is the processing and control center of the nervous system, analyzing and consolidating incoming sensory information and triggering motor responses.
responses are involuntary and include peristalsis (waves of smooth muscle contraction, which propels food through the GI tract) and glandular secretions.
part of the nervous system responsible for control of the bodily functions not consciously directed, such as breathing, the heartbeat, and digestive processes.
Smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands
div ided into the somatic nervous system (SNS), autonomic nervous system (ANS), and enteric nervous system (ENS).
Involuntary
receptors Head, body surfaces, limbs, and special sense organs
controls the opposite responses to 'fight or flight' responses
occupies cranial cavity
continuous with the medulla oblongata as it exits the skull through the foramen magnum, and descends into the vertebral cana
can be divided into four main parts: the brainstem, cerebellum, diencephalon, and cerebrum.
quickly activates our body preparing it for action by increasing the heart rate, dilating the pupils and the blood vessels to the muscles, increasing skin sweating, and suppressing digestion.
'rest and digest' responses
consists of 31 segments corresponding to the 31 pairs of spinal nerves.
responsible for storing sensory information, creating thoughts, emotions, and memories.
brain of the gut
It detects changes in the internal and external environment through sensory receptors located throughout the body.
it depresses the activ ity of the body preparing it for rest by decreasing the heart rate, constricting the pupils and the vessels to the skeletal muscles, and stimulating digestion
controls our 'fight or flight' responses
control center of the nervous system
Skeletal muscle
responses are voluntary
the functional units of nervous tissue
basic components of the nervous system