Spinal Nerves The spinal nerves are part of the peripheral nervous system. These nerves arise directly from the spinal cord. There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves in the peripheral nervous system. The major function of these nerves is to exchange sensory, motor and autonomic signals between the spinal cord and the body. Cranial Nerves […]
The part of the peripheral nervous system that sends motor impulses to skeletal muscles is the somatic nervous system. The sensory neurons (afferent neuron) and the motor neurons (efferent neuron) are the part of this nervous system. The main function of somatic nervous system is to exchange impulses between the central nervous system and organs,
The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is the part of the nervous system which includes the nerves and ganglia that are outside of the brain and spinal cord. It consists of 3 types of nerves: spinal nerves, cranial nerves and visceral nerves which are the connecting wires between CNS and sensory organs. The system is further
Central Nervous System The central nervous system is also called the cerebrospinal nervous system, where ‘cerebro’ refers to the brain and ‘spinal’ refers to the spinal cord. The brain and the spinal cord together weave a wide network of nerves that work day and night and keep the body functioning. The brain is said to
Brain-stem Brain-stem is a stem-like part of the brain that connects the cerebrum and the spinal cord. It usually includes the medulla oblongata, pons, and mid-brain. A pair of ten cranial nerves comes from the brain-stem. The parts of the brain-stem work together to control the movements in the body. Mid-brain The mid-brain is also
Brain-stem, Mid-brain, Hind-brain, Pons, Medulla Oblongata and Cerebellum Read More »
The cerebral hemisphere has several folds present on its surface. These folds are called cortex. These folds can be divided into four sections, called the lobes: the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe and temporal lobe. These lobes are the control centre of various functions. The frontal lobe controls thought and speech, the temporal lobe
Thalamus The thalamus is a large dual lobe structural part of the brain which performs endocrine function. It is located between the cerebral cortex and mid-brain or at the top of the brain-stem. It performs an important function in our body. It receives the sensory impulses and relays them to the sensory centre of the
Cerebral cortex is an important region of the cerebrum; it is also known as the grey matter of the brain. Grey matter is the region where nerve cells concentrate. These nerve cells are arranged as irregular folds. These irregular folds increase the surface area of the cortex. These cells of the cortex are connected with
The fore-brain or the cerebrum is the largest part of the brain and it makes about 85% of the brain. The folds in the fore-brain help it to fit into the skull. The main parts of the fore-brain are: cerebral hemispheres and basal ganglia. Cerebrum is the base of memory, intelligence and mind. It is
The brain is the central control system of the body, also called the master organ of the body. It lies in the skull (brain case) and protected by a bony box called cranium. It has three main parts: the fore-brain, mid-brain and hind-brain. The human brain works like a master computer. The brain processes the
Sensory neurons, also known as afferent neurons, carry signals from the receptor in the body towards the central nervous system. Dendrites of the sensory neurons collect the signals from the receptors in the skin, eye, nose and other sensory organs, and carry them towards the central nervous system. The stimuli are transferred to the cell
Motor neurons, also known as efferent neurons, are the connecting unit between the muscular system and the central nervous system. They carry information from the nervous system to the muscles. The signals are transmitted through the neurons to the effector organs where an impulse has to be generated. In case of muscles, these impulses can
In the nervous system, a synapse is a space between two neurons that permits a neuron (or nerve cell) to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another cell (neural or otherwise). It provides a bridge between two neighbouring neurons or between a neuron and an effector organ; nerve impulses are transmitted by a chemical
Neuron or nerve cell is the basic unit of the nervous system. Neurons act as transmitters and receptors of nerve impulses. They carry information through electrical and chemical signals. Neurons are supported by a special tissue called the neuroglia. The main components of a neuron are: dendrites, cell body, node of ranvier and axon. The
The nervous system controls all the basic bodily functions and behaviour. That is why it is known as the principal organ system. The basic unit of the nervous system is a neuron. The two major parts of the nervous system are: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is