II.

Functions of the nervous system

A. Nervous impulses travel in two directions, and each direction has a separate set of nerves.
1. Efferent, or descending, nerves send impulses away from the brain. These are also
called motor nerves.
2. Sensory impulses that ascend the nerves to the brain are called afferent impulses and
move along afferent nerves.
B. Efferent impulses produce action in distant organs.
C. Afferent impulses deliver information from peripheral nerves to the brain.
D. The integrative function analyzes information input from afferent impulses, files these data, and
stimulates action in response to sensory input.
III. Kinds of nervous tissue and their functions
A. Neurons (”nerve cells”)
1. Neurons initiate and relay electrical nervous impulses toward and away from the brain.
2. Neurons have three basic parts:
I. Cell body.
II. Dendrites (”trees”), which receive incoming messages.
III. Axons, which deliver outgoing messages.
3. Nerves can have any arrangement of dendrites and axons, including one input to many
outputs (divergence), many inputs to one output (convergence) and one input to one
output.
4. Some axons are myelinated (insulated) for rapid impulse delivery. These axons
display saltatory (jumping) conduction.
5. Other axons are unmyelinated.
6. Myelin sheaths develop as a baby grows; disease can interrupt this process.