somatic nervous system example psychology

A sensory (or afferent) neuron carries information from the sensory receptors, whereas a motor (or efferent) neuron transmits information to the muscles and glands. Nerves are differentiated according to their function. Figure 4.16 The Functional Divisions of the Nervous System. Everything that we see, hear, smell, touch, and taste is conveyed to us from our sensory organs as neural impulses, and each of the commands that the brain sends to the body, both consciously and unconsciously, travels through this system as well. The CNS interprets information coming in from the senses, formulates an appropriate reaction, and sends responses to the appropriate system to respond accordingly.

The central nervous system (CNS), made up of the brain and spinal cord, is the major controller of the body’s functions, charged with interpreting sensory information and responding to it with its own directives. The nervous system (see Figure 4.16, “The Functional Divisions of the Nervous System”), the electrical information highway of the body, is made up of nerves - bundles of interconnected neurons that fire in synchrony to carry messages. Electrical Control of Behaviour: The Nervous System How do the complex activities in the various parts of the brain, the simple all-or-nothing firings of billions of interconnected neurons, and the various chemical systems within the body work together to allow the body to respond to the social environment and engage in everyday behaviours? In this section we will see that the complexities of human behaviour are accomplished through the joint actions of electrical and chemical processes in the nervous system and the endocrine system. Now that we have considered how individual neurons operate and the roles of the different brain areas, it is time to ask how the body manages to put it all together. Explain how the electrical components of the nervous system and the chemical components of the endocrine system work together to influence behaviour.Summarize the primary functions of the CNS and of the subsystems of the PNS.

Somatic nervous system example psychology