functions, their methods differ.
The nervous system is the body's information gatherer, storage center and control system. Its primary function is to collect information about the external conditions in relation to the body's external state, to analyze this information, and to initiate appropriate responses to satisfy certain needs; the most significant of these needs is survival.
Nervous system structures vary in the animal kingdom. In lower forms of animals, we can see different types of nervous systems. Cnidarians have a network of loosely arranged nerve cells throughout their bodies, forming a nerve net. Flatworms such as planarians exhibit a rudimentary brain with nerve cords traversing the length of their bodies.
Mammals have highly evolved nervous systems. They have large brains which process information and sense organs located near the brain.
The human nervous system is made up of nerves, the brain, and the spinal cord. The nerves themselves do not form one single system, but several which are interrelated. Some of these are physically separate while others are different from one another in function only.
The brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous system (CNS). The peripheral nervous (PNS) is made up of nerves which transmit information back to the brain; this system is responsible for the bodily functions which are not under conscious control, like the heartbeat or the digestive system. The smooth operation of the peripheral nervous system is achieved by dividing it into sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. These are opposing actions and create a check and balance system. The nervous system uses electrical impulses to communicate external conditions to the brain; the electrical impulses travel along the length of the neurons (the nervous system's primary network of cells) and
The human body’s activities are regulated by two systems – the nervous system and the endocrine system. Although both systems control body functions, their methods differ.
The nervous system is the body's information gatherer, storage center and control system. Its primary function is to collect information about the external conditions in relation to the body's external state, to analyze this information, and to initiate appropriate responses to satisfy certain needs; the most significant of these needs is survival.
Nervous system structures vary in the animal kingdom. In lower forms of animals, we can see different types of nervous systems. Cnidarians have a network of loosely arranged nerve cells throughout their bodies, forming a nerve net. Flatworms such as planarians exhibit a rudimentary brain with nerve cords traversing the length of their bodies.
Mammals have highly evolved nervous systems. They have large brains which process information and sense organs located near the brain.
The human nervous system is made up of nerves, the brain, and the spinal cord. The nerves themselves do not form one single system, but several which are interrelated. Some of these are physically separate while others are different from one another in function only.
The brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous system (CNS). The peripheral nervous (PNS) is made up of nerves which transmit information back to the brain; this system is responsible for the bodily functions which are not under conscious control, like the heartbeat or the digestive system. The smooth operation of the peripheral nervous system is achieved by dividing it into sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. These are opposing actions and create a check and balance system. The nervous system uses electrical impulses to communicate external conditions to the brain; the electrical impulses travel along the length of the neurons (the nervous system's primary network of cells) and