THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Two major division:

The central nervous system (CNS) includes the brain and spinal cord.
The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is composed of cranial nerves that extend from the brain and
spinal nerves that extend from the spinal cord.

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is a division of the peripheral nervous and controls and
coordinates the functions of the bodys vital organs, such as heartbeat and rate of breathing
functions we dont even think about.

The CNS

Brain
Spinal Cord

The PNS

12 Cranial Nerves
31 pairs of spinal nerves

The Brain

Cerebral hemispheres are the paired right and left halves of the cerebrum that occupy most of the
brain cavity. The left cerebral hemisphere controls the right side of the body, and the right
hemisphere controls the left side.
Thought, memory, judgment, and association all take place in the cerebrum.

The frontal lobe is the center for voluntary movement, judgment, reasoning, and impulse
inhibition.
The occipital lobe (the back of each of the hemispheres) manages visual perception,
association, and visual memory.

 The parietal lobe collects, recognizes, and organizes sensations of pain, touch, movement,
and position.
The temporal lobe correlates auditory and visual memory as well as language development.

Cerebellum, sometimes called the hindbrain because it is located under the back portion of the
cerebrum, functions to assist in the coordination of voluntary body movement and maintaining body
balance.
Brainstem is a stem-like portion of the brain that connects the brain to the spinal cord.
o The pons, meaning bridge, connects the cerebrum with the cerebellum and the
brainstem.
o The medulla oblongata, located between the pons and the spinal cord, regulates the
centers that control respiration, heart rate, blood vessels, and the respiratory system.
The thalamus acts as a relay station for body sensations such as pain
Hypothalamus controls body temperature, sleep, appetite, and the pituitary gland.

The Spinal Cord

o Conducts nerve impulses to and from the brain.

The Meninges
o Three layers of connective tissue membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
o Dura mater (Hard Mother)- the thick, though outer membrane
The subdural space is a potential space between the dura mater and the
arachnoid that contains blood vessels.
o Arachnoid membrane (arachnoid meaning spider-like) second layer that is loosely
attached to other meninges.
Subarachnoid space space between the Arachnoid and pia mate. It contains the
cerebrospinal fluid.
o Pia mater (soft mother) - the third layer of meninges, closest to the brain and spinal cord is
made up of delicate connective tissue with a rich supply of blood vessels.
Peripheral Nervous System

Division

The somatic system

o Voluntary controlled movements
The autonomic system.
o Sympathetic
Stimulate the body in times of stress and crisis by increasing the heart rate,
dilating airways to supply more oxygen, and increasing blood pressure
o Parasympathetic systems.
Relax the involuntary nerves to calm you down.

All subdivisions connect in some way to perform their functions, but they all remain part of the main
nervous system.

Peripheral nerves have different names, depending on the direction of the impulse they carry.

Afferent nerves aka Sensory nerves carry impulses to the brain and spinal cord from receptors like
the skin, eyes, ears, and nose.
Efferent nerves aka Motor nerves carry impulses from the central nervous system to organs that
produce a response.

Prefix

What It Means

Example

An

Absent

Anencephaly

Hemi-

Half

Hemiparesis

Para-

Beyond, around, beside

Paralyis

Polio-

Gray

Poliomyelitis

Quadri-

Four

Quadriplegia

Sub-

Below, under

Subthalamus

Suffix

What It Means

-algia

Pain

Causalgia (any process, substance, or organism

that produces an effect or condition.

-itis

Inflammation

Neuritis

-malacia

Softening

Neuromalacia

-paresis

Slight paralysis

Hemiparesis

-plegia

Paralysis

Paraplegia

-schisis

Cleft or splitting

retinoschisis

-thenia

Lack of strength

myasthenia

-us

Condition

Hydrocephalus

Root Word

What It Means

Algesi/o

Excessive sensitivity to pain

Analgesia

Cerebell/o

Cerebellum

Cerebellar lesion

Cerebr/o

Brain, cerebrum

Dur/o

Hard

Dura mater

Ech/o

Sound

Echocardiogram

Encephal/o

Brain

Encephalopathy

Esthesi/o

Feeling, nervous, sensation

Hyperesthesia

Gli/o

Glue

Glioma

Kinesi/o

Movement

kinesiology

Mening/o

Membrane

Meningocele

Meningi/o

Meninges

Meningitis

Cerebrospinal fluid

Ment/o, phren/o Mind

Amentia/Bradyphrenia

Myel/o

Myelochisis

Spinal cord

My/o

Muscle

Myopathy

Neur/o

Nerve

Neuralgia

Phas/o

Speech

Aphasia

Psych/o

Mind

Psychosis

Thalam/o

Thalamus

Thalamic syndrome

Ventricul/o

Ventricle

Ventricular contraction

Nervous system terms:

