Nursing Assistant Course

Names: Irene de los Ángeles Toscano Ramos Date: 05 -07-2017

Topic: Central and Peripheral Nervous System

REHEARSAL
INTRODUCTION

The nervous system of human beings has two divisions: the central nervous system and the
peripheral nervous system. In general terms, the central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the
nervous system that is located within the skull and spine; On the other hand, the peripheral
nervous system (PNS) is the part that is located outside the aforementioned structures. The CNS
consists of two main parts: the brain inside the skull and the spinal cord inside the spine. The
peripheral nervous system also consists of two parts: Somatic Nervous System (voluntary) and
Visceral or Neurovegetative System (involuntary). DEVELOPMENT:

Central Nervous System

**Brain**
-The brain is made up of: The cerebrum, the diencephalon, the brainstem and the
cerebellum .
-The brain is made up of the 2 cerebral hemispheres, they have two regions: an external one,
represented by the cerebral cortex called gray matter and an internal portion or white matter
where we find the axons and cavities through which cerebrospinal fluid circulates, called
ventricles. .
-The diencephalon: Made up of the thalamus (which is the center of sensitivity and mood),
hypothalamus (elaboration of emotions and pain sensations) and the epithalamus .
-The brain stem: is made up of three segments from top to bottom:
-The midbrain: is the upper part that regulates vision, hearing, alertness and coordination.
-The pons or pons: passageway between the brain and spinal cord.
-The medulla oblongata or medulla oblongata : connects the brain and spinal cord and
controls the functioning of the heart, breathing, coughing, swallowing, vomiting, vasodilation,
chewing, sneezing. That is why an injury to the medulla produces instant death due to
irreversible cardiorespiratory arrest.
-The cerebellum has two hemispheres (one right and the other left) and a portion in the
midline, the vermis and 3 peduncles, it coordinates muscle movements when walking and
performs other motor activities and is the center of balance.

**Spinal cord**
It is a column of nervous tissue that runs from the base of the skull to the lumbar portion and
passes through the vertebral foramen of all the vertebrae. Its most important function is to
conduct, through the nerves of which it is formed, the nervous current that conducts sensations
to the brain (afferent) and the nerve impulses that carry responses from the brain to the muscles
(efferent).
 **Meninges**
They are characterized by being three membranes or sheets that surround, protect and maintain
the central nervous system within the skull (the brain) and the vertebral canal (the spinal cord).
These are:
 The dura mater : the outermost and thickest.
 The arachnoid adheres to the inner surface of the dura mater and has trabeculae where
the cerebrospinal fluid is housed.
 The pia mater is the innermost of the three and adheres closely to the brain and spinal
cord.

Peripheral nervous system

It is made up of nerves and ganglia. Indeed, nerves are made up of nerve fibers (axons). This
system is made up of the somatic nervous system and the autonomic or vegetative nervous
system.

The somatic nervous system.- These are voluntary in nature. This somatic nervous system is
made up of:

- Spinal nerves , which send sensory information (touch, pain) from the trunk and extremities
to the central nervous system through the spinal cord.

They also send information about the position and condition of the muscles and joints of the
trunk and extremities through the spinal cord. They receive motor commands from the spinal
cord to control skeletal muscles, Spinal Nerves 31.
- Cranial nerves , which send sensory information from the neck and head to the central
nervous system. They receive motor commands to control the skeletal muscles of the neck and
head, Cranial Nerves 12.

The autonomic nervous system : (also known as the vegetative nervous system), receives
information from the viscera and the internal environment, to act on its muscles, glands and
blood vessels.

The autonomic nervous system is primarily an efferent and involuntary system that transmits
impulses from the central nervous system to peripheral organs.

These actions include: control of heart rate and force of contraction, contraction and dilation of
blood vessels, contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle in various organs, visual
accommodation, pupil size and secretion of exocrine and endocrine glands, regulating functions
As important as digestion, blood circulation, respiration and metabolism, these in turn are
divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves.
 The Neuron
Neurons are a type of cells in the nervous system whose function is based on the reception of
stimuli and conduction of nervous impulses to the different structures of this system and even to
other neurons (synapses). Neurons are always collecting and evaluating information about the
internal state of the organism and the external environment and exchanging it with each other
(neural communication) so that the person's needs can be met. Most neurons do not divide once
they reach maturity.
 Neuron Structure
The structure of a neuron is similar to that of
other cells in the body. They have specialized
extensions called dendrites , which receive
information, and axons , which transmit it.
A typical neuron consists of:
 Nucleus: located in the central cell body,
it contains one to two nucleoli, covered
with a membrane, where the genetic
material for the development of the cell
is found.
 Nissl bodies: These are groups of
ribosomes used for the production of
proteins. It also contains a rough
endoplasmic reticulum , microfilaments-microtubules, mitochondria and Golgi
apparatus.
 Dendrites: Branches, cytoplasmic projections that come from the body, are the main
receptor units of the neuron.
 Axon: They are the main conductive units of the neuron. They are elongated in shape
with a branched ending for connection with more neurons.
 Myelin sheath: It is a structure in the form of a thick layer around the axons, increasing
the conduction speed of the nerve impulse.

Function of Neurons
They have the ability to communicate precisely, quickly and at long distances with other cells,
whether they are nerve, muscle or glandular cells. Electrical signals called nerve impulses are
transmitted through the neurons and travel throughout the neuron, starting with the dendrites
until they reach the terminal buttons, which can be connected to another neuron, muscle fibers
or glands. The connection between one neuron and another is called a synapse.
These make up and interconnect the three components of the nervous system: sensory, motor
and integrative or mixed; In this way, a stimulus that is captured in some region of the body
delivers certain information that is conducted through neurons and is analyzed by the integrating
component (nervous system), which can develop a response, whose signal is conducted through
of the neurons. This response is executed through a motor action, such as muscle contraction or
glandular secretion.

Example of Classification of Neurons According to their Axon

TERM

It is worth highlighting the primary function of the Nervous System which is to quickly capture
and process signals, exercising control and coordination over the systems and organs to achieve
an adequate, timely and effective interaction with the environment; That is why it is vitally
important to know the structures that make up this enormous system, for example: with respect
to the brain, it controls activities such as thinking or moving and even both conscious and
unconscious acts (heartbeats).

REFERENCES:

 Latarjet, M. (2004). Human anatomy. In M. Latarjet, Human Anatomy (Fourth ed.).

Buenos Aires: Pan-American Medical. Recovered on July 6, 2017

 Pro, A. (2012). Clinical Anatomy. In A. Pro, Clinical Anatomy (First ed.). Buenos
Aires: Médica Panamerica. Recovered on July 6, 2017

 https://apsd.wikispaces.com/file/view/SN+Soraya.pdf

 https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuron