By: Subash Khanal

HUMAN NERVOUS AND GLANDULAR

SYSTEM
Micro syllebus
• Nervous system and its types
- central nervous system
>brain
>spinal cord
- peripheral nervous system
- autonomic nervous system
• Glandular system
• Endocrine and exocrine glands
-pituitary gland
-thyroid gland
-parathyroid gland
-adrenal gland
-pancreas
-gonads
 Nervous system
• Nervous system is the network of organs and tissues that
controls and co-ordinates all the activities of a body with
the help of nerves, spinal cord and brain.
Nerve cell/Neuron:
The cells that transmit the message from one part of the
body to other are known as Nerve cells or Neuron.
Parts of Neuron:
Cell body
Dendrites
Axon
Cell body
• Round, centre of receiving and sending nerve
impulses
• From cell body dendrites and axon are arises
Dendrites
• Highly branched and thin
• Mostly receive impulses from axon of another
neuron
Axon
• Long and tube like
• Covered with medullary sheath
• Medullary sheath increases speed of impulses along
axon.
Differences between Dendrites and Axon:
Dendrites Axon

Short and highly branched Long uniform

Are afferent Are efferent

Contain nissl’s granules absent

Arises directly from cell body Arises from end of the cell body

Types of Nuron:
1. Afferent or sensory nerves: They carry impulses
from various parts of the body to the brain or to
the spinal cord.
2. Efferent or sensory nerves: They carry impulses
from the brain or spinal cord to various parts of
the body. They are three types:
a. motor nerves enter into muscles
b. secretary nerves enter into various glands
c. vaso-motor nerves control blood vessels.
3. Mixed nerves: sometimes, axon of both motor and
sensory neurons from a nerve which is called
mixed nerve. All spinal nerves are of mixed type.
 Parts of nervous system
1. Central Nervous System:
• Called the Controlling centre of the body
• Controls and co-ordinates the activities of the
nervous system
Brain
• Highly specialized dedicate organ
• Weight 1.2 kg
• Most important part of human body lies in cranium
which protect brain from injury
• It is composed of soft nervous tissues covered with
three membranes called meninges i.e. duramater,
arachnoid mater and piamater.
Fig: Meninges
• Between arachnoid and piameter there is a cavity
called sub-arachnoid cavity which filled with
cerebrospinal fluid and protects the brain, spinal
cord from jerks.
Brain has 3 parts:
a. Cerebrum:
• Largest part, area 2200 sq. cm
• It has two parts right and left, separated by very
deep fissure and parts are called hemispheres.
Functions:
 It is the centre of intelligence, memory, imagination
and emotions.
 It control the other parts of brain
 Responsible for ordinary sensation.
 Helps to conduct different motor actions of muscles.
 b. cerebellum
• Second largest part of brain
• Also known as small brain
Functions:
 It maintains equillibrium and controls the posture of the
body
 It makes body movement smooth, steady and co-ordinated
 It also regulates and co-ordinates contraction of skeletal
muscles.
c. Mid brain:
• Consists of two fibres and two swelling
• This is significantly small
• Control the reflex movements of head, neck etc. and trunk
in response to visual and auditory stimuli.
• It changes the pupils size as well as shape of eye
lense

Spinal cord:
• It is a long, soft and white jelly like substance.
• Protected inside the vertebral column or the back
bone.
• 31 pairs of nerves in the spinal cord of human
Functions:
It acts as a main centre of reflex actions.
It acts as a link between spinal nerves and brain
Reflex Actions:
• It is a quick, spontaneous, automatic and mechanical
response to a stimulus.
• Examples: blinking of eyes, withdrawal of the hand
when suddenly pinched etc.

Reflex Arc:
• Regarded to be a simple nervous pathway
connecting a receptor and effector. It consist of five
parts:
a. Receptor organ/skin: it receives the stimulus and
initiates the sensory nerve impulse
b. sensory or afferent nerve: conduct impulse from
receptor to spinal cord.
c. interneuron: acts as modulator and changes the
sensory impulse into the motor impulse.
d. motor or efferent nerve: conducts impulse
from interneuron (spinal cord) to effector organ
(muscles or gland)
e. effector organ/muscles: response to the
impulse receive.
Fig: Reflex action
 Significance of reflex action

Quick response to harmful stimuli

Prevents overloading of the brain
 Glandular System
 The system which is formed by a group of glands is
called glandular system.
 Glands are the group of epithelial cells which
secrete hormones or enzymes.

