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ShareThe nervous system of an animal coordinates the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and also stops input from the senses, and initiates actions.
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The nervous system of vertebrate animals is often divided into the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
The CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord.
The PNS consists of all other nerves and neurons that do not lie within the CNS.
The large majority of what are commonly called nerves (which are actually axonal processes of nerve cells) are considered to be PNS.
The peripheral nervous system is divided into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
The somatic nervous system is responsible for coordinating the body's movements, and also for receiving external stimuli.
It is the system that regulates activities that are under conscious control. The autonomic nervous system is then split into the sympathetic division, parasympathetic division, and enteric division.
The sympathetic nervous system responds to impending danger or stress, and is responsible for the increase of one's heartbeat and blood pressure, among other physiological changes, along with the sense of excitement one feels due to the increase of adrenaline in the system.
The parasympathetic nervous system, on the other hand, is evident when a person is resting and feels relaxed, and is responsible for such things as the constriction of the pupil, the slowing of the heart, the dilation of the blood vessels, and the stimulation of the digestive and genitourinary systems.
The role of the enteric nervous system is to manage every aspect of digestion, from the esophagus to the stomach, small intestine and colon.
For more information about the topic Nervous system, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:
Neural development — The study of neural development draws on both neuroscience and developmental biology to describe the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which ... > read more
Spinal cord — The spinal cord is a part of the vertebrate nervous system that is enclosed in and protected by the vertebral column (it passes through the spinal ... > read more
Neurobiology — Neurobiology is the study of cells of the nervous system and the organization of these cells into functional circuits that process information and ... > read more
Sympathetic nervous system — The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is part of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which also includes the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The ... > read more
Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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