The divisions of the nervous system

• Central Nervous System (CNS)


  Made up of the brain and spinal cord, concerned with all life functions and psychological processe.
• Central Nervous System (CNS): The brain

  Deals with higher order thinking and sustains life. It is broken down into two hemisphere and 4 lobes: frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital.
• Central Nervous System (CNS): The spinal cord

  Carried the messages and reflex actions. (Nerve fibres that connect nearly all parts of the body with the brain).
• Peripheral Nervous System


  Transmits messages via neurons to and from the CNS, made up of autonomic nervous system and somatic nervous system.
• Peripheral Nervous System: Autonomic


  Transmits information to and from the internal organs to sustain life processes, only using motor neurons. It is divided into two subdivisions: sympathetic (which increases body activity like fight or flight) and parasympathetic (which decreases activity like rest and digest).
• Peripheral nervous syste: Somatic


  Transmits information to and from the senses and to and from the nervous system, using both sensory and motor neurons. There are no subdivisions.
• Autonomic vs Somatic

  • Autonomic is internal, Somatic is external
  • Autonomic, motor only, Somatic is motor and sensory
  • Autonomic is unconscious activity, Somatic is conscious
  • Autonomic has 2 subdivisions, Somatic has none.