Mary Jane B.

Ballaran
BSESS FSC 2A

FSC 202
THE HUMAN NERVOUS SYSTEM
II. Body of the Essay
The Nervous System is a control system of the body and is a bit like a computer. The brain
is similar to the software and is responsible for making decisions and the nerves are like the
hardware or wiring that communicates those decisions and with the rest of the body. The Nervous
system along with the endocrine (hormonal) system works to control all activities within the human
body. It does this by communicating messages between the brain and the body very quickly using
impulses (action potentials). Nervous System has four functions; First, Control of body’s internal
environment to maintain homeostasis. Example of this is the regulation of body temperature. As we
exercise we create heat, in order to maintain in relatively constant core temperature the nervous
system sends messages to the blood vessels to dilate (expand), increasing blood flow to the skin,
and increasing sweating to help disperse the accumulating heat. Second, Programming of spinal
cord reflexes, example of this is the stretch reflex. This reflex functions to protect us from injury. If
we were out jogging and accidentally run into a pot-hole and rolled our ankle, the stretch reflex would
instantly sense the stretch in the muscle around the ankle and send messages to those muscle
telling them to contact and resist the stretch. This reflex serves to protect the ankle from breaking
and results in a minor sprain rather than a severe break. Third, Memory and Learning, a certain
amount of repetition was required to learn and memories this key functions. Lastly, Voluntary control
of Movement. Every voluntary movement that a person performs is under the direct control of the
nervous system as the nervous system sends the messages to the particular body parts to move.
The nervous system is integral to our ability to function in every way. As we know muscle creates
movements by contracting and pulling on our bones. However it is the nervous system that is
responsible for stimulating the muscles and causing them to contract. Without the neural impulses
of the nervous system, muscle would simply not work.

According to Dr. Ananya Mandal, M. (2021). The Nervous System includes both the Central
Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous System. The Central Nervous System is made up of the
brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system is made up of the Somatic and Autonomic
nervous system. The Central Nervous System is divided into two major parts; the brain and the
spinal cord. The brain lies within the skull and is shaped like a mushroom. The brain consists of four
principal parts; the brain stem, the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the diencephalon. There are two
types of matter in the brain: grey matter and white matter. Grey matter receives and stores impulses.
Cell bodies of neurons and neuroglia are in the grey matter. White matter in the brain carries
impulses to and from grey matter. It consists of the nerve fibers. The Spinal cord is a long tube-like
structure that extends from the brain. The spinal cord is composed of a series of 31 segments. A
pair of spinal nerves come out of each segment. The spinal cord region from which a pair of spinal
nerves originates is called the spinal segments. Both motor and sensory nerves are located in the
spinal cord. The spinal cord is about 43 cm long in adult women and 45 cm long in adult men and
weighs about 35-40 grams. It lies within the vertebral column, the collection of bones (backbone).
The Peripheral Nervous System is made up of two parts: the Somatic Nervous System and the
Autonomic Nervous System. The Somatic Nervous System consists of peripheral nerve fibers that
pick up sensory information of sensations from the peripheral or distant organs (those way from the
brain like limps) and carry them to the central nervous system. These also consists of motor nerve
fibers that come out of the brain and take the messages for movement and necessary action to the
skeletal muscles. Example, when you touch a hot pan or objects, the sensory nerves carry
information about the heat to the brain, which in turn, via the motor nerves, this tells the muscles of
the hand to withdraw it immediately. Another part of the Nervous System is the Autonomic Nervous
System and it has three parts; the Sympathetic Nervous System, The Parasympathetic Nervous
System and the Enteric Nervous System. The nervous system controls the nerves of the body’s
inner organs o which humans have no conscious control. This includes the heartbeat digestion,
breathing (except conscious breathing), etc. the nerves of the autonomic nervous system innervate
the smooth involuntary muscles of the (internal organs) and glands and cause them to function and
secret their enzymes. The Enteric nervous system is the third part of the autonomic nervous system.
The enteric nervous system is a complex network of nerve fibers that innervate the abdomen’s
organs like the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, gall bladder etc. It contains nearly 100 million nerves.

The basic purpose of the nervous system is for us to coordinate to all of the activities of our
body. It also enables our body to respond and adopt to changes that occur both inside and outside
of our body. Our nervous system sends signals, or messages, all over our body, using specialized
cells called neurons. Our brain, skin, organs, glands, and muscles all send and receive electrical
signals. The messages assist us in moving our limbs and sensing sensations like pain. Our sense
organs, such as our eyes, ears, tongue, and nose, as well as our nerves throughout our bodies, take
in information about our surroundings. Then nerves carry that date to and from our brain. The
nervous system is a part of our body that assists us in not only perceiving, comprehending, and
responding to the environment around us, but also in sending, receiving, and interpreting information
from all of our body’s parts. In truth, the nervous system keeps track of and coordinates both
voluntary and involuntary behaviors, such us walking that we choose to conduct deliberately and
involuntary actions, such as breathing and digestion, that occur without our knowledge.

III. Bibliography
Dr. Ananya Mandal, M. (2021). What is the Nervous System? News Medical Life Sciences.

https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-the-Nervous-System.aspx

Nervous System: Anatomy and Function. (n.d.). ptdirect.

https://www.ptdirect.com/training-design/anatomy-and-physiology/the-nervous-system-2013-anatomy-and-
function