ABSTRACT
This chapter will provide that information from a functional perspective, but the student should expect to consult other resources details of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and neuropathology to supplement this presentation. The nervous system is designed to receive information, analyse the significance of this input and respond appropriately, usually by performing a movement or by communicating ideas through spoken language. This evolutionary development culminates in the human central nervous system (CNS), with all its multifaceted functions. The autonomic nervous system, the ANS, is also considered part of the peripheral nervous system (PNS); it is involved with the regulation of the cardiac pacemaker system and of smooth muscle and glands, including some control of bowel and bladder functions. The original tube, filled with fluid, remains in each part of the nervous system. The largest spaces are found in the cerebral hemispheres; they are called the cerebral ventricles or lateral ventricles.