On the basis of structure and function, there are two

types of glands:
i) Exocrine glands
ii) Endocrine glands
 i) Exocrine glands
• The glands which have a tube to pass their
secrection.
• Secretes enzymes
• Examples : salivary gland, gastric gland, tear
gland, sweat glands etc.
• They are near the site of action.
• Enzymes generally help in the digestion of the
food and internal respiration.
 ii) Endocrine glands
• The glands having no duct to pass their
secrection.
• Secretes hormones
• They are present away from the site of action.
• They are small in size
• Examples: pituitary gland, thyroid gland,
pancreas, adrenal gland etc.
 Hormones
• Derived from Greek word ‘hormones’ which
means to set in motion.
• These are the chemical substances produced
by endocrine glands which control, co-
ordinate and regulate metabolic activities,
growth and development of body.
• Reach to different parts through blood stream.
• Chemically hormones are proteins, amino
acids or steroids.
 Functions of Hormones
• Regulate growth and development of the
body.
• They regulate reproduction
• Control and stimulate various metabolic and
physiological activities.
 Endocrine glands in Human body
1. Pituitary gland
2. Thyroid gland
3. Parathyroid gland
4. Adrenal gland
5. Pancreas
6. Testes
7. Overies
 1. Pituitary gland
• Location: just below the mid brain
• It is a master gland

Secretes two types of hormones:

i) Growth hormone
ii) Catalytic hormones
Pituitary gland
Pituitary gland
 Functions of growth hormone:

i) Control growth and overall development

ii) Increase the rate of protein synthesis
 Functions of catalytic hormones:

i) Control the secretion of other endocrine

glands.
ii) Control and regulate various metabolic
activities.
Hypersecretion/oversecretion/excess of
growth hormone:
 Causes gigantism

Hyposecretion/undersecretion/lack of
growth hormone:
Dwarfism
Gigantism
Dwarfism
 2. Thyroid gland
• Location: just below the laryanx
• It has two lobes, viz. right and left.

Thyroid gland secretes two hormones:

i) Thyroxin/thyrotrobin
ii) Calcitonin
Thyroid gland
Thyroid gland
 Functions of Thyroxine:

i) Regulate the growth and development

of the body
ii) Control the activities of nervous
system
 Functions of Calcitonin:

i) regulates the level of calcium and phosphate

in blood.
ii) control the calcium absorption and release
by bones
Hypersecretion/oversecretion of thyroxine
hormone:
Loss of weight
Excessive excitement
Digestive disorders
Mental imbalance
Excessive sweating
Excessive hunger
Hyposecretion/undersecretion of thyroxine
hormone:
• Thyroxine hormone contains iodine. Due to lack
of iodine causes swelling of thyroid gland called
goitre.
• Obesity
• Mental weakness
• Stammering
• Hoarseness of sound
• Less sweating
Goitre
Goitre
 3. Parathyroid gland

Location: behind the thyroid gland

Hormone secreted by parathyroid gland:

i) parathermone hormone
Parathyroid gland
Parathyroid gland
 Functions of parathermone hormone:

i) Regulates the exchange the calcium between

blood and bones.
ii) Increase the level of calcium in blood
Hypersecretion/oversecretion of parathermone
hormone causes:
Kidney stone
Softening of bone

Hyposecretion of parathermone hormone

causes:
Painful jerk of voluntary muscles
Decrease the amount of calcium in blood
Muscles contract
This condition is called tetany.
 4. Adrenal gland
Location: top of each kidney

It is cream colored gland.

It is known as Emergency glands.

It secretes adrenalin hormone.

 Functions of adrenalin:

i) it control fear, anger and blood pressure.

ii) it controls the contraction of voluntary
muscles.
iii) it controls emotions, heart beat and
respiration.
 Hypersecretion of adrenal gland causes:
Increase blood pressure

Hyposecretion of adrenal gland causes:

Weakness
Nausea
Low blood pressure
Less suger content in blood
Nausea and vomiting
Adrenal release Cortison hormone, acts as sex
hormone.

Oversecretion of Cortison hermone:

Feminine characters are seen in male
Masculine characters are seen in female
Due to over production of Cortison hormone
 5. Pancreas
Location: Posterior to the stomach
• It has both exocrine part to secrete enzyme
and endocrine part to secrete hormones.
• It is called mixed gland.

Endocrine parts secretes two hormones:

i) Insulin
ii) glucagon
Pancrease
Pancrease
Pancrease
 Functions of insulin:
i) controls amount of sugar in blood
ii) stimulate deposition of extra glucose in the
form of glycogen in liver/muscles

Functions of glucagon:
i) increase amount of sugar in blood
ii) stimulate liver to convert glycogen into
glucose
Oversecretion of insulin causes:
Insulin shock

Undersecretion of insulin causes:

diabetes
 6. Testes or male gonads
Location: outside the lower abdominal region

Testes produce male sex hormone:

Testosterone

Functions of testosterone:
Control secondary sexual characteristics in male
like:
i) enlargement of sex organ
ii) deeper voice etc
 7. Overies
Location: lower abdominal region
They are oval shaped.

Overies secretes two female sex hormones:

i) Oestrogen
ii) Progesterone
 Functions of Oestogen:
i) Control the development of female sex organ
ii) Control development of female character like
> soft skin and breasts
> hair pattern
> feminine voice etc.

Functions of progresterone:
i) Helps in maintenance of pregnancy
ii) Controls ovulation