Peripheral nervous system Flashcards
Describe the PNS
The peripheral nervous system is made up of all parts of the nervous system outside of the central nervous system. It links all parts of the body to the central nervous system.
Outline the structure of the PNS
In the PNS, we have sensory and motor division. Sensory is made up of sensory receptors on skin that send messages to the brain. The brain signals the motor division to act.
Motor division divided into autonomic and somatic divisions. autonomic is made up of the functions that we cannot control and somatic is our muscles that we an control.
Autonomic then divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic. Sympathetic is also known as ‘fight or flight’ and parasympathetic is also known as ‘rest and digest’.
what is fight or flight mode?
Fight or flight mode is controlled by the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. It is how our body responds to stress. It prepares the body to fight by increasing blood pressure, stopping digestion and speeding up heart rate. This is what happens to individuals with panic disorder.
what is rest and digest mode?
Rest and digest mode is controlled by the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. It is the state of relaxation for our body when it recovers and digests food.
what is the function of the motor division? outline its structure
The function of the motor division is to integrate signals sent from the brain to respond to a stimulus. It is divided into autonomic and somatic divisions. The autonomic division is then further divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions.
what is the function of the sensory division?
The sensory division of the PNS consists of sensory receptors all over the body that detect stimulus and then send signals to the brain (CNS)
what is the difference between the autonomic and somatic nervous systems?
The difference between the autonomic and somatic nervous system is that autonomic is involuntary movement and somatic is voluntary movement.
what is the difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems?
The difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems is that the sympathetic nervous system gets our body to fight or run away when it thinks it is in danger, and the parasympathetic nervous system is when our body is relaxed and recovering and digesting our food.
