Dr sikander Khan

03003754814
• The nervous system is divided into two main parts:
• The central nervous system
• brain and spinal cord,
• The peripheral nervous system
• 12 pairs of cranial nerves and 31 pairs of spinal nerves and
their associated ganglia
• Functionally,
• Somatic nervous system, which controls voluntary activities
• The autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary
activities.
• The nervous system, together with the endocrine system,
controls and integrates the activities of the different parts of the
body.
• The central nervous system is composed of large numbers of
nerve cells and their processes, supported by specialized tissue
called neuroglia.
• Neuron is the term given to the nerve cell and all its
processes.
• The nerve cell has two types of processes, called dendrites and
an axon.
• Dendrites are the short processes of the cell body;
• The axon is the longest process of the cell body .
• The interior of the central nervous system is organized into
gray and white matter.
• Gray matter consists of nerve cells embedded in neuroglia.
• White matter consists of nerve fibers (axons) embedded in
neuroglia.
• Peripheral Nervous System
• The peripheral nervous system consists of the cranial and
spinal nerves and their associated ganglia.
• On dissection, the cranial and spinal nerves are seen as grayish
white cords.
• They are made up of bundles of nerve fibers (axons) supported
by delicate areolar tissue.
• Cranial Nerves
• There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves that leave the brain and
pass through foramina in the skull.
• All the nerves are distributed in the head and neck except the
Xth (vagus), which also supplies structures in the thorax and
abdomen
• Nervous tissue consists of two main cell
types:
• neurons (nerve cells) and
• neuroglia (non-neuronal, non-excitable glial cells).
• Neurons are the structural and functional units of the
nervous system specialized for rapid communication.
• A neuron is composed of a cell body with processes
(extensions) called dendrites and an axon,
• which carry impulses to and away from the cell body,
respectively.
• Myelin, layers of lipid and protein substances,
forms a myelin sheath around some axons, greatly increasing
the velocity of impulse conduction.
• Synapses;
• Neurons communicate with each other at synapses, points of
contact between neurons.
• Neurotransmitters,
• The communication occurs by means of neurotransmitters,
chemical agents released or secreted by one neuron, which may
excite or inhibit another neuron, continuing or terminating the
relay of impulses or the response to them
• Neuroglia (glial cells or glia) are
approximately five times as abundant as neurons, are non-
neuronal, non-excitable cells that form a major component
( scaffolding ) of nervous tissue. Neuroglia support, insulate,
and nourish the neurons.
• The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal
cord.
• The principal roles of the CNS are to
• integrate and coordinate incoming and outgoing neural signals
and
• to carry out higher mental functions, such as thinking and
learning.
• A collection of nerve cell bodies in the CNS is a nucleus.
• A bundle of nerve fibers (axons) connecting neighboring or
distant nuclei of the CNS is a tract.
• The nerve cell bodies lie within and constitute the gray matter;
• The interconnecting fiber tract systems form the white matter.
• In transverse sections of the spinal cord, the gray matter
appears roughly as an H-shaped area embedded in a matrix of
white matter. The struts (supports) of the H are horns;
therefore, there are right and left posterior (dorsal) and anterior
(ventral) gray horns.
• The cord lie in midline
• anterior median fissure
• posterior median sulcus.
• Along the entire length of the spinal cord are attached 31 no of
spinal nerves by the
• anterior or motor roots and
• Posterior root or sensory
• posterior root ganglion
• cells which gives rise to peripheral and center nerve fibber
• superiorly
• the spinal cord is fusiformly enlarge the enlargement is
referred as the cervical and lumber enlargement

• inferiorly
• the spinal cord tapers off into the conus medullaris from the
apex of which a prolongation of pia mater the filum terminale
descend to be attached to the posterior surface of the coccyx.
The spinal cord is surrounded by three membranes

1 dura mater
innermost meningeal layer, a delicate,
transparent covering
2 :arachnoid mater
3:pia mater :

thick, tough
Function’
Protection
Also by cerebrospinal fluid present in the subarachnoid space
• The peripheral nervous system is made up of nerve fibers and
nerve cell bodies that connect the CNS with peripheral
structures .
• Peripheral nerves consist of bundles of nerve fibers, their
connective tissue coverings, and blood vessels (vasa vasorum).
• A peripheral nerve fiber consists of an axon, the single process
of a neuron; its neurolemma,
• Neurolemma (Schwann) cells that immediately surround the
axon separating it from other axons; and its endoneurium, a
connective tissue sheath.
• In the PNS, the neurolemma may take two forms, creating two
classes of nerve fibers :
• The neurolemma of myelinated nerve fibers have a
neurolemmal (myelin) sheath that consists of a continuous
series of neurolemma (Schwann) cells enwrapping an
individual axon, forming myelin.
• Most fibers in cutaneous nerves (nerves that supply sensation
to the skin) are unmyelinated.
• Peripheral nerves are fairly strong and resilient because the
nerve fibers are supported and protected by three connective
tissue coverings .
• Endoneurium, a delicate connective tissue sheath that
surrounds the neurolemma cells and axons.
• Perineurium, a layer of dense connective tissue that encloses a
fascicle (bundle) of peripheral nerve fibers, providing an
effective barrier against penetration of the nerve fibers by
foreign substances.
• Epineurium, a thick connective tissue sheath that surrounds
and encloses a bundle of fascicles, forming the outermost
covering of the nerve; it includes fatty tissues, blood vessels,
and lymphatics
• A peripheral nerve
• The axons are the individual wires insulated by the
neurolemma and endoneurium, the insulated wires are bundled
by the perineurium.
• A collection of nerve cell bodies outside the CNS is a ganglion.
There are both motor (autonomic) and sensory ganglia.
• Peripheral nerves are either cranial or spinal nerves. Of the 12
pairs of cranial nerves (CN), only 11 arise from the brain; the
12th pair (CN XII) arises mostly from the superior part of the
spinal cord. All cranial nerves exit the cranial cavity through
foramina in the cranium (G. kranion, skull). All 31 pairs of
spinal nerves—8 cervical (C), 12 thoracic (T), 5 lumbar (L), 5
sacral (S), and 1 coccygeal (Co) arise from the spinal cord and
exit through intervertebral foramina in the vertebral column.
• Somatic Nervous System
• The somatic nervous system, or voluntary nervous system,
composed of somatic parts of the CNS and PNS, provides
general sensory and motor innervation to all parts of the body
(G. soma), except the viscera in the body cavities, smooth
muscle, and glands .
• The somatic (general) sensory fibers transmit sensations of
touch, pain, temperature, and position from sensory receptors.
The somatic motor fibers permit voluntary and reflexive
movement by causing contraction of skeletal muscles, such as
occurs when one touches a candle flame.