Divisions of the human nervous system

• The nervous system has 2 parts; the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
• The CNS consists of the brain and the spinal cord.
• The brain provides conscious awareness and is involved in all psychological processes.
• The brain consists of many regions, which are responsible for different functions.
• The occipital lobe processes visual information. It is located at the back of the brain.
• The temporal lobe processes auditory information.
• The frontal lobe is associated with higher-order functions, including planning, abstract reasoning and logic.
• The parietal lobe combines information from the different senses and therefore plays an important role in spatial navigation.
• The brain stem connects the brain and spinal cord and controls involuntary processes, including our heartbeat, breathing and consciousness.
• The role of the spinal cord is to transfer messages to and from the brain, and the rest of the body.
• The role of the spinal cord is to transfer messages to and from the brain, and the rest of the body.
• The role of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) is to relay messages (nerve impulses) from the CNS (brain and spinal cord) to the rest of the body.
• The PNS consists of two main components; the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
• The somatic nervous system facilitates communication between the CNS and the outside world.
• The role of the somatic nervous system is to carry sensory information from the outside world to the brain and provide muscle responses via the motor pathways.
• The somatic nervous system is made up of sensory receptors that carry information to the spinal cord and brain, and motor pathways that allow the brain to control movement.
• The autonomic nervous system plays an important role in homeostasis, which maintains internal processes like body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure.
• The autonomic nervous system only consists of motor pathways and has two components; the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
• The sympathetic nervous system is typically involved in responses that prepare the body for fight or flight.
• Impulses travel from the sympathetic nervous system to organs in the body to help us prepare for action when we are faced with a dangerous situation.
• The role of the parasympathetic nervous system is to relax the body and return us to our ‘normal’ resting state.
• The parasympathetic nervous system slows down our heart rate and breathing rate and reduces our blood pressure.
• The brain provides conscious awareness and allows for higher-order thinking, while the spinal cord allows for simple reflex responses.
• The brain consists of multiple regions responsible for different functions, whereas the spinal cord has one main function.
• Divisions of the nervous system

  A) Central nervous system

  B) Peripheral nervous system

  C) Spinal cord

  D) Brain

  E) Somatic nervous system

  F) Autonomic nervous system

  G) Sympathetic nervous system

  H) Parasympathetic nervous system