Nervous System
Content
o Introduction of nervous system
o Organization of nervous system
o Nervous tissue
o Neurons and its types
o Supporting cells
o Ascending tract and descending tract
o Reflex
Introduction
Nervous system is:
A physically connected network of cells, tissues and
organs that allow us to communicate with and react to
the environment and perform life activities.
Master controlling and communicating system
Has two main division
Central nervous system
Peripheral nervous system
FOUR PRIMARY FUNCTIONS OF
NERVOUS SYSTEM
Sensing the world
Vision, Hearing, Smell,
Taste, Touch
Transmitting information
Processing information
Producing a response
Organization
A. Central Nervous System (CNS)
▫ Brain & spinal cord
▫ Integrative and control centers
-Receives, interprets and sends signals to PNS
B. Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
▫ Nerves (31 pairs of spinal nerves,12 pairs of cranial nerves)
▫ Communication lines between CNS and rest of body
▫ Two Divisions:
1. Sensory (afferent) Division: Sensory receptors --
CNS
2. Motor (efferent) Division: CNS -- effectors (muscles &
glands)
Motor Division
Somatic nervous system (voluntary)
- control skeletal muscles
Autonomic nervous system (ANS) (involuntary)
– regulate smooth muscles, cardiac, glands
▫ Subdivisions:
o Sympathetic :
o “Fight or Flight”
o Activated during emergencies, exercise or vigorous physical activity
o Revs up body to respond to situations that upset homeostasis
o Parasympathetic:
o “Rest & Digest”
o Reduces energy use
o Promotes:
o Storage of energy
o Elimination of wastes
o Homeostasis
THE COMPLEX BRAIN
The mammalian brain is
highly complex, containing
many specialized regions
that carry out specific
functions.
Generally, the brain is
divided into:
Hindbrain
Midbrain
Forebrain
Hindbrain
Medulla:
Controls autonomic
functions.
Pons:
Controls sleep stages.
Cerebellum:
Coordinates movement,
stores some motor memory.
Helps maintain posture,
muscle control, and
balance
Midbrain
Located between the hindbrain and
forebrain.
All sensory and motor information that
travels between the forebrain and the
spinal cord passes through the midbrain
making it a relay station for the central
nervous system.
the “traffic cops” of the brain.
Filters sensory input, which allows us to
concentrate.
Filtering can be affected by higher
thoughts.
Forebrain
Thalamus:
relay station channeling
sensory information.
Limbic system:
basic emotions, drives,
and behaviors.
Cortex:
higher thought
Limbic system
“controls: emotions and memories”
Hypothalamus:
Master controller of the
endocrine system.
Amygdala:
sensations of pleasure
or fear, recognition of
fear in others.
Hippocampus:
formation of memories.
Damage to these areas can lead to
amnesia or emotional disturbances
Cortex Top layer of the brain
Stores: experiences and/or learning
Sensory info
behavior & emotion
Various areas : concerning touch
control
sensory
processing
motor
control,
vision
thought,
memory &
memory. emotion, speech
and hearing
Spinal cord
Grey matter
mostly made up of cell bodies of neuron
White matter
composed of nerve fibers ( ascending and descending tracts )
embedded in neuroglial cells
Nervous Tissue
1. Neurons (nerve cells)
• Functional unit of the nervous system
• Transmit message
Anatomy:
Cell body – contains nucleus; metabolic center
Dendrite – fiber that conveys messages toward cell body
Axon – conduct nerve impulses away from the cell body
Axon terminals – end of axon; contain neurotransmitters&
release them
Synaptic cleft/synapse – gap between neurons
Nervous Tissue
2. Supporting cells (Neuroglia)
CNS: astrocytes, microglia, ependymal cells,
oligodendrocytes
barrier between capillaries and neurons protect
neurons
immune/defense
line brain and spinal cord cavities wrap nerve
fibers
produces myelin sheaths (covering)
PNS: Schwann cells, satellite cells
surround large neurons protect & cushion
Myelin
Whitish, fatty material that covers nerve fibers to
speed up nerve impulses
Schwann cells
Surround axons and form myelin sheath
Myelin sheath
• Tight coil of wrapped membranes
Nodes of Ranvier
Gaps between Schwann cells
• Ganglia: collections of cell bodies
• Bundles of nerve fibers = tracts (CNS) or nerves (PNS)
• White matter
• Dense collections of myelinated fibers
• Gray matter
• Unmyelinated fibers & cell bodies
• (nerve cell bodies, dendrites, axon terminals, bundles of
unmyelinated axons and neuroglia (gray color)
The Neuron
Dendrites receive
signals.
The cell body integrates
signals.
The axon transmits
action potential. The
myelin sheath makes
the signal travel faster.
Synaptic terminals
transmit signals.
Neurons
Neuron Function
Irritability:
ability to respond to stimulus &
convert to nerve impulse
Conductivity:
transmit impulse to other neurons,
muscles, or glands
Classification of Neuron
Functional Classification
Structural Classification
1. Functional Classification:
Direction nerve impulse is traveling
Sensory Motor
Interneurons
neurons neurons
carry impulses from carry impulses from
sensory receptors to CNS to muscles & connect sensory &
CNS glands motor neurons
Vision, hearing,
equilibrium, taste,
smell, pain,
pressure, heat
2. Structural Classification:
Processes extending from cell body
Multipolar Bipolar Unipolar
1 axon, several
1 axon, 1 dendrite 1 process
dendrites
Short with 2
Most common
Rare branches (sensory,
(99%)
CNS)
Eg. Motor
Eg. retina, nose,
neurons, Eg. PNS ganglia
ear
interneurons
Nerve Impulses
Exciting a Neuron
Cell membrane at rest = polarized
Na+ outside cell, K+inside cell
Inside is (-) compared to outside
Stimulus ---excited neuron (Na+ rushes in)--
becomes depolarized
Depolarization activates neuron to transmit an
action potential (nerve impulse)
All-or-none response
Impulse conducts down entire axon
K+ diffuses out ---repolarization of membrane
Na+/K+ ion concentrations restored by sodium-
potassium pump (uses ATP)
Synapse
Neurons usually do not connect
directly to one another. A gap
called a synapse controls the
transmission of signals.
