psych lecture brain

Peripheral vs Central nervous system and the input/output loop

• The transcript introduces input to the system as sensory input, e.g., keyboard and mouse analogies for peripheral nerves. These are likened to sensory neurons of the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS).
• The PNS is defined as everything outside the Central Nervous System (CNS); sensory neurons innervate skin and organs, sending afferent information to the CNS.
• The CNS (brain and spinal cord) receives sensory information, computes it, and issues motor output to skeletal muscles and organs to guide behavior and function.
• Analogy to a computer: input via keyboard/mouse (PNS) goes to the CPU (CNS) for processing, which then outputs information back to the user. Sensory input → CNS processing → motor output.
• The CNS and PNS form