Page 30 - ASOP ROT Study Guide
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6. THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
The nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord, the nerves and sensory organs
and associated tissues. The functions of the nervous system are communication, sorting of
information and control of body functions.
6 . 1 Divisions of the Nervous System
The nervous system is divided into:
CNS - the central nervous system. This consists of the brain and the spinal cord. The
spinal cord carries information to the brain from the periphery and vice versa, and is
responsible for reflexes. The brain controls and coordinates the activities of the body.
PNS - the peripheral nervous system. This consists of all the parts of the nervous system
outside the CNS, i.e. the nerves and the sensory organs. The PNS detects stimuli from
the environment and carries the information to the CNS, then carries signals from the CNS
to the muscles, invoking a response.
6 . 2 Types of Nerves
Nerves can be classified into two types:
Sensory nerves bring signals from sensory receptors in the periphery and pass information
to the central nervous system.
Motor nerves carry signals to the muscles from the brain.
