ABSTRACT
T he nervous system is responsible for the processes that underlie movement preparation, execution, and control. It may be subdivided into two primary components: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Within the CNS (which consists of the brain and the spinal cord), sensory information is integrated, decisions are made, and signals are generated and sent to the effectors (muscles and glands) to carry out responses. The PNS consists primarily of nerves that extend from the brain and spinal cord, linking the body and the CNS. The PNS may be further subdivided into a sensory or afferent division, which detects changes in the environment and conducts nerve impulses from the various sensory receptors toward the CNS, and a motor or efferent division, which transmits impulses away from the CNS to the effectors.
