NERVOUS SYSTEMS

Can an Injured Spinal Cord Be Fixed'.

protected inside the bony vertebrae spine is an inch-thick gelatinous bundle of nerve fiber-structure, called the spinal cord acts as the central communication conduit between brain and the rest of the body. Millions of nerve fibers motor information from the brain to the muscles other fibers bring sensory information -such as touch, and body position from the body back to the brain spinal cord acts like a transcontinental telephone cable packed with wires, each of which carries messages between the central hub and an outlying area.

But what happens if that cable is cut?

Signals cannot get through, communication is lost, and the cable must be repaired or replaced. In humans, the spinal cord is rarely severed because the vertebrae provide adequate protection However, a traumatic blow to the spinal column and subsequent bleeding, swelling, and scarring can crush the delicate nerve bundles and prevent signals from passing.

SUPERMAN SPINAL CORT INJURIES

- QUADRIPLEGIA

Spinal cord injuries have always been considered untreatable.

The result may be a debilitating injury. Such trauma along the back cause paraplegiaparalysis of the lower half of the body Trauma higher up the neck can cause quadriplegiaparalysis from the neck down, which may necessitate permanent breathing assistance from an artificial respirator. such injuries are permanent because the spinal cord, unlike other body tissues, cannot repair itself.

Nervous systems receive sensory input, interpret it, and send out appropriate commands
A cubic centimeter of your brain, for instance, may contain well over 50 million neurons (nerve cells), which are specialized for carrying signals from one location in the body to another. Each neuron may communicate with thousands of other nerve cells, forming networks that enable us to learn, remember, perceive our surroundings, and move.

A nervous system has three interconnected functions Sensory input is the conduction of signals from sensory receptors, such as light-detecting cells of the eye. to integration centers. Integration is the interpretation of the sensory signals and the formulation of responses. Motor output is the conduction of signals from the integration centers to effectors

effectors, such as muscle cells or gland cells

which perform the body's responses.

The integration sensory input and motor output is not usually rigid linear but involves the continuous background activity by the circular arrow.

A Organization of a nervous system

Central nervous (CNS), where most integration occurs, consists of the brain and, in vertebrates, the spinal cord. Peripheral nervous system (PNS), is made up mostly communication lines called nerves that carry signals into and out of the CNS. A nerve is a cable-like bundle of neuron extensions tightly wrapped in connective tissue

Neuron consists of a cell body, containing the nucleus and cell organelles, and long, thin extensions called neuron fibers that convey signals. The PNS also has ganglia( singular ganglion), which are mainly clusters of neuron cell bodies in the nerves.

A diagram of the human knee-jerk highlights the relationship between neurons and system structure and function. The small colored ball represent neuron cell bodies the thin lines represent fibers. Three functional types of neurons correspond to a nervous system`s three main functions

Sensory neuron convey signals, or information, (red arrows) from sensory receptors into the CNS. Interneurons are located entirely within the CNS. They integrate data and then relay , appropriate signals to other interneurons or to motor in Motor neurons function in motor output, conveying signals from the CNS to effectors

When the knee is tapped, (1) a sensory receptor detects a stretch in the muscle (2) a sensory neuron conveys information into the CNS (spinal cord). In the CNS information goes to (3) a motor neuron and to (4) An interneuron.

One set of muscles (quadriceps) responds to signals conveyed by a motor neuron by contracting jerking the lower leg forward. At the same time, another motor neuron, responding to signals from the interneuron, inhibit the flexor muscles in the lower leg, making them relax and not resist the action of the quadriceps.

One of our simplest body actions, the knee-jerk illustrates the cellular basis of nervous system functions. simplicity, this figure shows only one neuron of each functional type, but virtually any body activity (including a simple knee-jerk) involves many sensory neurons, interneuron and motor neurons.

Neurons are the functional units of nervous systems

Neuron is vary widely in shape, but most of them share some common features. motor neuron has a large cell body housing the nucleus and other organelles. Two types of fibers project from the cell body :- dendrites are often short, numerous, and highly branched. dendrites receive incoming messages from a sensory cell or interneuron and convey this information toward the cell

Neurons are the functional units of nervous systems

The second type of neuron fiber is the axon which on many neurons is a single fiber. The axon conducts signals toward another neuron or toward an effector. Many axons are long. Certain ones in your leg, for instance stretch from the lower part of your spinal cord all way to muscles in your toes.

Neurons are the functional units of nervous systems

Neuron actually make up only part of a nervous system Outnumbering neurons by as many as 50 to 1 are support-cells that protect, insulate, and reinforce the neurons Supporting cell - Schwann cell. - insulating material called the myelin sheath, resembles a chain of oblong beads. Each bead is actually a Schwann cell, and the sheath is essentially a chain of Schwann cells, each wrapped many times around the axon

Supporting cell
The spaces between Schwann cells nodes of Ranvier, and they are only points on the axon where signals can be transmitted mvelin sheath insulates the axon, preventing signals from passing along it. When a signal travels along a myelinated axon, it jumps from node to node

By jumping along the axon, the signal travels much faster than it could if it had to take the long route along the whole length of the axon. In the human nervous system, signals can travel along a myelinated axon about 150 m/sec , which means that a command from your brain can make your fingers move in just a few milliseconds. Without myelin sheaths, the signals could go only about 5 m/sec.

A typical axon has hundreds or thousands of branches, each with a bulblike synaptic knob at the very end. The synaptic knobs relay signals to another neuron or to an effector such as a muscle cell.