What is the Nervous System?
The nervous system guides everything that you do, from movement to sensation to thinking. It controls every conscious movement and thought, as well as important body processes (breathing, heart rate, etc). Your nervous system is divided into two groups: central and peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system includes all the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord, which communicate important information to the body.
Central Nervous System
The brain and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system. Your brain is the command center of the nervous system, responsible for making and monitoring every decision. The spinal cord connects the brain to the rest of the body, acting as a highway to communicate information from the brain to the rest of the body and vice versa.
Peripheral Nervous System
There are many nerves that branch off of the central nervous system. These nerves make up the peripheral nervous system, which carry the information from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body. These nerves have varying functions and can range in size, each responsible for controlling a certain aspect of the body.
The peripheral nervous system is divided into two systems:
Autonomic nervous system: controls involuntary bodily functions (breathing, digestion, blood pressure, etc.)
Somatic nervous system: controls muscle movement and the communication of sensory information (touch, sight, smell, etc.)