Name: Nervous System
Definition: The nervous system is the group of organs that monitor the environment and control body activities. (Ref; comparative anatomy)
Structure: The brain, encased by the skull for protection, is the control center for vertebrates. The brain and the spinal cord are the central nervous system, and the peripheral nervous system links with it. Motor nerves, sensory nerves and autonomic nerves are the primary categories. The structural parts of the peripheral system are receptors, conductors, and effectors.


Function: The nervous system actively identifies, interprets and integrates the sensory stimuli arriving from contacting the environment, and produces electrochemical impulses for responses distributed through peripheral nerves. For example, the eyes see images sent through neurons of the optic nerves to the optic lobes of the cerebrum for interpretation. The motor cortex sends back a signal to the skeletal muscles of the lower extremities, instructing them to contract, producing a leap. In this example, the retinal cells, the rods and cones are the sensors, the neurons of Cranial Nerve I and the motor nerve from the cerebrum are the conductors, and the muscle cells are the effector cells.


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