NERVOUS SYSTEM

Your nervous system is the control and communication system of the body. Its job is to send and
receive messages. Your nervous system controls all your thoughts and movements.
Parts of the nervous system
Neurons
The cells that make up the nervous system are called neurons. Long, stringy neurons are perfect for
carrying the electrical messages that are the "language" of the nervous system.
Brain
The brain is the command center of your entire body. The brain is the body's main information center.
It is made of billions of neurons. The brain helps the body respond to the information it receives from the
senses. The brain also processes thoughts. When you think, neurons in your brain are working.
The brain has three main parts. The largest is the cerebrum, which controls vision, touch, and other
senses. It also handles movements you have control over. Thinking takes place in the cerebrum. The
cerebellum is another section of the brain. The cerebellum helps control balance and coordination.
Another part of the brain is called the brain stem. The brain stem is the link to the spinal cord and it also
controls digestion, breathing, and heartbeat.
Spinal Cord
The spinal cord is a tube of neurons that runs up the spine and attaches to the brain stem.
Information from nerves that branch out to the rest of the body goes to the spinal cord. Some messages
are processed by the spinal cord but most information is sent on to the brain.

Common Diseases of Nervous System

Alzhiemer's Disease-progressive degenerative disorder of brain
that affects ability to carry out daily activities of living

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-ALS / Lou Gehrig's disease
degenerative disease of neurons resulting in progressive weakness

Bell's Palsy-Damage to facial nerve resulting in paralysis &
drooping on one side of face

Cerebral Palsy-Brain damage before or during birth resulting in
poor muscle control & spasticity

Cerbrovascular Accident-CVA / stroke
decreased blood supply to brain caused by clot / hemorrahge

Encephalitis-Sever inflammation of the brain
commonly caused by virus (complication of flu)

Epilepsy-Abnormal electrical impulses in brain that cause bursts of
excitement & can result in siezures

Hydrocephalus-Excessive fluid w/in brain....too much CSF

Meningitis-Inflammation of the covering of the brain and spinal
cord
...meningies

Multiple Sclerosis-MS...an autoimmune disorder
causes destruction of myelin sheath resulting in in episodic tremors,
weakness, mood swings& vision changes

Neuralgia-Nerve pain caused by an irritated or damaged nerve

Paraplegia-Paralysis from waist down
usually result of damage / trauma to spinal cord

Parkinson's Disease-Degeneration of nerve cells in brain that
control movement resulting in tremors

Quadriplegia-Paralysis from shoulders down (respiratory assist.)
usually result of damage / trauma to spinal cord

Sciatica-Inflammation of sciatic nerve results in pain in thigh & leg
(longest nerve in the body)

Seizure Disorders-Disturbance in brain function causing
uncontrollable contractions in muscles

Spina Bifida-Birth defect spinal cord not completely enclosed
NERVOUS SYSTEM TRIVIA

