The nervous system is responsible for receiving and emitting signals and stimuli throughout the body. It is considered the most complex structure of all those that work in the human body. This structure of our body is differentiated into two major systems: the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (SNP).
The CNS is characterized by being the core of our mental processing; in fact, it is responsible for processing the information collected by our senses so that we can understand it better. Do you want to know more about the Central Nervous System, its functions and parts? Then don’t miss this interesting article from Psychology-Online, in it you will learn about the functions and parts of the Central Nervous System (CNS).
We can divide our nervous system into the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The Peripheral Nervous System is made up of all the nerves that originate from the CNS and extend throughout the body. On the other hand, the Central Nervous System is formed by the brain and spinal cord. In this article we will focus on the functions and parts of the CNS.
Anatomy of the central nervous system
The CNS is protected by the skull, the spine, and membranes called the meninges. It is made up of the brain and spinal cord, made up of millions of cells connected to each other, the famous neurons.
Below, we offer you a simple diagram so you can see how the Central Nervous System is divided.
- How does the CNS work? If you want to know what the functions of the Central Nervous System are, we recommend you continue reading this article.
The brain is the upper part of the CNS, popularly known as the brain, this part of the Nervous System is made up of other regions (in addition to the brain).
Brain anatomy:
This area is protected by the skull. At an anatomical level, the brain is made up of the following parts:
These parts and their functions are explained below.
1. The brain
Is the best known organ of the central nervous system. The brain has numerous functions but in general, it is responsible for processing information that comes from the five senses, as well as controlling movement, emotions, memory, cognition and learning. It is the center of intellectual functions.
Anatomically, the brain can be divided into two parts: Telencephalon and diencephalon.
The Telencephalon corresponds to the two cerebral hemispheres: the right and the left, communicated by nerve fibers called the corpus callosum. The outer part of the brain is known as the cerebral cortex made up of gray matter and white matter.
The white matter function is the transmission of brain information to the rest of the human body and the gray matter function It is related to information processing and therefore also reasoning.
On the one hand, the left hemisphere is responsible for movement and sensory perception of the right side of our body, logical reasoning, linguistic intelligence and mathematical ability. On the other hand, the right hemisphere is responsible for the movements and perception of the left side, three-dimensional vision, creativity and imagination.
Four lobes are identified in the cortex of each hemisphere:
- The frontal lobewhich controls voluntary movements and is related to the ability to plan, intelligence and personality.
- The occipital lobewhich integrates visual information.
- The temporal lobewhich integrates auditory information, memory and emotions.
- The parietal lobe, that integrates tactile information from the entire body and intervenes in the sensation of balance.
The Diencephalon is made up of different anatomical parts: hypothalamus, thalamus and epithalamus.
- The thalamusreceives sensations collected by other parts of the CNS and distributes them to other regions of the cerebral cortex.
- The main function of hypothalamus It is to regulate the balance of our body and basic needs such as, for example, the intake of food, drink and the instinct of reproduction, also controlling the endocrine system.
- Finally, the epithalamus It belongs to the limbic system, related to emotions and intuition. It also contains , which regulates the states of sleep and wakefulness.
2. The cerebellum
It acts as a bridge for stimuli from the spinal cord to reach the brain. Some of its functions are the following: regulate heartbeat, blood pressure, balance and respiratory function. It regulates muscle movements such as running, walking, writing… and also maintains muscle tone and body posture.
3. Brainstem or brainstem
Located above the spinal cord, the brain stem is divided into three anatomical regions: the pons and the midbrain.
- The medulla oblongata It is the part of the brain that joins the spinal cord. In the medulla are located ascending (sensory), descending (motor) fascicles and gray matter that communicate the spinal cord with the brain. These regulate vital functions such as respiratory function, heartbeat and vascular diameter. It also controls vomiting, coughing, sneezing, hiccups and swallowing.
- The annular protuberance The brainstem bridge regulates respiratory movements, and receives sensory information from taste and tactile information from the face and neck.
- Finally, the midbrain controls eye movements as well as pupil contraction. Participates in the subconscious regulation of muscle activity.
Below, we show you a complete diagram with the main ones:
The spinal cord is the part of the Central Nervous System located inside the spinal column. It contains 31 spinal segments and a pair of spinal nerves arise from each segment. The spinal nerves maintain communication between the spinal cord and the different parts of the body.
Spinal cord functions
This part of the Central Nervous System has two fundamental functions: it is the center of many reflex acts and it is also the communication pathway between the body and the brain, through ascending sensory pathways and descending motor pathways. Like the rest of the CNS, the spinal cord is made up of gray matter, located in the central part, and white matter, located in the outermost part.