Central nervous system

A diagram showing the CNS:
1. Brain
2. Central nervous system
    (brain and spinal cord)
3. Spinal cord

The central nervous system (CNS) is the largest part of the nervous system. It is made up of the brain and the spinal cord.

Together with the peripheral nervous system, it has an important role in the control of behaviour. The CNS is protected by bone in the dorsal cavity: the brain in the cranial subcavity, and the spinal cord in the spinal cavity.

• See also: Vertebrate brain

Parts of the vertebrate CNS

Spinal cord
Brain	Brain stem	Rhombencephalon		Pons, Cerebellum, Medulla oblongata
		Mesencephalon		Tectum, Cerebral peduncle, Pretectum, Mesencephalic duct
	Prosencephalon	Diencephalon		Epithalamus, Thalamus, Hypothalamus, Subthalamus, Pituitary gland, Pineal gland, Third ventricle
		Telencephalon		Rhinencephalon, Amygdala, Hippocampus, Neocortex, Lateral ventricles

Other websites

• Sylvius: 400+ structure neuroanatomical visual glossary; used by over half of U.S. medical schools
• High-Resolution Cytoarchitectural Primate Brain Atlases
• Human Brains: A Learning Tool Archived 2007-06-25 at the Wayback Machine.
• Explaining the human nervous system Archived 2017-06-26 at the Wayback Machine.
• Nervous System - Back Pain - Anatomy (info on nerve pairs) Archived 2007-08-07 at the Wayback Machine.
• Textbook in Medical Physiology And Pathophysiology, many links Archived 2009-08-03 at the Wayback Machine
• Brain and Cranial Nerves, Anatomy and Physiology Lecture, Northland Community College Archived 2007-07-10 at the Wayback Machine
• Latest Research on the Brain and Central Nervous System From ScienceDaily