Outline of the human nervous system
The following diagram is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the human nervous system:
Evolution of the human nervous system
- Evolution of nervous systems
- Evolution of human intelligence
- Evolution of the human brain
- Paleoneurology
Some branches of science that study the human nervous system
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Paleoneurology
- Neurology
Central nervous system
The central nervous system (CNS) is the largest part of the nervous system and includes the brain and spinal cord.
Brain
Brain – center of the nervous system.
- Outline of the human brain
- List of regions of the human brain
Principal regions of the vertebrate brain:
Brain | Forebrain
|
Telencephalon
|
Rhinencephalon, Amygdala, Hippocampus, Neocortex, Lateral ventricles, Basal ganglia | ||
Diencephalon | Epithalamus, Thalamus, Hypothalamus, Subthalamus, Pituitary gland, Pineal gland | ||||
Midbrain
|
Mesencephalic duct
| ||||
Hindbrain
|
Metencephalon | Pons, Cerebellum, | |||
Myelencephalon | Medulla oblongata |
Peripheral nervous system
Peripheral nervous system (PNS) – nervous system structures that do not lie within the CNS.
Peripheral nervous system |
by direction | afferent system
| |
efferent system
| |||
By function | Somatic | ||
Autonomic | Sympathetic | ||
Parasympathetic | |||
Enteric |
Sensory system
A
- List of sensory systems
- Sensory neuron
- Perception
- Visual system
- Auditory system
- Somatosensory system
- Vestibular system
- Olfactory system
- Taste
- Pain
Components of the nervous system
- Neuron
- Interneuron
- Ganglion (PNS) vs Nucleus (neuroanatomy) (CNS) except basal ganglia (CNS)
- Tract (neuroanatomy)(CNS)
- White matter (more myelinated) vs Grey matter
Glial cells
- Microglia
- Astrocyte
- Oligodendrocyte (CNS) vs Schwann cell (PNS)
Neuron
A neuron (also known as a neurone or nerve cell) is an excitable cell in the nervous system that processes and transmits information by electrochemical signaling. Neurons are the core components of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves.
Action potential
An action potential (or nerve impulse) is a transient alteration of the transmembrane voltage (or membrane potential) across the membrane in an excitable cell generated by the activity of voltage-gated ion channels embedded in the membrane. The best known action potentials are pulse-like waves that travel along the axons of neurons.
- Membrane potential
- Ion channel
- Voltage-gated ion channels
Synapse
Synapses are specialized junctions through which neurons signal to each other and to non-neuronal cells such as those in muscles or glands.
Neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitter – endogenous chemical that relays, amplifies, and modulates signals between neurons and other cells to which they are synaptically connected.
- List of neurotransmitters
- Neuromodulator
- Monoamine neurotransmitter
- Neuropeptide
Neurotransmitter receptor
Neurotransmitter receptor – membrane receptor that can be activated by a neurotransmitter. Interactions between neurotransmitters and neurotransmitter receptors can evoke a wide range of differing responses from the cell receiving the signal, including excitation, inhibition, and various types of modulation.
Biological neural network
- Central pattern generator
- Reflex arc
- Neural oscillations
Neural development
- Neural plasticity
- Neurogenesis
- Neuroregeneration
Prenatal development of the nervous system
Neurogenesis
- General neural development
- Neural crest
- Cranial neural crest
- Cardiac neural crest complex
- Truncal neural crest
- Cranial neural crest
- Neural tube
- Rostral neuropore
- Neuromere/Rhombomere
- Cephalic flexure
- Pontine flexure
- Alar plate
- sensory
- Basal plate
- motor
- Glioblast
- Neuroblast
- Germinal matrix
Eye development
Auditory development
Motor control
Motor control – comprises the activities carried out by the nervous system that organize the musculoskeletal system to create coordinated movements and skilled actions.
Learning and memory
Memory – organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information. "Learning" means acquiring new knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, preferences or understanding, and may involve synthesizing different types of information.
Cognition
Cognition – activities involved in processing information, applying knowledge, and changing preferences. Cognition, or cognitive processes, can be natural or artificial, conscious or unconscious.
- Mind
- Consciousness
- Neural correlates of consciousness
- Attention
- Emotion
- Intelligence
- Decision-making
- Executive function
Arousal
Arousal – physiological and psychological state of being awake or reactive to stimuli.
Anatomical structures of the human nervous system by subsystem
Central nervous system
- General terms
- Meninges
- Spinal cord
- Gray columns
- White substance
- Brain
- Brainstem
- Cerebellum
- Diencephalon
- Telencephalon
Peripheral nervous system
- General termsi
- Cranial nerves
- Olfactory nerve
- Optic nerve
- Oculomotor nerve
- Trochlear nerve
- Trigeminal nerve
- Sensory root
- Ophthalmic nerve
- Maxillary nerve
- Nasopalatine nerve
- Pharyngeal nerve
- Greater palatine nerve
- Lesser palatine nerves
- Superior alveolar nerves
- Zygomatic nerve
- Infra-orbital nerve
- Mandibular nerve
- Abducent nerve
- Facial nerve
- Posterior auricular nerve
- Intermediate nerve
- Greater petrosal nerve
- Chorda tympani (also in trigeminal? redundancy?)
- Vestibulocochlear nerve
- Glossopharyngeal nerve
- Vagus nerve
- Accessory nerve
- Hypoglossal nerve
- Spinal nerves
- Cervical nerves
- Suboccipital nerve
- Greater occipital nerve
- Third occipital nerve
- Cervical plexus
- Brachial plexus
- Supraclavicular part
- Infraclavicular part
- Thoracic nerves
- Lumbar nerves
- Medial clunial nerves
- Sacral nerves and coccygeal nerve
- Lumbar plexus
- Sacral plexus
- Nerve to obturator internus
- Nerve to piriformis
- Nerve to quadratus femoris
- Superior gluteal nerve
- Inferior gluteal nerve
- Posterior cutaneous nerve of thigh
- Inferior clunial nerves
- Perforating cutaneous nerve
- Pudendal nerve
- Inferior anal nerves
- Perineal nerves
- Posterior labial nerves
- Posterior scrotal nerves
- Dorsal nerve of clitoris
- Dorsal nerve of penis
- Coccygeal nerve
- Sciatic nerve
- Cervical nerves
- Autonomic division(Autonomic nervous system)
- Sympathetic part
- Sympathetic trunk
- Rami communicantes
- Superior cervical ganglion
- Middle cervical ganglion
- Cervicothoracic ganglion(Stellate - should prob. include inferior cerv. ganglion)
- Thoracic ganglia
- Greater splanchnic nerve
- Lesser splanchnic nerve
- Least splanchnic nerve
- Lumbar ganglia
- Sacral ganglia
- Sympathetic trunk
- Parasympathetic part
- Cranial part
- Pelvic part
- Pelvic ganglia
- Parasympathetic root of pelvic ganglia = Pelvic splanchnic nerves
- Pelvic ganglia
- Peripheral autonomic plexuses and ganglia
- Craniocervical part
- Thoracic part
- Abdominal part
- Celiac plexus
- Aorticorenal ganglia
- Superior mesenteric plexus
- Inferior mesenteric plexus
- Pelvic part
- Sympathetic part
See also
- List of regions in the human brain
- List of nerves of the human body
- Outline of human anatomy
- Outline of neuroscience