The Nervous System

The nervous system provides for coordination of all body

functions — both voluntary and involuntary.
It is also the system that houses intellect, memory, and emotion.
The nervous system has two major divisions: the central nervous
system and the peripheral nervous system.
 Neuron
The functional unit of the nervous system is a specialized cell
called a neuron.

Hundreds of billions of neurons make up a human nervous

system and permit the relay of electrochemical messages
throughout the body.
 Parts of a Neuron
Neurons are cells that transfer electrical signals throughout the
body.
Parts of a neuron include:
•Dendrites
•Cell body
•Nucleus
•Axon
•Myelin Sheath
•Nodes of Ranvier
•Axon terminals
•Schwann cells
 Dendrites

Nucleus

Axon
Schwan Cells

Terminal Branches
Cell Body

Nodes of Ranvier

Synaptic Knobs
Cell Body

Just like a normal cell…contains

organelles and a nucleus.
Dendrites

Branches off the cell body

that receive impulses from
other neurons
Axon

Long thin fiber that carries the

impulse away from the cell
body to other neurons or
effector organs
Schwann cells
Cells that surround
the axon, often
they secrete a fatty
substance called
Myelin
 Myelin Sheath
Insulating layer of fat around the axon.
Acts like the insulation on an electric cord.
Also helps nerve impulses to travel faster.

**Loss of myelin is a contributing factor to many diseases.

 Terminal Branches

The axon branches

out into finger like
projections called
terminal branches.
The ends of these
branches are called
Synaptic Knobs
 Synapse
The gap between the terminal branch of one neuron and the
dendrites of another.
 Potential
Neurons have an electrical charge that differs from the fluid that
surrounds them. A difference in the electrical charge between two
locations is called a potential.
 Resting potential
Resting potential is the electrical potential across the cell
membrane of a nerve cell or muscle cell when the cell is not
active.

When a neuron is at rest the inside of the nerve is negative

while the outside is positive
 Action potential
Action potential is a sudden change in the polarity of the
membrane of a neuron, facilitates the transmission of
electrical impulses.

A stimulus causes Sodium to rush into the cell causing the

polarity to change
The action potential will move down the axon causing more
sodium gates to open.
As more sodium gates open, potassium gates behind the action
potential will also open. This will allow Potassium to move
across the membrane restoring the charge.
After the action potential has passed the Sodium and Potassium
ions need to be brought back to their respective sides of the axon
membrane.
The Sodium Potassium pump uses active transport to push each
ion against its concentration gradient to restore the original
polarity.
The Action potential moves down the
axon to the terminal branches.

At the terminal branches vesicles

containing neurotransmitters are
stimulated.
The vesicles move toward the
membrane of the terminal branch

Each vesicle contains a chemical

called a neurotransmitter.
Neurotransmitters stimulate
further neurons down the line to
transmit the nerve impulse.
The neurotransmitter is released.

The neurotransmitter crosses the

synapse
The dendrites of the next neuron
contain receptors that will bind
with the neurotransmitter.
Once the neurotransmitter binds
to the receptor a protein channel
opens allowing ions to start
crossing the neuron’s membrane
Now the nerve impulse is
transmitted throughout the
dendrites throughout the nerve
just as before.
 Central Nervous System
The central nervous system includes the brain and the spinal cord. Its
main function is to control the flow of information in the body
 Peripheral Nervous System
The peripheral nervous system consists of all of the parts of
the nervous system except for the brain and the spinal cord. It
carries information to and from the central nervous system.
 Sensory Neuron
A sensory receptor is a neuron that is specialized to detect a
stimulus, such as pressure or heat.
 Motor Neurons
Motor neurons, which are neurons that contact and carry
information to muscles and glands
 Reflex
A reflex is an involuntary and almost immediate movement in
response to a stimulus. Reflexes allow us to react more quickly to
certain stimuli, such as pain.

A spinal reflex involves only neurons

in the body and spinal cord, and
completely bypasses the brain.