Nervous system
The nervous system is a body system which sends signals around the body. It lets animals respond to what is around them. The central nervous system is the brain and the spinal cord.[1] It is present in almost all animals. It is there to process the input from the senses, and to coordinate movement.[2] Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system.
The nervous system is made up of neurons. Other cells, such as glial cells keep the neurons safe and in good condition.[3]
The structure of the system includes the brain and spinal cord, which together are called the central nervous system.[2] The brain has billions of nerve cells to help think, walk, and breathe.[4] The nervous system can react in 1/100 of a second to a stimulus, like a pain signal.[4]
The system of nerves in your body that sends messages for controlling movement and feeling between the brain and the other parts of the body anatomy of nervous systems can be sub-divided as follows:[2][5]
Nervous System Media
A representation of the role and relationships of the somatic and autonomic nervous system.
Structure of a typical neuron with Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system
Flowchart of the human nervous system
Horizontal section of the head of an adult female human, showing skin, skull, and brain with gray matter (brown in this image) and underlying white matter
Nervous system of a bilaterian animal, in the form of a nerve cord with segmental enlargements, and a "brain" at the front
Earthworm nervous system. Top: side view of the front of the worm. Bottom: nervous system in isolation, viewed from above
Internal anatomy of a spider, showing the nervous system in blue
Major elements in synaptic transmission. An electrochemical wave called an action potential travels along the axon of a neuron. When the wave reaches a synapse, it provokes release of a small amount of neurotransmitter molecules, which bind to chemical receptor molecules in the membrane of the target cell.
References
- ↑ Organization of the Nervous System. Cancer.govNational Cancer Institute. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Kandel ER, Schwartz JH, Jessel TM. Principles of Neural Science (2000)McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 978-0-8385-7701-1.
- ↑ Allen NJ, Barres BA. Neuroscience: Glia - more than just brain glue. Nature 457 (7230) (2009). p. 675–7. doi:10.1038/457675a.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kandel ER, Schwartz JH, Jessel TM. Principles of Neural Science (2000)McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 978-0-8385-7701-1.
- ↑ The Peripheral Nervous System. Cancer.govNational Cancer Institute. Retrieved January 20, 2016.