Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Nervous System

The nervous system is divided into Central Nervous System (brain and spinal cord) and Peripheral Nervous System (nerves, ganglia, etc).
Here's a little chart, courtesy of a great Physiology student:

Peripheral Nervous System Central Nervous System
nerves tracts
ganglia nuclei
Schwann cells oligodendrocytes


Part of the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) is the involuntary part, consisting of efferent neurons controling visceral organs.  This is called the visceral nervous system, but more commonly known as:
Autonomic Nervous System
Autonomic = Automatic = Involuntary
Sympathetic & Parasympathetic divisions.  Here's a silly little video that shows the functions of each.


Sympathetic Division
Location: Thoracic and Lumbar regions of spinal cord

3 Kinds of pathways







Parasympathetic Division
Location: Brain, and Sacral region of spinal cord





Receptors






This is super fun, talks about the brain, gets deep and slightly philosophical, and mentions reflexes.  It's all about the brain! :)


1 comment:

  1. My daughter's doctor told me that she is going to have to get some autonomic nervous system testing and I am a nervous wreck about it. I have been doing some research to get a better understanding. This was very helpful, thanks so much for sharing.

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