Module 1.2 Flashcards
Overview of the Nervous System
Nervous System
The body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system.
Central Nervous System (CNS)
The brain and spinal cord.
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body.
Nerves
Bundled axons that form neural cables connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sensory organs.
Sensory (afferent) Neurons
Neurons that carry incoming information from the body’s tissues and sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.
Motor (Efferent) Neurons
Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.
Interneurons
Neurons within the brain and spinal cord; they communicate internally and process information between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.
Somatic Nervous System
The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system.
Autonomic Nervous System
The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (like heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.
Sympathetic Nervous System
The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy.
Parasympathetic Nervous System
The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.
