1. Nervous System Divisions

Major functions of the nervous system?

Perception, voluntary movement,

consciousness/learning/memory,

homeostasis (with endocrine system)

Structural divisions?

CNS (brain, spinal cord); PNS (cranial and spinal nerves)

Where are the brain and spinal cord?

Brain: cranial cavity; cord joins brain at foramen magnum, inside vertebral column

Brain functions?

Higher mental functions, movement, analyze sensory info, automatic processes (breathing)

Spinal cord functions?

Brain–body communication; some automatic functions on its own

What are nerves?

PNS organs: bundled axons + blood vessels + CT layers; conduct APs to/from CNS

Cranial vs. spinal nerves?

Cranial: 12 pairs, to/from brain

spinal: 31 pairs, to/from spinal cord

Nerves vs. neurons?

Nerves are organs; neurons are cells

Three functional categories?

Sensory, integrative, motor

Sensory function?

Detect stimuli

PNS nerves send APs to CNS

Integrative function?

CNS neurons analyze input and decide a response

Motor function?

CNS → PNS nerves → effectors (muscle or glands)

Two functional PNS divisions?

Sensory (afferent) and motor (efferent)

Sensory subdivisions?

Somatic sensory and visceral sensory

Somatic sensory receptors are in?

Skeletal muscles

bones

joints

skin

special sense organs

Visceral sensory receptors are in?

Walls of viscera (heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, kidneys, bladder)

Motor subdivisions?

Somatic motor and visceral motor (ANS)

Somatic motor division?

Motor neurons to skeletal muscle; voluntary

ANS (visceral motor)?

Motor neurons to smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, glands

involuntary

Effectors?

Muscles and glands that carry out the response