Subdivisions of the Nervous System

Abstract

The nervous system is subdivided into the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Incoming stimuli are processed at different levels including unconditioned reflex, conditioned reflex, instrumental reaction, and cognitive processes. Based on functional aspects, the nervous system can also be subdivided into the cerebrospinal nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. The concepts of the organization of cortical areas following a somatotopic organization, primary cortical areas, and secondary cortical areas are briefly given. Definitions of gray and white matter, nuclei, ganglia, tracts, and neuropil are provided.