NERVOUS SYSTEM

What is nervous system?

The nervous system detect and respond to changes inside or outside the body. It controls and
coordinates all essential functions of the body including all other body systems allowing the body
to maintain homeostasis or its delicate balance. The nervous system consist of brain, spinal cord
and peripheral nervous system. The Nervous System is divided into Two Main Divisions:

1. Central Nervous System (CNS)-consisting of the brain and spinal cord.

2. Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)-consisting of all nerves outside the brain and spinal cord

Functions of the Nervous System -

1. Gathers information from both inside and outside the body - Sensory Function

2. Transmits information to the processing areas of the brain and spine

3. Processes the information in the brain and spine – Integration Function

4. Sends information to the muscles, glands, and organs so they can respond appropriately –
Motor Function
What is neurons?
There are two type of nervous tissue, neurones and neuroglia. Neurones (nerve cell) are the
working unit of the nervous system that generates and transmit nerve impulse. Neurones are
supported by connective tissue, collectively known as neuroglia

Each neurone consist of a cell body and its processes one axon and many dendrites

Parts of a Neuron-
 Dendrite – receive stimulus and carries it impulses toward the cell body
 Cell Body with nucleus – nucleus & most of cytoplasm
 Axon – fibre which carries impulses away from cell body

** Myelinated neurons – large axons and those of peripheral nerves are surrounded
by a myelin sheath. This consist of a series of Schwann cells arranged around the
length of axon

**Unmyelinated neurons –postganglionic fibres and some small fibres in the central
nervous system are unmyelinated. In this type a number of axons are embedded in
one Schwann cell

 Schwann Cells- cells which produce myelin or fat layer in the Peripheral
Nervous System
 Myelin sheath – dense lipid layer which insulates the axon – makes the axon look grey
 Node of Ranvier – gaps or nodes in the myelin sheath
The nerve impulse (action potential)-
 Transition of the impulse, or action potential, is due to movement of ions across the
nerve cell membrane.
 Impulses are always the same strength along a given neuron and they are self-
propagation
 The nerve impulse causes a movement of ions across the cell membrane of the nerve cell.

Working-

At resting state the nerve cell membrane is polarised due to differences in the concentration of
ions across the plasma membrane. Which is called resting membrane potential.

Resting membrane Potential of-70mV

When stimulated the

permeability of the nerve cell
membrane to those ions
changes. Initially (Na+) floods
into the neurone from the
extracellular fluid causing
depolarisation, creating a
nerve impulse or action
potential. Almost
immediately following the
entry of (Na+), (K+) floods out
of the neuron and the
movement of these ions
returns the membrane potential to its resting state. This is called the refractory period during
which restimulation is not possible.

The action of Sodium-Potassium pump expels (Na+) from the cell in exchange for (K+). Which
brings the cell to its resting potential
 The synapse and neurotransmitters-
The point at which the nerve impulse passes from
the presynaptic neurone to the postsynaptic
neurone is the synapse

Synaptic knobs contain spherical membrane

bound synaptic vesicles, which store a chemical,
the neurotransmitter that is released into the
synaptic cleft. Neurotransmitters are synthesised
by nerve cell bodies, actively transported along
the axons and stored in the synaptic vesicles.
They are released by exocytosis in response to
the action potential and diffuse across the
synaptic cleft.

What is Presynaptic and Postsynaptic

neurone?
At the synapse, the firing of an action
potential in one neuron

The presynaptic, or sending, neuron causes

the transmission of a signal to another neuron

The postsynaptic, or receiving, neuron

making the postsynaptic neuron either more
or less likely to fire its own action potential.

What Is the Central nervous system?

 The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal
cord. The CNS is so named because it integrates the received information and coordinates and
influences the activity of all parts of the bodies.

Brain is enclosed within the skull and the spinal cord by the vertebrae that form the spinal
column.

What Is the Peripheral Nervous System?

