Module 7: The Nervous

System
 Functions of the nervous
system
• Sensory
– Detect changes in environment

• Integration
– Processing and decision making

• Motor
– Telling the body what to do in response
Structural Organization
of the Nervous System
Functional Organization
of the Nervous System
Autonomic Nervous System
Parasympathetic
Pathways
Sympathetic
Pathways
Neuron Structure
Cell body
• Contains typical organelles

Dendrites
• Extension of cytoplasm
• Directs incoming nerve
impulses towards cell body

Axon
• Extension of cytoplasm
• Transmits nerve impulses away
from cell body (to other cells)
Neuron Structure
Myelin Sheath
• White, fatty, segmented wrap
around axon

• Increases speed of nerve

impulse transmission
Neuron Structure
Neuron fun facts

• Extreme longevity

• Amitotic

• High metabolic rate

Non-nervous cells: CNS
Non-nervous cells: PNS
 Synapses
• Where one neuron passes it’s nerve impulse to
another neuron/effector cell
• Three types of neuron to neuron synapses
– Axodendritic
– Axosomatic
– Axoaxonal
Synapses
 Synapses
Two types:
1. Chemical
• Most common type of synapse
• Involve release/receipt of chemical messengers
called neurotransmitters

2. Electrical
• More rare; only between neurons
• Allow direct transmission of electrical impulse
The Brain
Cerebrum
Three components:
• Cortex

• White matter

• Basal nuclei
 Cerebum
Basal nuclei
• Located centrally in cerebrum
• Neuron cell bodies
• Coordinates brain function
Diencephalon
Cerebrum: Gray Matter and
White Matter
Forebrain: Central White Matter
Tracts
Association Tracts
The Brainstem
 The Brainstem

Midbrain
The Brainstem

(forebrain)

Midbrain
The Cerebellum
Meninges
Dural Folds
Venous sinuses
 Venous sinuses

Falx cerebri

Occipital sinus

Inferior petrosal sinus

Arachnoid & Pia Mater
Ventricles of the Brain
Cerebrospinal Fluid Formation
Spinal Cord
Spinal Cord: Internal Structure
Spinal Nerves
Spinal Nerves