Saturday November 21, 2009 5:00 pm
The Nervous System - Advanced Version
The nervous system of the human being is responsible for sending, receiving, and processing nerve impulses throughout the body. This series of articles explains the nervous system for the more technically minded individual.
More Articles in These Sub-Categories:
Nerves of the Body
Articles In This Section:
  • What is the Nervous System?
    by Dr. Gary Farr 9/27/2003
    The nervous system of the human being is responsible for sending, receiving, and processing nerve impulses throughout the body. All the organs and muscles inside your body rely upon these nerve impulses to function. It could be considered as the master control unit inside your body.

  • Emotion & Behavior
    by Dr. Gary Farr 9/28/2003
    In order to carry out the correct behaviour—that is to say, correct in relation to the survival of the individual and the group—humans and other higher animals developed innate drives, desires, and emotions, and the ability to remember and learn. These fundamental features of living depend on the entire brain, yet there is one part of the brain that organizes metabolism, growth, sexual differentiation, and the desires and drives necessary to achieve these aspects of life. This is the hypothalamus and a region in front of it comprising the septal and preoptic areas.

  • Free Newsletter
    by Dr. Gary Farr 7/22/2003
    Sign up for our FREE health newsletter from BecomeHealthyNow.com. The Healthy newsletter brings the latest research, news and ideas you can use, fun mini-quizzes and a listing of the live events and happenings on the BecomeHealthyNow sites and communities. You'll always be up to date on current health topics as the BecomeHealthyNow.com web site is continually updated.

  • Functions of the Nervous System
    by Dr. Gary Farr 9/27/2003
    The human nervous system differs from that of other mammals chiefly in the great enlargement and elaboration of the cerebral hemispheres. Much of what is known of the function of the brain is derived from observations of the effects of disease or by analogy with the results of experimentation on animals, particularly the monkey. Such sources of information are clearly inadequate for the elucidation of the nervous activity underlying many properties of the human brain—particularly speech and mental processes. It is not surprising, therefore, that knowledge of the functions of this uniquely complex system, although rapidly expanding, is far from complete.

  • Health Survey
    by Dr. Gary Farr 7/22/2003
    The health survey finds out about the state of your health. You may discover things about your health you didn't know before. This increased awareness of your health can help you take the appropriate action to improve the state of your body's function.

  • Nerves - The Functional Unit of the Nervous System
    by Dr. Gary Farr 9/27/2003
    The body is made up of trillions of cells. Cells of the nervous system, called neurons, are specialized to carry "messages" through an electrochemical process. Just by itself, the human brain has about 1 trillion neurons.

  • Pain
    by Dr. Gary Farr 9/27/2003
    There have always been two theories of the sensation of pain, a quantitative or intensity theory and a stimulus-specific theory. According to the former, pain results from excessive stimulation of every kind: e.g., excessive heat or cold, excessive damage to the tissues. In contrast, the quantitative theory seems to apply to the viscera, where afferent nerve fibers used in reflex organization also report events giving rise to pain. In the heart, for example, the same nerve fibers are excited by mechanical stimulation as are excited by chemical substances formed in the body that cause pain.

  • The Autonomic Nervous System
    by Dr. Gary Farr 9/25/2003
    The autonomic nervous system is a part of the peripheral nervous system that functions to regulate the basic visceral (organ) processes needed for the maintenance of normal bodily functions. It operates independently of voluntary control, although certain events, such as emotional stress, fear, sexual excitement, and alterations in the sleep-wakefulness cycle, change the level of autonomic activity.

  • The Brain
    by Dr. Gary Farr 9/24/2003
    The nervous system of the human being is responsible for sending, receiving, and processing nerve impulses throughout the body. All the organs and muscles inside your body rely upon these nerve impulses to function. It could be considered as the master control unit inside your body.

  • The Central Nervous System
    by Dr. Gary Farr 9/28/2003
    The central nervous system is divided into two major parts: the brain and the spinal cord. In the average adult human, the brain weighs about 3 pounds. The brain contains about 100 billion nerve cells (neurons) and trillons of "support cells" called glia. The spinal cord is about 43 cm long in adult women and 45 cm long in adult men and weighs about 35-40 gm.

  • The Cranial Nerves
    by Dr. Gary Farr 9/26/2003
    The cranial nerves are composed of twelve pairs of nerves that emanate from the nervous tissue of the brain. In order reach their targets they must ultimately exit/enter the cranium through openings in the skull. Hence, their name is derived from their association with the cranium. The function of the cranial nerves is for the most part similar to the spinal nerves, the nerves that are associated with the spinal cord. The motor components of the cranial nerves are derived from cells that are located in the brain.

  • The Hypothalamus
    by Dr. Gary Farr 9/27/2003
    The hypothalamus is an integral part of the substance of the brain. A small cone-shaped structure, it projects downward, ending in the pituitary (infundibular) stalk, a tubular connection to the pituitary gland. The round bony cavity containing the pituitary gland is called the sella turcica. The posterior portion of the hypothalamus, called the median eminence, contains many neurosecretory cells.

  • The Meninges
    by Dr. Gary Farr 9/26/2003
    The meninges, (singular meninx), are three membranous envelopes—the pia mater, the arachnoid, and the dura mater—that surround the brain and spinal cord. Cerebrospinal fluid fills the ventricles of the brain and the space between the pia mater and the arachnoid. The chief function of meninges and cerebrospinal fluid is to protect the central nervous system.

  • The Peripheral Nervous System
    by Dr. Gary Farr 9/27/2003
    The peripheral nervous system is a channel for the relay of sensory and motor impulses between the central nervous system on the one hand and the body surface, skeletal muscles, and internal organs on the other hand. It is composed of (1) spinal nerves, (2) cranial nerves, and (3) certain parts of the autonomic nervous system.

  • The Spinal Cord
    by Dr. Gary Farr 9/27/2003
    The spinal cord is an elongated cylindrical structure, about 45 centimetres (18 inches) long, that extends from the medulla oblongata of the hindbrain to a level between the first and second lumbar vertebrae of the backbone.

    • Archived Articles:
    There are no archived articles.
    Related Headlines:
  • New Research Shows Manipulation Superior to Acupuncture, Drugs
  • Doctors support acupuncture
  • Acupuncture helps heart patients

    • Related FAQs:

    up     Top  Home Home
    The Human Body Find a Practitioner Condition Center Nutrition Center Exercise Center Resource Center Forums
    Health Shop My HealthRecord Chiropractic Book Store Free Tests Products & Services Health News
    Search Contact Us About Us
    Information on this site is provided for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professional. You should not use the information contained herein for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication. You should read carefully all product packaging. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider. Copyright © 2000-2004, BecomeHealthyNow.com, Inc. All rights reserved. While we carry Standard Process products, neither BecomeHealthyNow.com nor any third party associated with, related to or linked to BecomeHealthyNow.com's business or website is in any way affiliated with Standard Process. Standard Process has asked us to make clear that it expressly disclaims any responsibility for and makes no representations or warranties regarding any statement, information, materials or content found on our website or any third party marketing materials or websites related to, associated with or linked to BecomeHealthyNow.com's business or website.
     
    For more information, e-mail us or call (727) 461-7354
    BecomeHealthyNow.com, Inc519 Cleveland St Ste 115Clearwater, FL 33755
    Terms of Use About MyHealthRecord Contact Us Privacy Policy