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Peripheral nerve function
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When we think about the nervous system we think about the brain, but the brain and spinal cord are only the central part. Everything else is the peripheral nervous system, and its structures go by two names: ganglia, which are clusters of neuron cell bodies, and nerves, which are the cables running back and forth.
The work of the nervous system comes down to two movements that run in opposite directions. It takes in information about the environment around us, and that is called sensation. And it generates responses to that information, which are motor responses. Sensory function registers a stimulus, that is, a change in the environment or in the body's internal balance. And one obvious response is the movement of a muscle: pulling your hand away from a hot stove. That everyday scene is sensation and response, one after the other.
In brief
Nerves, along with ganglia, are the structures of the peripheral nervous system, which is the entire nervous system apart from the brain and spinal cord.
The nervous system takes in information about the environment around us, which is sensation, and generates responses to that information, which are motor responses.
Sensory function registers a stimulus, a change in the environment or in internal balance; one obvious response is the movement of a muscle, such as pulling your hand away from a hot stove.
Sources (1)
- OpenStax, Rice UniversityAnatomy and Physiology 2e, 12.1 Basic Structure and Function of the Nervous SystemPublished
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