The nervous system Flashcards
What does the CNS consist of?
The brain and spinal cord
What does the PNS consist of?
Nerves and ganglia(group of nerve cell bodies) outside the cns
Which two systems are primarily connected to the pns?
Sensory nervous system and the motor nervous system
The sensory nervous systems functions?
Carries sensory information from sense organs and internal organs to CNS
The motor nervous systems functions?
Carries motor commands from the CNS to internal organs, glands and muscles
What two subdivisions is the motor nervous system divided into?
The autonomic and somatic nervous system
Somatic nervous systems functions?
Carries information to the muscles under voluntary control
Autonomic nervous systems functions?
Controls visceral functions, carries messages to the internal organs and glands. Not typically under voluntary control, but some things can be controlled through practice, e.g the bladder
The autonomic nervous systems subdivisions
Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
The sympathetic nervous systems functions?
This system increases heart rate, diverts blood from the digestive tract to the somatic musculature, and prepares the body for fight-or- flight responses by stimulating the adrenal glands. Uses the neurotransmitter norepinephrine(adrenalin).
Controls the body during emergencies
The parasympathetic nervous systems functions?
It is responsible for decreasing heart rate and stimulating digestion.
Uses acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter.
Controls the body during non-emergencies
How does the parasympathetic and sympathetic system work in correlation to one another?
These two systems frequently operate antagonistically.
The two systems are always active and compensate for each other, and in some situations the one or the other is is dominant(emergency vs non-emergency)
