Nervous System Working Together with Endocrine System

• The nervous system is your body's decision and communication center
• The central nervous system (CNS) consists of the brain and the spinal cord
• The peripheral nervous system (PNS) involves all of the nerves
• The brain is the control center of the nervous system
• The brain has three main parts: the forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain
• The brain is divided into three main regions: the cerebrum, cerebellum and brain stem
• The forebrain contains the cerebrum, thalamus, hypothalamus and hippocampus
• The cerebrum is the center of intelligence and thinking; associated with higher brain functions such as thought and action
• The frontal lobe is associated with reasoning , planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem solving
• The parietal lobe is associated with movement, orientation, and the recognition and perception of stimuli
• The occipital lobe is associated with visual processing
• The temporal lobe is associated with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory and speech
• The thalamus relays motor and sensory signal to the cerebrum
• The hypothalamus regulates the sleep-wake cycle
• The amygdala controls emotions such as fear and agression
• The hippocampus holds memory storage and retrieval
• The midbrain connects the forebrain and hindbrain
• The hindbrain holds the cerebellum, pons and medulla oblongata
• The cerebellum is for coordination, movement, posture and balance
• The pons involves motor control and sensory analysis
• The medulla oblongata controls autonomic functions
• The spinal cord is about 40-50 cm long
• Through the spinal cord, the brain and the body becomes interconnected
• Composing the nerve tissues of the cord is a gray and white matter
• The spinal cord transmits impulses all over the body to and from the brain
• The spinal cord is also responsible for involuntary movements
• The Somatic Nervous System (SNS) regulates the activities that are under conscious control
• The Somatic Nervous System (SNS) includes all the nerves controlling the muscular system and external sensory receptors
• Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) regulates all activities that are considered as involuntary or those reflexes that are done without conscious will
• Some functions of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) include controlling the muscles in the heart and the smooth muscles in the internal organs such as the intestines, bladder and the uterus
• The autonomic nervous system is further subdivided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
• Sympathetic - It is known as the “fight or flight response” which controls the internal functions of the body in times of stress
• Sympathetic - It is responsible for the acceleration of heart rate, the constriction of blood vessels and the rise of blood pressure
• Parasympathetic – It is known as the “rest and digest” which is the opposite of the sympathetic nervous system
• Parasympathetic – It controls the internal functions at rest, thus, it slows down the heart rate and increases the intestinal and gland activities
• The basic unit of the nervous system is the neuron or nerve cell which carries impulses to the nervous system
• A neuron is composed of the following parts: dendrites, nucleus, cell body, axon, nodes of Ranvier, myelin sheath cells and the axon terminal
• Dendrites receive the impulses and carry these toward the cell body
• Axon carries the impulses away from the cell body which passes along the different parts of the neuron
• Cell body contains genetic information, maintains the neuron's structure, and provides energy to drive activities