Depending on the site of the presynaptic
synapse, they are often neuron
referred to as axodendritic,
axosomatic, or axoaxonic
Types of synapse
Chemical
Neurotransmitter
Electrical
Post synaptic
neuron
Information Transfer Across Chemical
Synapse
Action potential reaches
axon terminal ----
vesicles release
neurotransmitters (NT)
into synaptic cleft
NT diffuse across
synapse
bind to receptors
of next neuron
Transmission of a nerve
impulse =
electrochemical event
Segmental division of Spinal cord
Spinal cord
Grey matter
mostly made up of cell bodies of neuron
White matter
composed of nerve fibers ( ascending and descending tracts )
embedded in neuroglial cells
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
integration / processing / modulating
motor / descending tracts
sensory / ascending tracts
lower motor neurone
PNS
receptor neurone transmission
stimulus effector organ / response
Ascending tract
The ascending tracts transmit sensory information from the sensory
receptors to higher levels of the CNS.
sensory information
exteroceptive sensation
origin:-outside the body e.g. temp, touch, light, sound, chemicals,
mechanical
receptors:- surface layer of skin, mucosa
proprioceptive sensation
origin:-within
1st
the body e.g. muscles, joints, tendons
receptors:- deeper layer of skin, tendons, joints, muscle spindles,
ligaments
Information
• conscious sensation
– reach the cerebral cortex
• unconscious sensation
– reach to the areas other than cortex
Ascending tract
VPL
The pathways consist of thousands of sets of three
neurons: first-order neuron, second-order neuron, and a 2nd
third-order neuron.
1st
• cross the mid line
• in front of central canal
Ascending tract
First order neuron :
cell body in posterior root ganglion
peripheral process connects with sensory receptor ending
central process enter the spinal cord through the posterior root
synapse with second order neuron in spinal gray matter
Second order neuron:
cell body in posterior gray column of spinal cord
axon crosses the midline ( decussate )
ascend & synapse with third order neuron in nucleus of thalamus
Third order neuron:
cell body in the thalamus
give rise to projection fibres to the cerebral cortex, postcentral
gyrus ( sensory area )
Ascending Tracts of the Spinal
Cord
Lateral Spinothalamic Tract
pain, temperature
Anterior Spinothalamic Tract
touch, pressure
Posterior White Column: Fasciculus
Gracilis and Fasciculus Cuneatus
conscious proprioceptive sense,
discriminative touch, vibratory sense
Posterior Spinocerebellar
Tract&Anterior Spinocerebellar Tract
unconscious information from muscle,
joints, skin, subcutaneous tissues
Spinotectal Tract
Spinoreticular Tract
Spino-olivary Tract
Descending tracts
The descending tracts originate from different cortical areas
and from brain stem nuclei.
The descending pathway carry information associated with
maintenance of motor activities such as posture, balance,
muscle tone, and visceral and somatic reflex activity
The Descending Tracts
of the Spinal Cord
Corticospinal Tracts
for fine skilled movements
Reticulospinal Tracts
Inhibit or facilitate voluntary
movement; hypothalamus
controls sympathetic, para-
sympathetic outflows
Rubrospinal Tract
Vestibulospinal Tract
Olivospinal Tract
Tectospinal tract
Reflex postural movements concerning sight
Descending Autonomic Fibers
Corticospinal Tracts
Neuron Function
1. Irritability: ability to respond to stimulus &
convert to nerve impulse
2. Conductivity: transmit impulse to other
neurons, muscles, or glands
Reflex
Reflex is an action that is performed without conscious
thought as a response to a stimulus.
Rapid, predictable, involuntary responses to stimuli
1. Somatic Reflexes: stimulate skeletal muscles
Eg. jerking away hand from hot object
2. Autonomic Reflexes: regulate smooth muscles, heart, glands
Eg. salivation, digestion, blood pressure, sweating
Reflex arc
It is the nerve pathway involved in a reflex action,
including at its simplest a sensory nerve and a motor
nerve with a synapse between them.
Reflex Arc
1) Receptor - reacts to stimulus
2) Sensory Neurons - afferent impulses to CNS
3) Integration centers - synapses in CNS
4) Motor Neurons - efferent impulses from Integration centers to
effector
5) Effector - muscle or glands
Reflex Activities
Patellar (Knee-jerk)
Reflex
Gently tap your quadriceps tendon, which is located immediately
below your knee cap, with a reflex hammer
Pupillary Reflex
Optic nerve --brain stem--muscles
constrict pupil
• Useful for checking brain stem
function and drug use
Other Reflexes
Stimulus (receptors) Response (effector)
The aroma of your favorite Salivation
food
A nasty odor Nausea
A bright light shining in your Pupils get smaller
eye
An insect flying towards your Blinking
eye
Voluntary Reactions
• More neurons and synapses are involved --
longer response times
Reflex = Involuntary Reaction Voluntary Reaction
