Relationship and Differences Between the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems
Relationship and Differences between the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems
73211 Brain & Behaviour
Assignment Two
The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
3264 words
CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEMS
“From the brain, and from the brain alone, arise our pleasure, joys, laughter, and jokes, as well as our sorrows, pains, griefs, and tears. Through it, in particular, we see, hear, and distinguish the ugly from the beautiful, the bad from the good, the pleasant from the unpleasant.”(Attributed to Hippocrates, 5th century BCE, as quoted by Kandel et al., 2000, as cited in Baars and Gage, 2012).
Animals known as bilateria, (animals with bilateral symmetry) which includes most vertebrates and invertebrates all have a central and peripheral nervous system, although they vary greatly in the number of cells which make up their nervous system (Franks, 2012). Cells are the fundamental units of the nervous system, responsible for transmitting information throughout the nervous system, from the nervous system to the rest of the body, and from the environment to our brains (Burton, Westen & Kowalski, 2009). Humans have in the range of 100 billion neurons (nerve cells) in their own nervous system, in comparison to organisms such as simple worms which may have as little as a few hundred cells (Franks, 2012). It is this complex network of neurons which, working in harmony with the many other structures and organs that make up our bodies, can transform otherwise meaningless vibrations into the haunting sounds of Mozart’s ‘Requiem Mass in D Minor’; wavelengths of light into the emotive brushstrokes of a great artist; and invoke within us a sensation of joy and a smile at the achievements of a child, or tears and despair at the death of a loved one.
This essay first explains the structure and interaction of these neurons, outlining the different types, their functions and the chemical processes that occur between them. It will then cover the structure and functions
73211 Brain & Behaviour
Assignment Two
The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
3264 words
CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEMS
“From the brain, and from the brain alone, arise our pleasure, joys, laughter, and jokes, as well as our sorrows, pains, griefs, and tears. Through it, in particular, we see, hear, and distinguish the ugly from the beautiful, the bad from the good, the pleasant from the unpleasant.”(Attributed to Hippocrates, 5th century BCE, as quoted by Kandel et al., 2000, as cited in Baars and Gage, 2012).
Animals known as bilateria, (animals with bilateral symmetry) which includes most vertebrates and invertebrates all have a central and peripheral nervous system, although they vary greatly in the number of cells which make up their nervous system (Franks, 2012). Cells are the fundamental units of the nervous system, responsible for transmitting information throughout the nervous system, from the nervous system to the rest of the body, and from the environment to our brains (Burton, Westen & Kowalski, 2009). Humans have in the range of 100 billion neurons (nerve cells) in their own nervous system, in comparison to organisms such as simple worms which may have as little as a few hundred cells (Franks, 2012). It is this complex network of neurons which, working in harmony with the many other structures and organs that make up our bodies, can transform otherwise meaningless vibrations into the haunting sounds of Mozart’s ‘Requiem Mass in D Minor’; wavelengths of light into the emotive brushstrokes of a great artist; and invoke within us a sensation of joy and a smile at the achievements of a child, or tears and despair at the death of a loved one.
This essay first explains the structure and interaction of these neurons, outlining the different types, their functions and the chemical processes that occur between them. It will then cover the structure and functions
References: Ashwell, K. (2010). Anatomica. NSW, Australia: Global Book Publishing Pty Ltd. Baars, B. J., & Gage, N. M. (2012). Fundamentals of cognitive neuroscience: A beginner’s guide. Oxford, UK: Elsevier Inc. Burton, L., Westen, D., & Kowalski, R. (2009). Psychology: Australian and New Zealand edition (2nd ed). Milton, Qld: John Wiley & Sons Australia. Carlson, N. R. (2010). Physiology of behavior (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Franks, Michel (2012). Nervous system (Important organ system). New Delhi : World Technologies. Lipton, Bruce H. (2005). The biology of belief: Unleashing the power of consciousness, matter and miracles. New York City, NY: Hay House Inc. Squire, L., Berg, D., Bloom, F., du Lac, S., Ghosh, A. & Spitzer, N. (2008). Fundamental neuroscience (3rd ed). London, UK: Elsevier Inc.