Kids Research Express

. The reception of stimuli is the function of special sensory cells. The conducting elements of the nervous system are cells called neurons; these may be capable of only slow and generalized activity, or they may be highly efficient and rapidly conducting units. The specific response of the neuron—the nerve impulse—and the capacity of the cell to be stimulated make this cell a receiving and transmitting unit capable of transferring information from one part of the body to another. Sub-Topics: • Nerve Cell • Simple Systems • Vertebrate Systems • The Nerve Network • Autonomic Nervous System

Nervous System, those elements within the animal organism that are concerned with the reception of stimuli, the transmission of nerve impulses, or the activation of muscle mechanisms. Nervous System Organization The nervous system is composed of the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord, processes and coordinates all incoming sensory information and outgoing motor commands, and it is also the seat of complex brain functions such as memory, intelligence, learning, and emotion. The peripheral nervous system includes all neural tissue outside of the central nervous system. It is responsible for providing sensory, or afferent, information to the central nervous system and carrying motor, or efferent, commands out to the body’s tissues. Voluntary motor commands, such as moving muscles to walk or talk, are controlled by the somatic nervous system, while involuntary motor commands, such as digestion and h