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Nervous Systems And The Nervous System

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Nervous System The human body is one of the most complex structures known to mankind. To this day, we still do not have all the answers to how our body functions. One of the most complex structures in the human body is the nervous system, which controls the voluntary and involuntary actions, as well as send signals throughout the body. The nervous system is split up into two parts; the peripheral (PNS) and central (CNS) nervous systems. The central nervous system consists of two main parts; the brain and spinal cord. The brain receives and processes information as well as deal with memories, thoughts, emotion, and much more. The spinal cord mainly deals with sending out signals from the brain to the rest of the body, as well as control …show more content…

During this time our muscles change and blood vessels dilate or constrict without us consciously telling them to do so. This is an involuntary function from autonomic system. On the other hand, while we rest, we have this system controlling our resting and digestion state. Again, these are involuntary actions that go on all the time without us knowing or giving any thought to. Some of the important muscles the autonomic system deals with are muscles in the stomach and intestine, muscles in the eye, cardiac muscles, smooth muscle around the blood vessels, and more. Not only does the ANS deal with muscles, but it also plays a key role in regulation of the glands. The ANS is divided into three different parts; the sympathetic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system, and the enteric nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is the part that is related to the “fight or flight” as discussed earlier. The sympathetic nervous system operates through neurons that originate in the spinal cord. Some of the main functions the sympathetic system deals with are; increasing heart rate, pupil dilation, secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine, mucus and saliva production, bronchial dilation, and much more. The parasympathetic system is the part that is related to the “rest and digest” situations. This system deals with conserving energy as well as dealing with digestion. In this system, there

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