A.

General Organization of
the Nervous System
UNIT 1
By:
Fundamentals of Erwin F. Pascual, MD, MMHoA FPSMS

Neuroanatomy
 OUTLINE

I. General Organization of the Nervous System

II. Overview of the Central Nervous System
III. Overview of the Peripheral Nervous System
IV. Overview of the Somatic Nervous System
V. Overview of the Autonomic Nervous System
VI. Early Development of the Nervous System
VII. Relationship of Neuroanatomy to Neurology
I. General Organization of the Nervous System
I. Main Division of the Nervous System

A. According to Anatomy
a. Central Nervous System
b. Peripheral Nervous System

B. According to Physiology
c. Somatic Nervous System
d. Autonomic Nervous System
A. According to Anatomy
a. Central Nervous System
1. Brain
2. Spinal Cord

b. Peripheral Nervous System

1. Cranial nerves
2. Spinal nerves
B. According to Physiology
a. Somatic Nervous System
- innervates the structures of the body wall (muscles,
skin, and mucous membranes

b. Autonomic Nervous System

- controls the activities of the smooth muscles, and
glands of the internal organs (viscera) and the blood vessels and
returns sensory information to the brain
II. Overview of the Central Nervous System
III. Overview of the Peripheral Nervous System
A. Cranial Nerves - 12 pairs
B. Spinal Nerves - 31 pairs
8C
12T
5L
5S
1coccygeal
IV. Overview of the Somatic Nervous System
 Sensory - Afferent Sensory - Arrives
SAME
Motor - Efferent Motor - Exits
V. Overview of the Autonomic Nervous System
Parasympathetic
Rest and digest

Sympathetic
Fight or Flight
VI. Early Development of the Nervous System
 Endoderm -
GIT, Lungs and liver

Mesoderm -
Muscle, Conn Tissue,
Vascular System

Ectoderm -
Skin and
Nervous System
VII. Relationship of Neuroanatomy to Neurology
Signs - objective abnormalities detected on
examination or via laboratory tests
(hyperactive reflex or abnormal eye
movements)

Symptoms - subjective experiences

resulting from the disorder
(“I have a headache” / “The vision on my
right eye became blurry”)
 Principle of
Localized Function
Within the
Nervous System
 Examples of Localized Functions

1. Aphasia or difficulty in producing or

understanding language often results from damage
to well-localized speech areas within the left
cerebral hemispheres
2. Control of fine movements of each hand is
dependent on signals sent from a hand area within
the motor cortex in the contralateral cerebral
hemisphere
3. Many simple and complex reflexes, depend on
circuits that run through particular parts of the
nervous system (patellar reflex - femoral nerve, L3
and L4 spinal nerves)
A. Negative manifestation result from loss of function
(eg. hemiparesis, weakness of eye muscle, impaired
sensation, or loss of memory)

B. Positive manifestation result from inappropriate

excitation
(eg. Seizures - from abnormal cortical discharge
Spasticity - from loss of inhibition of motor neurons)
A. Lesions of the Gray Matter - positive or negative
manifestations

B. Lesions of the White Matter - disconnection syndrome

Syndrome - collection of signs and symptoms frequently

associated with each other and suggests that the signs
and symptoms have a common origin
1. Focal Process: Focal Pathology (eg. Stroke)

2. Multifocal Process: Multifocal Pathology (eg. MS)

3. Diffuse Process: Diffuse Dysfunction

(eg. toxins and metabolic disorders)
Other Factors to Consider in Neurologic Disorders
END OF PART 1