central nervous system

Examples of central nervous system in the following topics:

• Intro to the Central Nervous System

• The Central Nervous System (CNS)

  • The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord, which process sensory input and provide instructions to the body.
  • The central nervous system (CNS) is one of the two major subdivisions of the nervous system.
  • Together with the peripheral nervous system (PNS), the CNS performs fundamental functions that contribute to an organism's life and behavior.
  • The nervous system has three main functions: gathering sensory information from external stimuli, synthesizing that information, and responding to those stimuli.
  • The three major components of the central nervous system: 1) the brain, 2) brain stem, and 3) spinal cord.

• Introduction to the Nervous System

  • The general flow of information is that the peripheral nervous system (PNS) takes in information through sensory neurons, then sends it to the central nervous system (CNS) to be processed.
  • The nervous system can be divided into two major parts—the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
  • The central nervous system includes the spinal cord and the brain.
  • The PNS can be further subdivided into the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system.
  • The nervous system of the human body, including the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) and all the nerves of the body (peripheral nervous system).

• Development of the Human Brain

  • The human brain is one of the most complex systems on earth.
  • The brain and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system, which alongside the peripheral nervous system is responsible for regulating all bodily functions.
  • The hindbrain is the well-protected central core of the brain.
  • All sensory and motor information that travels between the forebrain and the spinal cord passes through the midbrain, making it a relay station for the central nervous system.
  • The forebrain is the most anterior division of the developing vertebrate brain, containing the most complex networks in the central nervous system.

• The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

  • The peripheral nervous system connects the central nervous system to environmental stimuli to gather sensory input and create motor output.
  • The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is one of the two major components of the body's nervous system.
  • In conjunction with the central nervous system (CNS), the PNS coordinates action and responses by sending signals from one part of the body to another.
  • The PNS can also be divided into two separate systems: the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system.
  • The human nervous system, including both the central nervous system (in red: brain, brain stem, and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (in blue: all other neurons and receptors).

• Introducing the Neuron

  • The neuron is the basic building block of the brain and central nervous system.
  • Nearly 86 billion neurons work together within the nervous system to communicate with the rest of the body.
  • In the central nervous system, the glial cells that form the myelin sheath are called oligodendrocytes; in the peripheral nervous system, they are called Schwann cells.
  • Unlike the motor neurons of the central nervous system (CNS), whose inputs come from other neurons, sensory neurons are activated by physical modalities (such as visible light, sound, heat, physical contact, etc.) or by chemical signals (such as smell and taste).
  • Motor neurons are neurons located in the central nervous system, and they project their axons outside of the CNS to directly or indirectly control muscles.

• Stimulants

  • Stimulants increase the activity of the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), the sympathetic nervous system (part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the fight-or-flight response), or both.
  • Some stimulants produce a sense of euphoria, especially those that exert influence on the central nervous system.
  • Addiction to some central-nervous-system stimulants can quickly lead to medical, psychiatric, and psychosocial deterioration.
  • Over time, stimulants can disrupt the functioning of the brain's dopamine system, dampening users' ability to feel any pleasure at all.

• Etiology of Schizophrenia

  • While the exact environmental trigger(s) that influence the development of schizophrenia are unknown, scientists suspect that prenatal exposure to the flu or famine, obstetric complications, central-nervous-system infections in early childhood, and psychosocial stress in childhood and early adulthood may be linked to the disease.
  • The pathenogenic theory of schizophrenia suggests that in-utero exposure to pathogens that affect the central nervous system may cause a predisposition for the development of schizophrenia.
  • The simplest version of this theory suggests that schizophrenia is associated with an increase of dopamine in the central nervous system.
  • The first is the mesolimbic system, which affects areas regulating reward pathways and emotional processes; the second is the mesocortical system, which affects the prefrontal cortex, areas that regulate cognitive processing, and areas involved with motor control.

• Olfaction: The Nasal Cavity and Smell

  • The olfactory system gives humans their sense of smell by inhaling and detecting odorants in the environment.
  • This causes foods to taste different if the olfactory system is compromised.
  • This is most likely due to the olfactory system's close anatomical ties to the limbic system and the hippocampus, areas of the brain that have been known to be involved in emotion and place memory.
  • They are processed by an accessory of the olfactory system.
  • The olfactory nerve connects the olfactory system to the central nervous system to allow processing of odor information.

• Biology of Emotion

  • The limbic system, autonomic nervous system, and reticular activating system interact in the processing of emotion.
  • The limbic system, autonomic nervous system, and reticular activating system all interact to assist the body in experiencing and processing emotions.
  • The central nucleus plays a role in attention.
  • The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is part of the peripheral nervous system in humans.
  • The ANS can be further subdivided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.