Nervous system
The nervous system is divided into the two main components.
1) the central nervous system (CNS) and
2) the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
The nervous system has the following structure:
Central nervous system - comprises the brain and spinal cord. The main function of the CNS
is the integration and processing of sensory information. It synthesizes sensory input to
compute an appropriate motor response, or output.
Spinal cord - bundle of nerve fibres enclosed within the spinal column and which connects
nearly all parts of the body with the brain.
-Main function is to relay information between the brain and the rest of the body.
-Spinal cord is connected to different parts of the body by pairs of spinal nerves, which connect
with specific muscles and glands.
-Impulses are sent from receptors through the spinal cord to the brain, where they are
processed and synthesized into instructions for the rest of the body. This data is then sent back
through the spinal cord to muscles and glands for motor output.
-The spinal cord also contains circuits of nerve cells that enable us to perform simple reflexes
without the direct involvement of the brain.
Brain - part of the CNS that is responsible for coordinating sensation, intellectual and nervous
activity. The brain can be divided into four main areas - cerebrum, cerebellum, diencephalon
and brain stem.
- Cerebrum - largest part of the brain and is divided into 4 different lobes each of which
has a different primary function. The occipital lobe processes visual information; the
temporal lobe processes auditory information; the parietal lobe integrates information
from the different senses and therefore plays an important role in spatial navigation; the
The nervous system is divided into the two main components.
1) the central nervous system (CNS) and
2) the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
The nervous system has the following structure:
Central nervous system - comprises the brain and spinal cord. The main function of the CNS
is the integration and processing of sensory information. It synthesizes sensory input to
compute an appropriate motor response, or output.
Spinal cord - bundle of nerve fibres enclosed within the spinal column and which connects
nearly all parts of the body with the brain.
-Main function is to relay information between the brain and the rest of the body.
-Spinal cord is connected to different parts of the body by pairs of spinal nerves, which connect
with specific muscles and glands.
-Impulses are sent from receptors through the spinal cord to the brain, where they are
processed and synthesized into instructions for the rest of the body. This data is then sent back
through the spinal cord to muscles and glands for motor output.
-The spinal cord also contains circuits of nerve cells that enable us to perform simple reflexes
without the direct involvement of the brain.
Brain - part of the CNS that is responsible for coordinating sensation, intellectual and nervous
activity. The brain can be divided into four main areas - cerebrum, cerebellum, diencephalon
and brain stem.
- Cerebrum - largest part of the brain and is divided into 4 different lobes each of which
has a different primary function. The occipital lobe processes visual information; the
temporal lobe processes auditory information; the parietal lobe integrates information
from the different senses and therefore plays an important role in spatial navigation; the
