AHS 100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Peripheral Nervous System, Somatic Nervous System, Afferent Nerve Fiber
AHS Chapter 5: The Nervous System: Neurology and Psychiatry
1. Intro of the Nervous System
a. Our knowledge, perception, and response to the world around
us are due to the center of thought in our body: the nervous
system.
b. More than just the center of conscious thought, the NS is
always at work gathering information from the world around
us, deciding what to do about it, and telling the rest of the
body how to respond.
c. It functions as the body’s command center for data
processing, thought, and action for the group of many cells,
organs, and systems that make up the human body.
d. NS: the body acts like a coordinated team reacting to its
surroundings with alacrity and precision. It serves as the
body’s communications network, coordinating data reception
with appropriate reaction.
e. There are two parts: the peripheral and central nervous system
f. peripheral : collects data. Recieves info such as temperature,
pain, light, and pressure from its surroundings. As quickly as it
receives input, it transmits it to an analytic center via special
conduits- nerves. The unified collection of cells in the brain
and spine are the central nervous system.
g. Central: processes the details and formulates a response.
Commands are directed back to the appropriate body parts
via nerves. The constant progression of receiving, reasoning,
and reacting repeats itself continuously as we go about our
lives.
h. NS handles both voluntary and involuntary action of the brain,
and also conscious thought and actions. The voluntary
command of the body’s actions is the somatic nervous system.
Involves the relationship of the NS with the musculoskeletal
system. Nerves detect input from the surroundings and send
this specific information to the central nervous system for
processing. the se nerves are called afferent neurons or
nerves.
i. People choose how to respond and the CNS directs the body
how to respond through signals sent by efferent neurons. The
commands are sent to the muscles. Signal goes down the
