Parts of the Nervous System: Functions and Anatomical Structures

Like other animals, human beings are capable of perceiving and assimilating information both from the external space that surrounds them and from their own interior; capturing, consciously or unconsciously, the signals that the body itself emits from any part of it.

The nervous system is responsible for receiving and emitting these signals, managing and organizing the various tasks and activities of the body. This task has led it to be considered the most complex structure of all that work in the human body. But just because it is complicated to understand does not mean that we cannot understand, at least superficially, what it is like and how it works. We’ll see now What are the parts of the nervous system and what are their tasks?

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What is the Nervous System and what parts does it have?

The nervous system has the function of organize, coordinate and govern the tasks that the human body carries out, constituting a kind of internal network that covers the entire body. To do this, it uses a group of organs and structures whose fundamental task is to collect and process stimuli and signals, coming from both inside and outside, in order to achieve adequate interaction with everything that surrounds the person.

This entire set originates from nervous tissue of ectodermal origin, this means that it is part of all those parts of the body that were formed first in the embryo.

Likewise, this nervous tissue is made up of two types of nerve cells. First of all, cells called neurons which are cells specialized in communicating through chemical and electrical signals that travel throughout the human body until they reach the brain, which processes them and sends a response to the rest of the body.

It has been found that the number of neurons that make up the brain is around 100.00 million.

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Secondly, there are the so-called glial cells which are the most numerous and have different functions, but in general they maintain and help neurons survive and move, either by facilitating their transmission of electrical signals or by providing them with substances they need and giving them structural support to move from one part of the system nervous to another.

There are several ways to study and divide the human nervous system, and this article will focus on the anatomical point of view. From this perspective, this complex structure is formed by the central nervous system (CNS), which includes the brain and spinal cord; and the peripheral nervous system (PNS), which is made up of all the nerves that originate from the CNS and extend throughout the body.

The central nervous system (CNS)

As its name indicates, this element of the human body can be considered the “core” of the nervous system, the part in which all the processes that allow the existence of the nervous system and its most important processes are integrated.

On the other hand, the central nervous system has a series of its own peculiarities. Some of these are:

As we saw previously, the central nervous system is made up of two different structures: the brain and the spinal cord.

1. Brain

The brain is the structure of the central nervous system found within the skull This set of organs dominates all aspects of the body, including all voluntary and involuntary functions that a person can do.

From the anatomical point of view The brain includes the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem these also being formed by other structures that are explained below.

1.1. Brain

It is the best known organ of this entire system and also the one with the most considerable size.

The brain is divided into two large hemispheres, the left and right hemisphere, and in the middle of which is the interhemispheric fissure. Likewise, these two hemispheres communicate through a bundle of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum.

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The outer area of the brain It is known as the cerebral cortex, formed from matter and gray, which takes the form of folds called convolutions. Under this layer of gray matter is white matter. Besides. The gray matter is also part of other structures such as the thalamus, the caudate nucleus and the hypothalamus.

Among many other functions, the brain is responsible for processing information from the different senses, as well as controlling movement, cognition, emotions, memory and learning.

1.2. Cerebellum

Located at the bottom and back of the brain, the cerebellum is responsible for integrate the sensory and motor processes of the human body

This is connected to other brain structures and to the spinal cord through an infinite number of nerve bundles, so that it manages to participate in all the signals that the cortex sends to the locomotor system.

Likewise, recent studies have revealed that the cerebellum may be involved in other functions, including those related to cognitive and language processing, learning, and even the processing of other sensory stimuli such as music.

1.3. brain stem

Also known as the brainstem or cerebral stem, this is the largest communication route between the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. Likewise, this system made up of gray and white matter is capable of controlling various tasks such as breathing or heart rate.

The structures that are part of the brain stem are the midbrain, the annular pons, and the medulla oblongata also known as medulla oblongata.

2. Spinal cord

The spinal cord has the fundamental mission of transport nerve impulses from the brain to the 31 pairs of nerves of the peripheral nervous system.

There are two main routes through which information passes:

Afferent pathway: in which information circulates from the trunk, neck and all four extremities to the brain.
Efferent pathway: signals travel from the brain to the rest of the body.

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Likewise, some of its other tasks involve the command of vegetative and immediate movements.

Peripheral nervous system

The peripheral nervous system is responsible for transmit signals through the spinal and spinal nerves which are located outside the central nervous system but are intended to connect it with the rest of the structures and systems.

If we continue with the anatomical classification, the PNS is made up of cranial and spinal nerves.

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3. Cranial nerves

The cranial nerves are made up of 12 pairs of nerves, which is why they are also known as cranial nerves. These originate in the brain and at the height of the brain stem, spreading throughout the body through holes located at the base of the skull, in the neck, thorax and abdomen.

These nerves are born located according to the work they are going to perform. Those who are responsible for transmitting motor information travel through the efferent pathway and have their origin in the brain stem.

While the fibers in charge of sensory and sensory signals, which cross the afferent pathway, arise outside the brain stem.

4. Spinal nerves

The spinal nerves or spinal nerves are 31 pairs of nerves that are responsible for transmitting sensory signals, such as touch or pain, from the trunk and all four extremities to the central nervous system In addition, they mediate information about posture, muscles and joints, then carrying information from the SCN to the rest of the body.

There is another classification of the peripheral nervous system according to the function of each of its pathways; separating between somatic nervous system, responsible for mediating between the internal organism and the external environment; and the autonomic or vegetative nervous system, which mediates the body’s internal connections and communication.