Anesthesia: Without or loss of feeling or sensation
Anesthesiologist: Physician who administers an anesthetic (a drug that reduces feeling)
Ataxia: Lack of muscle coordination
Coma: State of profound unconsciousness
Convulsion: Sudden involuntary contractions of a group of muscles
Dementia: Mental decline
Disorientation: A state of confusion as to time, place, or identity
Gait: A matter or style of walking
Monoplegia: Paralysis of one limb
Neurologist: Physician who specializes in neurology, the scientific study of the nervous system
Neurology: The branch of medicine dealing with the study of the nervous system, functions and
disorders
Paraplegia: Paralysis of the lower half of the body
Postictal: Occurring after a seizure or attack
Psychiatrist: Physician who treats mental disorders
Psychiatry: Branch of medicine that deals with treatment of mental disorders (disorders without any
identifiable pathological cause)
Psychogenic: Produced or caused by psychological factors
Psychogenetic: Originating in the mind
Psychologist: Specialist in psychology
Psychology: The study of the mind, mental processes, and behavior

 Psychosomatic: Pertaining to the mind and the body

Quadriplegia: Paralysis of all four limbs
Seizure: Sudden involuntary contractions (convulsion)
Common Nervous Conditions
Aphasia involves loss or impairment of the ability to speak.
Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is also known as a stroke. It can be a rupture (hemorrhagic stroke) or
obstruction of an artery (ischemic stroke), producing headache, nausea, vomiting, possible coma, paralysis,
and aphasia.
Coma is a state of unconsciousness in which a person cannot be aroused.
Concussion is a temporary dysfunction after injury, usually clearing within 24 hours. Its basically a
bruise on the brain.
Dysphasia is the condition of having difficulty speaking.
Epilepsy refers to a sudden disturbance of the nervous system functioning due to abnormal electrical
activity of the brain. It can manifest by a grand mal seizure, with loss of consciousness, limb contractions,
and incontinence. It could also be as minor as an absence seizure, in which the person appears be spaced
out for a moment.
The Greek epilepsia means seizure and is derived from epi meaning upon and lambancia meaning to
seize. Officially, the term means seized upon.
Grand mal (large) seizures (also called tonic-clonic seizures) are characterized by severe convulsions and
unconsciousness. Petit mal (small) seizures (also called absence seizures) consist of momentary lapses of
consciousness.
Hemiparesis is slight paralysis of half (either right or left side) of the body.
Hemiplegia is paralysis of the right or left side of body often occurring after a stroke.
Hydrocephalus refers to an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the ventricles of the brain.
Irreversible coma is a coma from which there is no response to stimuli, no spontaneous movement,
and a flat or inactive electroencephalogram (a record of the brains activity). This is what is known as a
brain death.
Meningocele is the protrusion of the meninges through a defect in the skull or vertebral column.

 Myasthenia gravis is muscle weakness marked by progressive paralysis that can affect any muscle in
the body, but mainly those of the face, tongue, throat, and neck.
Neuralgia means pain in a nerve.
Neuritis is inflammation of a nerve.
Neuroma is a tumor made up of nerve cells.
Neurosis is an emotional disorder involving an ineffective way of coping with anxiety.
Palsy means paralysis. One of the most common examples is cerebral palsy, a partial paralysis and
lack of muscle coordination due to damage to the cerebrum of a fetus during pregnancy.
Paraplegia: The Greek para means beside, and plegia means paralysis.
Bells palsy involves facial paralysis due to a disorder of the facial nerve; the cause is unknown, but
complete recovery is possible.
Polyneuritis is the inflammation of many nerves.
Psychosis refers to a major mental disorder characterized by extreme derangement, often
accompanied by delusions and hallucinations.
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a viral disease affecting peripheral nerves. Blisters and pain
spread in a band-like pattern following the route of peripheral nerves affected.
Subdural hematoma is a blood tumor below the dura mater, produced by the collection of blood in
tissue or a cavity.
Syncope means fainting or sudden loss of consciousness.

Nervous Diseases and Pathology

Alzheimers disease: Brain disorder marked by deterioration in mental capacity, caused by atrophy
(wasting away) of the brain cells; develops gradually; early signs are loss of memory for recent events, and
an impairment of judgment and comprehension
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): Also called Lou Gehrig disease, a progressive muscular atrophy
or wasting away, caused by hardening of nerve tissue in the spinal cord

 Meningitis: Inflammation of the meninges caused by bacteria (bacterial meningitis) or a virus (viral
meningitis), an infection of subarachnoid spaces
Multiple sclerosis (MS): Destruction of the myelin sheath around nerve fibers; scar tissue forms and
prevents the conduction of nerve impulses causing muscle weakness and paralysis
Parkinsons disease: Degeneration of the nerves of the brain, occurring in later life, leading to tremors,
weakness of muscles, and slowness of movement; a progressive condition that leads to muscle stiffness,
shuffling gait (manner of walking), and forward-leaning posture
Dr. James Parkinson, an English physician, described Parkinsons disease in 1817. It is also called
parkinsonism, paralysis agitans, and shaking palsy.
Reyes syndrome: Disease of the brain and other organs, such as theliver; affects children in
adolescence; cause unknown but typically follows a viral infection
Spina bifida: Congenital defect of the spinal column due to malunion of the vertebral parts
Spina bifida occulta: Vertebral lesion covered with skin and not seen; evident only on x-ray
examination
Transient ischemic attack (TIA): Sudden deficient supply of blood to the brain lasting a short time;
sometimes called a baby stroke