Functions%20of%20the%20Nervous%20System

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Functions of the Nervous System

• Sensory input gathering information
• Sight, Touch, Hearing,
• Tasting smelling
• To monitor changes occurring inside and outside
  the body
• Stimuli causes a reaction by the body
• Sensory Integration how we use information
  provided by all the sensations coming from within
  the body and from the external environment

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Functions of the Nervous System

• Motor output
• A response to integrated stimuli
• The response activates muscles or glands to
  perform a specific action
• Example Timing and muscle coordination needed
  to slide into second base gracefully.

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Functions of the Nervous System
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Nervous System Organization

• Central nervous system
• Brain
• Spinal cord
• Peripheral nervous system
• Nerves outside the brain
• and spinal cord

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Functions of the Peripheral Nervous System

• Afferent ? Sensory division
• Nerve fibers that carry information to the
  central nervous system
• Info sent to brain for processing
• Efferent ? Motor division
• Nerve fibers that carry impulses away from the
  central nervous system
• Info sent away from brain to muscles and glands

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Motor Division of Peripheral Nervous System

• Efferent ? Motor division
• Two subdivisions
• Somatic nervous system voluntary
• - You actively control these reactions
• - Skeletal muscles
• Autonomic nervous system involuntary
• - You do NOT control these reactions
• - Example sneezing to get rid of foreign
  substance in
• nasal passage

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Autonomic Involuntary Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system acts to maintain
normal internal functions. It controls the
involuntary functions of organs like, digestion,
breathing, metabolism or blood pressure.
Consists of two branches.

• Sympathetic Branch
• controls fight-or-flight response - brain gives
  off messages which triggers the release of
  adrenaline
• it uses energy, your blood pressure increases,
  your heart beats faster, and digestion slows down.

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Autonomic Involuntary Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system acts to maintain
normal internal functions. It controls the
involuntary functions of organs like, digestion,
breathing, metabolism or blood pressure.
Consists of two branches.

• Parasympathetic Branch
• lowers heart rate and blood pressure, diverts
  blood back to skin and the digestive tract,
  contracts pupils, constricts bronchiole tubes in
  lungs, resumes digestion.

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The sympathetic system undoes the
parasymphathetic effects on the body.
After a stressful event, the parasymphathetic
system returns the bodys levels back to a
homeostatic balance.
Homeostasis is the ability to maintain a constant
internal environment in response to environmental
changes.