Nervous System

The nervous system of the human anatomy is responsible for sending, receiving, and processing nerve impulses.All of the body's muscles and organs rely upon these nerve impulses to function.Three systems work together to carry out the mission of the nervous system: the central, the peripheral, and the autonomic nervous systems.The central nervous system is responsible for issuing nerve impulses and analyzing sensory data, and includes the brain and spinal cord.The peripheral nervous system is responsible for carrying nerve impulses to and from the body's many structures, and includes the many craniospinal nerves which branch off of the brain and spinal cord.The autonomic nervous system is composed of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems and is responsible for regulating and coordinating the functions of vital structures in the body.

Of all of these components, the brain is the primary component of the nervous system, occupying the cranial cavity.Without its outermost protective membrane, the dura mater, the brain weighs an average of three pounds (about 1.4 kilograms), comprising about 97% of the entire central nervous system.The brain is connected to the upper end of the spinal cord (which connects through the foramen magnum of the skull) and is responsible for issuing nerve impulses, processing nerve impulse data, and engaging in the higher order thought processes.The brain is divided into three parts: the large cerebrum, the smaller cerebellum, and the brainstem leading to the spinal cord.The brainstem is also descriptively divided into the medulla oblongata, the midbrain, and the pons.

Functions

The Nerves in organs use electrochemical signals called Nerve Impulses to "talk" with each other and with glands and muscles. Each impulse produces a short-term effect on the part it influenced. Some nerve cells act as sensory receptors that can detect changes occurring inside and outside the body. Others receive the impulses transmitted from these sensory units and interpret and act on information that they receive. Others carryimpulses from the brain or spinal cord to glands and muscles and stimulate these parts to contract or to secrete various things in your body.
 

Major Organs in the System

Brain, Spinal Cord, Nerves, and Sense Organs.

Biofeedback

It was once believed that the the the activities of the autonomic nervous system were beyond conscious control. It is now known that some people can learn to alter their visceral responses consciously. To do this, a person needs to know the state of Visceral actions to be controlled. For example, my assistant, Josh Harnett, is unaware of his blood pressure, and continuously feed back information to him by means of a signal. Then Josh can consiciously try to produce a visceral response that will alter the blood pressure in a desired way. This procedure, is called Biofeedback, has been used successfully to control heart rate and blood pressure, and alter the diameters of blood vessels and the amount of blood flowing into certain regions fo the body.

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