Where Is The Central Nervous System Located In The Body – The central nervous system (CNS) consists of the brain and spinal cord. It is the body’s control center, processing sensory information and directing responses. The CNS coordinates voluntary movements such as locomotion and involuntary movements such as breathing and heartbeat.

However, the brain cannot do this alone, as it must receive information from the body’s sensory receptors, which it achieves through communication with the spinal cord.

Where Is The Central Nervous System Located In The Body

The CNS is called “central” because the central nervous system, in addition to occupying a central position in the body, is the most important part of the nervous system for maintaining and producing behavior.

Nervous System Anatomy And Physiology

The brain is responsible for functions such as thinking, forming memories, movement, and consciousness. The human brain consists of three main parts: cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem.

The brainstem is located at the base of the brain and is one of the most primitive regions of the brain; and consists of the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata.

Located above the brainstem, the cerebellum monitors and regulates motor behavior, especially automatic movements and balance.

The cerebrum is the most recently developed part of the human brain and is the largest part of the brain (it accounts for about 85% of the total mass). The brain is divided into two cerebral hemispheres that work together to produce different functions such as voluntary behavior, speech, cognitive thinking, and awareness.

Human Nervous System

The left hemisphere is responsible for controlling movements on the right side of the body, while the right hemisphere is responsible for controlling movements on the left side of the body.

The surface of the brain is often covered by the cerebral cortex, which is called gray matter. Gray matter consists of a thin layer of tissue about 3 mm thick and contains billions of neurons. Gray matter is the structure where memories are stored, sensations occur, and information is processed.

Neurons in the gray matter are connected to other parts of the brain by a layer of nerve fibers called the white matter, so named because of the bright white appearance of the substance that insulates it.

The gray matter is characterized by its own wrinkles in appearance – it is full of bumps separated by grooves. If there is a bulge in the brain, it is called a gyrus or a gyrus. The grooves in the brain are called fissures. Fissures and gyri expand the surface area of ​​the cerebral cortex, thereby increasing the number of neurons it can contain.

Question Video: Describing The Central Nervous System

Animals with the largest and most highly functional brains, such as humans and some primates, have the most wrinkled brains and therefore the largest cerebral cortices.

The spinal cord is a long, thin bundle of neurons that runs the length of the spinal cord and is attached to the base of the brain (brain stem).

The spinal cord contains circuits of neurons that can control our simple reflexes, such as moving a hand away from a hot surface, without the involvement of the brain.

The CNS communicates with the rest of the body through nerves, which are bundles of fibers that carry signals to and from the central nervous system. Nerves connected to the spinal cord make up the peripheral nervous system (PNS).

The Peripheral Nervous System

Nerve roots exit the spinal cord and travel to both sides of the body and carry messages back and forth between the brain and peripheral nerves.

The middle structure of the spinal cord consists of gray matter, and the outer tissues consist of white matter. There are 30 segments in the spinal cord, each of which belongs to one of four parts:

There are billions of cells that help the brain and spinal cord to carry messages throughout the CNS and body.

Neurons, or nerve cells, communicate with each other to send and receive messages in the brain and spinal cord. Neurons work together to convey sensory information to the brain and are responsible for decision making, emotions and muscle activity.

The Nervous System 101 — Dr. Karen Tedeschi

There are approximately 86 billion neurons in the central nervous system, and thousands of different subtypes have been identified that perform different functions. Each neuron consists of a cell body (soma), an axon, and dendrites.

Glial cells are non-neuronal cells in the central nervous system that do not transmit messages themselves, but protect and support neurons. Glial cells make up about 90% of the total cells of the central nervous system. There are three types of glial cells in the central nervous system: astrocytes, microglial cells, and oligodendrocytes.

Astrocytes are the main supporting cells of the central nervous system, producing and releasing proteins called neurotrophic factors (which support the growth and survival of neurons). These types of cells also help remove harmful proteins and chemicals that damage neurons.