The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is the division of the nervous system containing all the
nerves that lie outside of the central nervous system (CNS). The primary role of the (PNS) is
to connect the CNS to the organs, limbs, and skin. These nerves extend from the central
nervous system to the outermost areas of the body.

The peripheral system allows the brain and spinal cord to receive and send information to
other areas of the body, which allows us to react to stimuli in our environment.

The peripheral nervous system itself is divided into two parts-

 The somatic nervous system

 The autonomic nervous system

Each of these components plays a critical role in how the peripheral nervous system
operates.

Types of nerves in peripheral nervous-

1. 12 pairs of cranial nerves, which originate from the brain -

 8 cervical
 12 thoracic
 5 lumbar
 5 sacral
 1 coccygeal
2. 31 pairs of spinal nerves that originate from the spinal cord -
 Olfactory: sensory
 Optic: sensory
 Oculomotor: motor
 Trochlear: motor Trigeminal: mixed
 Abducens: motor
 Facial: mixed
 Vestibulocochlear (auditory): sensory
 Glossopharyngeal: mixed
 Vagus: mixed
 Accessory: motor
 Hypoglossal: motor
1. Sensory neurons-

That carry information from the nerves to the central nervous system. It is these sensory
neurons that allow us to take in sensory information and send it to the brain and spinal
cord.

2. Motor neurons –
That carry information from the brain and spinal cord to muscle fibres throughout the body.
These motor neurons allow us to take physical action in response to stimuli in the
environment.

Motor nervous system consist of –

1. The Somatic Nervous System-

The somatic system is the part of the peripheral nervous system responsible for carrying
sensory and motor information to and from the central nervous system. The somatic
nervous system derives its name from the Greek word soma, which means "body."

The somatic system is responsible for transmitting sensory information as well as for
voluntary movement.

2. The Autonomic Nervous System-

The autonomic system is the part of the peripheral nervous system that's responsible for
regulating involuntary body functions, such as blood flow, heartbeat, digestion, and
breathing. In other words, it is the autonomic system that controls aspects of the body that
are usually not under voluntary control. This system allows these functions to take place
without needing to consciously think about them happening.

This system is further divided into two branches:

1. The sympathetic system regulates the flight-or-fight response. This system prepares the
body to expend energy and deal with potential threats in the environment. When action is
needed, the sympathetic system will trigger a response by speeding up the heart rate,
increasing breathing rate, increasing blood flow to muscles, activating sweat secretion, and
dilating the pupils. This allows the body to respond quickly in situations that require
 immediate action. In some cases, we might stay and fight the threat, while in other cases we
may instead flee from the danger.

The preganglionic neurone

This has its cell body in the lateral column of grey matter in the spinal cord between the levels of
the 1st thoracic and 2nd or 3rd lumbar vertebrae. The nerve fibre of this cell leaves the cord by
the anterior root and terminates at a synapse in one of the ganglia either in the lateral chain of
sympathetic ganglia or passes through it to one of the prevertebral ganglia. Acetylcholine is the
neurotransmitter at sympathetic ganglia.

The postganglionic neurone

This has its cell body in a ganglion and terminates in the organ or tissue supplied. Noradrenaline
(norepinephrine) is usually the neurotransmitter at sympathetic effector organs. The major
exception is that there is no parasympathetic supply to the sweat glands, the skin and blood
vessels of skeletal muscles. These structures are supplied by only sympathetic postganglionic
neurones, which are known as sympathetic cholinergic nerves and usually have acetylcholine as
their neurotransmitter.

2. The parasympathetic system helps maintain normal body functions and conserve physical
resources. Once a threat has passed, this system will slow the heart rate, slow breathing, reduce
blood flow to muscles, and constrict the pupils. This allows us to return our bodies to a normal
resting state.
Most of the nerves of the peripheral nervous system are composed of sensory fibres that
transmit afferent impulses from sensory organs to the brain, or motor nerve fibres that transmit
efferent impulses from the brain to the effector organs, e.g. skeletal muscles, smooth muscle and
glands.