When the baby is in utero a mass of cells develops that begin the process of creating the brain and
nervous system. After a few weeks these calls divide and one group becomes the brain and the other
the GI tract. They come from identical cells. Our 30-foot long gut is embedded with cells of the enteric
nervous system, the ENS, a complex system of around 100 million nerves which is often referred to as
our "second brain". The ENS supervises the processes of digestion and stays in close contact with, and is
heavily influenced by, the central nervous system (the CNS) which comprises the brain and spinal
cord. The ENS and CNS use many of the same chemical messengers or neurotransmitters including
acetylcholine and serotonin. In fact the gut has more of these receptors than the brain and can operate
independently of the brain When you take a drug that alters or boosts neurotransmitters in the brain it
is also having an effect on the gut.
Did you know....- There are more nerve cells in the human brain than there are stars in the
Milky Way.
- If we lined up all the neurons in our body it would be around 600 miles long.
- There are 100 billion neurons in your brain alone.
- A newborn baby's brain grows almost 3 times during the course of its first year.
- The left side of human brain controls the right side of the body and the right side of the brain
controls the left side of the body.
- A New born baby loses about half of their nerve cells before they are born.
- As we get older, the brain loses almost one gram per year.
- There are about 13, 500,00 neurons in the human spinal cord.
- The total surface area of the human brain is about 25, 000 square cm.
ABOUT THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
The nervous system is the part of an animal's body that coordinates its voluntary and
involuntary actions and transmits signals between different parts of its body.Nervous tissue first
arose in wormlike organisms about 550 to 600 million years ago. In most animal species it
consists of two main parts, the central nervous system(CNS) and the peripheral nervous
system (PNS). The CNS contains the brain and spinal cord. The PNS consists mainly of nerves,
which are enclosed bundles of the long fibers or axons, that connect the CNS to every other part
of the body. The PNS includes motor neurons, mediating voluntary movement; the autonomic
nervous system, comprising the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous
system, which regulate involuntary functions, and the enteric nervous system, which functions to
control the gastrointestinal system.
At the cellular level, the nervous system is defined by the presence of a special type of cell,
called the neuron, also known as a "nerve cell". Neurons have special structures that allow them
to send signals rapidly and precisely to other cells. They send these signals in the form of
electrochemical waves traveling along thin fibers called axons, which cause chemicals
called neurotransmitters to be released at junctions called synapses. A cell that receives a
synaptic signal from a neuron may be excited, inhibited, or otherwise modulated. The
connections between neurons can form neural circuits and also neural networks that generate an
organism's perception of the world and determine its behavior. Along with neurons, the nervous
system contains other specialized cells called glial cells (or simply glia), which provide structural
and metabolic support.
Nervous systems are found in most multicellular animals, but vary greatly in
complexity. The only multicellular animals that have no nervous system at all
aresponges, placozoans and mesozoans, which have very simple body plans. The nervous
systems of the radially symmetric organisms the ctenophores (comb jellies)
and cnidarians (which include anemones, hydras, corals and jellyfish) consist of a diffuse nerve
net. All other animal species, with the exception of a few types of worm, have a nervous system
containing a brain, a central cord (or two cords running in parallel), and nerves radiating from the
brain and central cord. The size of the nervous system ranges from a few hundred cells in the
simplest worms, to around 100 billion cells in humans.
The central nervous system functions to send signals from one cell to others, or from one
part of the body to others and to receive feedback. Malfunction of the nervous system can
occur as a result of genetic defects, physical damage due to trauma or toxicity, infection or
simply of ageing. The medical specialty of neurologystudies disorders of the nervous system
and looks for interventions that can prevent or treat them. In the peripheral nervous system,
the most common problem is the failure of nerve conduction, which can be due to different
causes including diabetic neuropathy and demyelinating disorders such as multiple
sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neuroscience is the field of science that focuses on
the study of the nervous system.
The Nervous System
Central Nervous System - the portion of the nervous system consisting of the brain and
spinal chord.
Spinal Chord - A collection of neurons and supportive tissue running from the base of the
brain down to the centre of the back
Reflex: An automatic response to a stimulus, requiring no conscious efforts (that
often only requires the spinal chord) Two Systems.
Peripheral Nervous System - All nerves outside the CNS, includes sensory & motor
nerves.
Somatic Nervous System - The subdivision of the peripheral NS that connects to sensory
receptors and to skeletal muscles
Autonomic Nervous System - The subdivision of the PNS that regulates the internal
organs and glands (bladder, stomach, heart, blood vessels)
Sympathetic N S - that mobilizes bodily resources and increases the output of energy
during emotion & stress (fight or flight - accelerator)
Parasympathetic N S - operates during relaxed states and conserves energy (digest food
- brake)
Biofeedback (Miller, 1969, 1978) - monitoring devices track the bodily processes in
question and deliver a signal (light or tone) whenever a person makes the desired response
- e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, brain waves,
Basic Units of the Nervous System
Neurons: Cells that conduct electrochemical signals, the basic unit of the nervous system.
Also called a nerve cell. Arborization.
Cell Assemblies are collections of cells that work together in neural pathways or circuits.
Glial Cells: cells that hold neurons in place, insulate neurons, and provide neurons with
nutrients.
The Structure of the Neuron
Dendrites - a neuron's branches that receive information from other neurones and
transmit it toward the cell body.
Cell Body - The part of the neuron that keeps it alive and determines whether or not it
will fire.
Axon - a neuron's extending fibre that conducts impulses away from the cell body and
transmits them to other neurones.
Myelin sheath - A fatty insulation that may surround the axon of the neurone
Nerve - a bundle of nerve fibres (axons and dendrites) in the peripheral nervous system.
Synapse - place where transmission of nerve impulses go from one neurone to the
next. alt fig
- Includes the axon terminal, the synaptic cleft, and receptor sites in membrane of the
next cell.
Action potential -Electrical impulses or current travelling down nerve cell. Two types of
action.
unmyelinated smooth flow of current or potential
myelinated jumping skipping flow of potential hopping down nodes
Synaptic end bulb - synaptic vesicles - little sacs that release neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitter - a chemical substance that is released by a transmitting neuron at
the synapses and that alters the activity of a receiving neuron.
eg., acetylcholine - transmits between nerves and muscles
dopamine - important in "reward" system and also seems to play inhibitory role,
important in schizophrenia & Parkinson's syndrome
serotonin - involved in sleep, dreaming, arousal & emotions
GABA - involved in regulation of anxiety
Receptor sites - lock and key only certain ones fit.
excitatory - increase potential of receptor firing
inhibitory - decrease probability of receptor firing
Neuromodulators - chemical messengers in the NS that increase or decrease the action
of specific neurotransmitters. Drugs will affect action ofneurotransmitters: release, re-
uptake, block, ...
E.g., Cocaine blocks re-uptake of dopamine leading to longer effects then lowered levels
Endorphins - chemical substances in the nervous system that are similar in structure and
action to opiates; they are involved in pain reduction, pleasure, and memory and are AKA
endogenous opioid peptides.