I will discuss the structure and functions of the nervous system including the structure and functions of the brain, nerves (neurons), the spinal chord and will then describe 3 dysfunctions of the nervous system.

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Scott Mckeown

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Anatomy & Physiology

The nervous system

In this assignment I will discuss the structure and functions of the nervous system including the structure and functions of the brain, nerves (neurons), the spinal chord and will then describe 3 dysfunctions of the nervous system.

   The nervous system’s overall function is to gather information about the external environment and the body’s internal state and then to look at the information that has been gathered and work out the responses aimed at keeping the drives healthy, the most important would be to keep the body alive. There are 3 parts to the nervous system, the brain, the spine and the nerves in the body and they are split up into two categories, the first one is the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system. The CNS consists of the brain and spinal chord and its function is to gather information and send out instructions. The peripheral nervous system is made up of nerves and its job is to send messages from the brain to the rest of the body.

The brain

The first part to the nervous system is the brain, this is placed in the very top part of the body, in the cranium, it is around the size of two clenched fists and when fully formed weighs about three pounds. Its function is to control all of the body systems and organs and keeps them working, it allows us to think, feel, remember things and also allows us to imagine. The brain communicates with the rest of the body through the spinal cord and the nerves, they tell the brain what is going on around the body all of the time. The system also gives instructions to every part of the body about what to do and when our body should do it, an example of this is walking and talking. The 3 parts to the brain are the cerebrum, the cerebellum and the brain stem. The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain and it controls the higher mental functions like thinking and memory. The cerebellum is the back part of he brain and it controls balance and coordination, these happen subconsciously by this part of the brain and it can't be controlled. The brain stem controls the basic functions for our body to stay alive, this includes blood pressure, breathing, our heart beating, ect. It is the bottom part of the brain and it connects the brain to the spinal cord.

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The spinal cord and nerves

The spinal cord has two main types of tissue; the grey matter which contains the nerve cell bodies and all of the connections between nerves. The white matter which is like a free way made up of nerve axon fibres from the spine to the brain (Filler, 2004). Nerves divide off many times as they leave the spinal cord so that they can reach all parts of the body, the thickest nerve is around an inch thick and the thinnest is thinner than a human hair. Each nerve is a bundle of neurons ...

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