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Now that we have discussed the essential roles of the nervous system (sensing, integrating, and generating a motor response), and the basic structure of neurons and nerves, we can move on to discuss the organization of the nervous system. For the sake of description, the nervous system is divided structurally into the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system, and functionally into the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system. These can be thought of as two different methods for thinking about the nervous system; they are not exclusive of one another. There are autonomic and somatic components of both the central and peripheral nervous systems, and the central and peripheral nervous systems are both involved in somatic and autonomic nervous system processes. It is important to recognize that the "divisions" of the nervous system exist for the purposes of description, discussion and study. They are not actual divisions in the nervous system itself. There is significant communication between all parts of the nervous system, and the different divisions of the nervous system are very highly interrelated. |