Microglia cells are responsible for removing damaged neurons and infections and are important for maintaining the health of the central nervous system. They also produce molecules called cytokines that regulate the cell’s immune response to injury.

Nervous System Structure & Function

Oligodendrocytes are responsible for producing a fatty substance called myelin, which is used as the insulation that surrounds the axons of neurons. Myelin is essential for neurons to transmit electrical messages much faster than neurons that are not insulated with myelin.

Because the central nervous system is so important for various functions and survival, it is very well protected. The skull surrounds the brain, and the spinal cord runs through the center of a column of hollow bones known as the vertebrae.

In addition, the brain and spinal cord are also protected by a three-layered set of membranes called the meninges (specifically layers called the pia mater, arachnoid, and dura mater).

To ensure that the brain and spinal cord are not in direct contact with the skull or vertebral bones, they float in a clear fluid called cerebrospinal fluid.

Childhood Central Nervous System Germ Cell Tumors Treatment

Cerebrospinal fluid fills the space between the meninges and circulates within the ventricles of the central nervous system, providing cushioning around the brain and spinal cord and protecting them from injury.

Noback, C. R., Ruggiero, D. A., Strominger, N. L., & Demarest, R. J. (Eds.). (2005). Human Nervous System: Structure and Function (No. 744). Springer Science & Business Media.

Saul McLeod, PhD, is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years’ experience in further and higher education. It has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and Associate Editor of Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in the healthcare and education sectors. Your idea of ​​the nervous system includes the brain, the nerve tissue inside the skull, and the spinal cord, an extension of the nerve tissue inside the spine. In addition, the nervous tissue that travels from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body (nerves) is also part of the nervous system. We can anatomically divide the nervous system into two large regions: the central nervous system (CNS) – the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) – nerves (Fig. 12.1.1). The brain is located in the cranial cavity of the skull, and the spinal cord is located in the spinal canal of the spine. The peripheral nervous system is so named because it is located in the periphery, that is, outside the brain and spinal cord.

Nervous System Guide 2

Figure 12.1.1 – Central and peripheral nervous system: CNS includes the brain and spinal cord, PNS includes the nerves.

In addition to the anatomical divisions listed above, the nervous system can also be divided according to its functions. The nervous system is involved in receiving information about the environment around us (sensory functions, emotions) and responding to this information (motor functions, responses) and coordinating the two (integration).

. Sensation refers to receiving information about the environment, either outside (ie: heat from the sun) or what is happening inside the body (ie: heat from muscle activity). These sensations are called stimuli (singular = stimulus), and different sensory receptors are responsible for detecting different stimuli. Sensory information travels through the nerves of the PNS to the central nervous system in a special compartment known as the afferent (sensory) branch of the PNS. When information is received from sensory receptors in the skin, skeletal muscles, or joints, it is transmitted to the central nervous system using somatic sensory neurons; when information appears from sensory receptors in blood vessels or internal organs, it is transmitted to the central nervous system using visceral sensory neurons.

The nervous system produces a response in the affected organs (such as muscles or glands) due to sensory stimuli. The motor (efferent) branch of the PNS carries signals away from the central nervous system to effector organs. When the effector organ is skeletal muscle, the neuron that carries the information is called a somatic motor neuron; when the effector organ is the heart or smooth muscle or glandular tissue, the neuron that carries the information is called an autonomic motor neuron. Voluntary responses are controlled by somatic motor neurons, and voluntary responses are controlled by autonomic motor neurons, discussed in the next section.

Central Nervous System By Springer Medizin/science Photo Library

. Stimuli detected by sensory structures are transmitted to the nervous system where information is processed. In the CNS, information from certain stimuli is compared

Central nervous system stimulant, what is in the central nervous system, where is the central nervous system, where is the nervous system located in the body, where is the central nervous system located, where is the nervous system located in the human body, central nervous system metastases, where is the autonomic nervous system located, where is the somatic nervous system located, ms central nervous system, where is the nervous system located, where is the parasympathetic nervous system located