Differences between central and peripheral nervous system

  • Jul 26, 2021
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Differences between central and peripheral nervous system

The nervous system is a complex system made up of nerves and cells that carry messages to and from the brain and spinal cord and other parts of the body. It controls and integrates the different bodily functions and maintains the stability and constancy of the internal variables of our body. The nervous system is responsible for three basic functions of our body: sensory, integrative and motor function. The nervous system is mainly divided into two: the central and peripheral nervous system.

The Central Nervous System controls voluntary functions such as walking, laughing, reading, etc. Meanwhile he peripheral nervous system it is responsible for involuntary actions such as blinking, heartbeat, digestion, etc. In this Psychology-Online article we tell you the differences between the peripheral and central nervous system.

The peripheral nervous system is the division of the nervous system that contains all the nerves that are outside the central nervous system (CNS). Its main function is connect the CNS with the organs, limbs and skin.

These nerves run from the central nervous system to the most peripheral areas of the body. It allows the brain and spinal cord to receive and send information to other areas of the body, causing us to react to stimuli from our environment. The nerves that make up the peripheral nervous system are actually axons or act as axons of neuronal cells.

The peripheral nervous system is divided into two parts: autonomic and somatic nervous system:

Difference between somatic and autonomic nervous system

The somatic nervous system it is responsible for carrying sensory and motor information to and from the central nervous system. It is responsible for transmitting sensory information and voluntary movement. This system contains two main types of neurons:

  • Sensory (afferents) that carry information from the nerves to the CNS. It is these neurons that allow us to receive sensory information and send it to the brain and spinal cord.
  • Motorboats: They carry information from the brain and spinal cord to muscle fibers throughout the body. These motor neurons allow us to perform physical actions in response to stimuli in the environment.

The autonomic nervous system It is the part of the peripheral nervous system responsible for regulating involuntary bodily functions, such as blood flow, heartbeat, digestion, and respiration. So it is generally this part of the system that controls aspects of the body that are not under voluntary control. This system allows these functions to be carried out without the need to think that they occur consciously.

In turn, it is divided into two, the sympathetic system (prepares the body to expend energy and deal with possible threats in the environment) and the parasympathetic (helps to maintain normal body functions and conserve physical resources, once the threat has passed this system will allow the body to return to a state normal). Discover in the following article the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system: differences and functions.

Differences between central and peripheral nervous system - Peripheral nervous system (PNS) and its parts

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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