Nervous tissue acts as the body’s communication network, which consists of neurons that send electrical signals and chemicals to relay messages throughout the body. It’s found in the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, which enable functions like sensing, movement, and thinking. In essence, nervous tissue allows us to interact with our environment and control bodily actions.
1. A nerve fiber, or axon, is a long, thin part of a nerve cell that carries electrical signals away from the cell body. Neurons usually have one axon that sends signals to other neurons, muscles, or glands.
2. The sympathetic ganglia are part of the sympathetic nervous system, which alerts the body to stress and danger and triggers the fight-or-flight reaction.
3. The spinal cord is part of the central nervous system. It is a bundle of nerve tissue running down from the brainstem through the spine’s center. It has grey and white matter inside.
4. The cerebellum, often called the “little brain,” sits at the back of the brain, beneath the occipital and temporal lobes. Even though it’s only about 10% of the brain’s size, it holds more than half of all the brain’s neurons. The cerebellum adjusts the instructions sent from the brain to muscles which improves the precision and adaptability of movements.
Sources:
– (2022, August 25). Properties of Nerve Fibres. BYJUS; BYJU’S. https://byjus.com/biology/properties-and-classification-of-nervefibres/#:~:text=Frequently%20Asked%20Questions-,What%20are%20Nerve%20Fibres%3F,other%20neurons%2C%20muscles%20or%20glands.
– (2018, July 21). Sympathetic Nervous System. Medicine LibreTexts. https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Anatomy_and_Physiology/Anatomy_and_Physiology_(Boundless)/14%3A_Autonomic_Nervous_System/14.2%3A_Structure_of_the_Autonomic_Nervous_System/14.2G%3A_Sympathetic_Nervous_System#:~:text=The%20sympathetic%20ganglia%20are%20the,fight%2Dor%2Dflight%20response.
– (2014). Spinal cord anatomy. Physiopedia. https://www.physio-pedia.com/Spinal_cord_anatomy
– (2020). Cerebellum (Section 3, Chapter 5) Neuroscience Online: An Electronic Textbook for the Neurosciences | Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy – The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.Tmc.edu. https://nba.uth.tmc.edu/neuroscience/m/s3/chapter05.html