PUBH 320 Chapter 10: Nervous System
Diseases and Disorders
Brain (CNS)
•organ that performs a number of life-sustaining tasks: controls heart rate and respiration, blood
pressure, body temperature; processes information from the senses, produces and releases hormones,
coordinates movement, enables thought, learning, speech, emotions, and social behavior.
Spinal Cord (CNS)
runs from an opening in the occipital bone (foramen magnum) to the area between the first and second
lumbar vertebrae.
--transmits electrochemical messages to and from the brain and processes spinal cord reflexes.
Cranial Nerves (PNS)
- 12 pairs of nerves that come directly from the brain.
--They are named by Roman numeral and name (e.g., "I olfactory"). The Roman numeral partially
identifies the cranial nerves' location in the brain.
Spinal Nerves (PNS)
31 pairs of nerves that branch from the spinal cord.
- There are eight pairs of cervical nerves (C1-C8), twelve pairs of thoracic nerves (T1-T12), five pairs of
lumbar nerves (L1-L5), five pairs of sacral nerves (S1-S5), and one pair of coccygeal nerves. Each set of
nerves has a specialized task
,Common Symptoms of Nervous System Diseases and Disorders
•Headache
•Weakness
•Nausea and vomiting
•Motor disturbances-stiff neck or back, rigid muscles, seizures, convulsions, or paralysis
•Sensory disturbances of any kind, especially vision or speech
•Drowsiness, stupor, unconsciousness, coma
•Mood swings
•Fever
-Pain
Nervous System Anatomy & Physiology Review
-- body's nervous system is an elaborate, interlaced network of nerve cells of astonishing complexity and
sophistication. This network includes the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. The entire system functions to
regulate and coordinate body activities and bring about responses by which the body adjusts to changes
in its internal and external environments.
- consists of two divisions
* Central Nervous System (CNS)
* Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
Central Nervous System (CNS)
* The CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord.
* It processes and stores sensory information and includes the parts of the brain governing
consciousness.
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
,* PNS is composed of all other nervous tissue outside the CNS and includes 12 pairs of cranial nerves, 31
pairs of spinal nerves, all sensory nerves, and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves.
* PNS is the conduit for information both to and from the CNS. The brain is the control center for this
information; it receives the information, processes it, and initiates the appropriate responses.
* The sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves make up the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which
regulates involuntary muscle movements and the action of glands.
Neurons
- specialized cells that initiate or conduct electrochemical impulses and react to physical and chemical
changes in their surroundings.
- The cell body of each neuron contains deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in its nucleus, endoplasmic
reticulum and ribosomes for building proteins, and mitochondria for making energy.
- Each neuron has a long axon that may be sheathed in myelin and many tiny branches called dendrites.
Dendrites and Axom
- The dendrites carry messages to the cell body coming from other neurons; the axon of the neuron
carries impulses away from the cell body to other neurons, sometimes at a great distance.
- The neuron cell bodies and all their dendrites appear gray to the naked eye—thus the reference to gray
matter. The neuron axons and their myelin sheathes appear white in color—thus the reference to white
matter.
What are the 3 types of Neurons?
1. Sensory (afferent neurons): transmit impulses to the CNS, where they are interpreted as a sensation.
, * somatic: sensory neurons coming from the skin, skeletal muscles, and joints
* viseral: sensory neurons coming from internal organs
2. Motor neurons (efferent neurons): transmit impulses from the central nervous system to muscles and
glands. Similar to sensory neurons, somatic motor neurons relate to skeletal muscle and the visceral
neurons to smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands.
3. Interneurons: provide connections between sensory and motor neurons and between themselves.
The neurons of the CNS are all interneurons.
---Neurons transmitting impulses do not actually touch each other. There is a small space, called a
synapse, between the axon of one neuron and the dendrite of another neuron. When a nerve impulse
arrives at the synapse, it releases chemicals called neurotransmitters that sail across the gap to the next
neuron to influence another neuron either in an inhibitory or excitatory way.
What are the 3 general functions of the CNS and PNS?
* sensory, integrative, and motor
--sensory function consists of receptors that monitor the body both externally and internally. The
sensory receptors convert their information into nerve impulses, which are then transmitted via the PNS
to the CNS, and the signals are integrated. They are brought together, creating sensations and helping to
produce thoughts and perceptions. As a result, we make decisions and use motor functions to act on
them.
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
- There are eight pairs of cervical nerves (C1-C8), twelve pairs of thoracic nerves (T1-T12), five pairs of
lumbar nerves (L1-L5), five pairs of sacral nerves (S1-S5), and one pair of coccygeal nerves. Each set of
nerves has a specialized task