THE
NERVOUS
SYSTEM
WHAT IS NERVOUS SYSTEM?
• Your nervous system is your body’s command
center. The three main parts are the brain,
spinal cord and nerves. It is system of cells, tissue,
and organs that regulates the body’s responses to
internal and external stimuli. Your nervous system
works by sending messages, or electrical signals,
between your brain and all the other parts of your
body. These signals tell you to breathe, move,
speak and see.
• Your nervous system regulates complicated
processes like thoughts and memory. Its connects
all your body parts and transmits signals from one
part to another. It also plays an essential role in the
things your body does without thinking, like
blushing, sweating, and blinking.
MAJOR DIVISIONS AND PARTS OF THE
NERVOUS SYSTEM
1. Central Nervous System (CNS)
The CNS serves as the main processing center for the
entire nervous system. It consist of two main
components.
A. Brain
This is an organ located within the skull that
functions as organizer and distributor of information for
the body. It has three main parts:
Cerebrum – large, upper part of the brain that
controls activity and thought.
Celebellum – the part under the cerebrum that
controls posture, balance, and coordination.
Brain stem – the part that connects the brain to
the spinal cord and controls automatic functions such
as breathing, digestion, heart rate, and blood pressure.
B. Spinal Cord
This serves as a channel for signals between the brain and the
rest of the body, controls simple muscoloskeletal reflexes without
input from the brain.
1. Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
The PNS connects the central nervous system to the organs and
limbs.
It has two main divisions.
A. Somatic Nervous System
This system is associated with the voluntary control of body movements.
It has two main parts:
Spinal Nerves – the nerves that carry motor and sensory signals between the spinal
cord and the body.
Cranial Nerves – the nerve fibers that carry information into and out of the brain
stem.
B. Automatic Nervous System
This system is associated with the involuntary
controls of body movements.
It has two subdivisions:
Sympathetic – it is activated when the body is in
dynamic role or stress.(e.g, increased heart rate and
breathing, dilation of pupil, sweating, etc.)
Parasympathetic – it maintains body functions and
restores the body to normal or relaxed modes.
THE NERVE CELL
• It is a basic unit of nervous system and called neurons.
There are billions of neurons in the body. Some exist
alone and others are joined together to form organs
like the brain and spinal cord.
• There are twelve to fourteen billions of neurons in one
part of the brain alone.
A neuron has a cell body containing the nucleus.
Projecting out from the cell body are root-like structures.
Dendrites – Carry impulses towards the cell body. A
single dendrite can be over one meter long.
Cell Body – A cell my have as many as 200
dendrites carrying impulses towards the cell body.
Axons – Carry impulses away from the cell body.
Axons pass impulses to the dendrites of other neurons
or cell body of muscle cells. It can be grouped together
into cable-like bundles called nerves.
CONTROL OF BODY PROCESSES
THROUGH THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
The Nerve Impulse
Neurons are cell with the special ability to carry
signals or impulses. Thoughts, emotions, learning, and
may body functions are carried by nerve impulses in the
neuron.
• A nerve impulse is a combination of an electrical
charge and a chemical reaction. A nerve impulse is not
a flow of electricity, but an electrochemical signals
moving along a neuron.
• A nerve impulse cannot jump from one neurons to
another. When a nerve impulse comes to the end of an
axon, it produces the chemical, called
neurotransmitter, to be released. The chemical crosses
the space between neurons called synapse and
stimulates the nerve impulse to start in the next
dendrite.
The nervous system is assisted by five sense
organs the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin. These
sense organs are constantly receiving information from
the environment and sending messages to the brain.
These senses aid in the survival of human beings.
• A stimulus is any factor in the environment that may
trigger a nerve impulse. A response is a reaction to a
stimulus. A stimulus is received by the body and a
response is made. An organism must be able to a
stimulus in order to survive.
• Messages do not travel in both directions along the
same neuron. Only the axon of the neuron releases
neurotransmitter that cross the space between
neurons. Reaction time is the length of the between
application of a stimulus and detection of a
response.
WHAT DOES THE NERVOUS
SYSTEM DO?
• Your nervous system’s main function is to send messages from various
parts of your body to your brain, and from your brain back out to your body
to tell your body what to do. These messages regulate your:
• Thoughts, memory, learning and feelings.
• Movements (balance and coordination).
• Senses (how your brain interprets what you see, hear, taste, touch and
feel).
• Wound healing.
• Sleep.
• Heartbeat and breathing patterns.
• Response to stressful situations, including sweat production.
• Digestion.
THANK YOU
FOR
LISTENING!!
GROUP 1:
Members:
Marimar Manuel
Mike Andrie Magno
Gillian Luyun
Albert Fernandez