The nervous system plays an important role in the human anatomy. The neurons that are the unit representatives of the nervous system are responsible for taking decisions and controlling several parameters of the body. The human neural system is split into 2 parts:

  • The central neural system (CNS)
  • The peripheral neural system (PNS)

Classification of the nervous system

The medulla spinalis and the brain are both parts of the system, which serve as the hub for data processing and administration. All of the body’s nerves connected to the system are found in the PNS (brain and spinal cord). The PNS’s nerve fibers fall into two categories: afferent fibers and motorial fibers.

The motorial fibers also carry limiting impulses from the system to the concerned peripheral tissues and organs. Afferent nerve fibers transmit impulses from tissues and organs to the system. The two divisions of the PNS are referred to as the corporal neural system and the involuntary neural system.

The involuntary neural system transfers signals from the system to the body’s involuntary organs and sleek muscles, whereas the corporal neural system conveys impulses from the system to skeletal muscles.

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are additional divisions of the involuntary neural system. The neural system’s structural and functional unit is the neuron.
A vegetative cell is a microscopic structure made up of the following 3 main components: cell body, dendrites, and axon. The protoplasm of the cell body contains Nissl’s granules as well as the normal cell organelles.

Components of a neuron

Nissl’s granules and dendritic area units are both present in short fibers that continually branch out from the cell body. The distal end of the nerve fiber, which may be lengthy and branching, may be present.

Every branch ends in a conjugation knob, a bulb-like structure that contains conjugation vesicles containing chemicals and is supported by the number of dendrites and nerve fibers, the neurons are separated into three types.

  • multipolar- One nerve fiber and two or more extra dendrites
  • bipolar- The neurons that have two nerve fibers each, ex- tissue layer of the eye
  • unipolar- Just one nerve fiber is present in the cell body, ex- embryonic stage

There are two types of axons, Myelinated and Non-myelinated. Schwann cells enclose the myelinated fibers by forming a protective shell around them. For example, the nerve fibers in spinal and bone nerves. Nodes of Ranvier are spaces between two neighboring medulla sheath area units.

A vegetative cell that does not form a case around the nerve fiber encloses the fat fiber in its own body. For instance, both the autonomous and the corporeal neural systems contain such nerve fibers. The neural membrane, which is selected prior to various ions, provides generation and conductivity of electrical discharge in diverse sorts of particle channels.

The membrane of a cell

The nerve fiber membrane of a vegetative cell is comparatively more permeable to metal ions (K+) and almost rubbery to metal ions (Na+) and charged proteins present in the axoplasm when the cell is at rest, or not conducting any impulse. Axoplasm in nerve fibers has a low concentration of Na+ and a high quantity of charged proteins.

Action potential

An infrequent K+ concentration and a significant Na+ concentration can be found in the fluid outside of nerve fibers, creating a level gradient. The sodium-potassium pump, which transfers three Na+ outward for two K+ into the cell, maintains the ionic gradients across the resting membrane area unit. As a result, the outer surface of the nerve fiber membrane has an electric charge, while its inner surface becomes charged and polarised. Because of the voltage, the electrical voltage across the semipermeable membrane at rest is known.

Mechanisms for producing an electrical discharge and its conductivity in a nerve fiber: When a Na+ input is supplied to a polarised membrane at position A, the membrane there becomes freely polarised prior to Na+, causing a rapid influx of Na+ and the membrane to become depolarized. Impulse is the term for the electrical voltage applied to the semipermeable membrane.

Phases of action potential


Depolarization is followed by an increase in K+ permeability to the membrane, changing the polarization. This process is known as repolarization, and the membrane is repolarized. In the course of depolarization, the membrane’s inner and outer surfaces both acquire charges.

In the course of depolarization, the membrane’s inner and outer surfaces both acquire charges. The membrane becomes charged on the outside and negative on the inside during repolarization. The NA+/K+ ATPase catalyst, which transports 3 Na+ inside and 2 K+ at the cost of 1 ATP, is responsible for the voltage recovery. The intricate procedure of nerve impulse conduction, therefore, follows the aforementioned pathway.

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