This chapter focuses on the nervous system. This includes motor control and the basis of sensation. It outlines the organization of the nervous system and the nature of its constituent cells. The nervous system may be divided into five main parts: the brain, the spinal cord, peripheral nerves, the autonomic nervous system, and the enteric nervous system. The chapter discusses how the brain and spinal cord constitute the central nervous system (CNS), while the peripheral nerves, autonomic nervous system, and enteric nervous system make up the peripheral nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that is concerned with the innervation of blood vessels and the internal organs, which includes the autonomic ganglia that run parallel to the spinal column and their associated nerves.
Chapter
Introduction to the nervous system
Chapter
Modulation of Movement by the Basal Ganglia
Edited by George J. Augustine, Jennifer Groh, Scott Huettel, Anthony-Samuel LaMantia, Leonard E. White, and Dale Purves,
This chapter focuses on the role of the basal ganglia in modulating the movements of the body. The contributions of the basal ganglia to motor control are reflected in the deficits that result from damage to the component nuclei. Such lesions compromise the initiation and performance of voluntary movements, as exemplified by the paucity of movement typical of Parkinson's disease and in the inappropriate “release” of movements characteristic of Huntington's disease. The organization of the basic circuitry of the basal ganglia indicates how this constellation of nuclei modulates movement. With respect to motor function, the system forms a loop that originates in almost every area of the cerebral cortex and eventually terminates, after enormous convergence within the basal ganglia, on the upper motor neurons in the motor areas of the frontal lobe and in the superior colliculus.
