Function of the
Nervous System
Controls all motor, sensory, autonomic,
cognitive, and behavioral activities
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Central nervous system
• Brain and spinal cord
Structures
of the
Neurologic
System
Peripheral nervous system
• Includes cranial and spinal
nerves
• Autonomic and somatic systems
Basic functional unit—
neuron
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Neuron
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Communicate messages from one
neuron to another or to a specific target
tissue
Neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters can potentiate,
terminate, or modulate a specific action
or can excite or inhibit a target cell
Many neurologic disorders are caused
by an imbalance in neurotransmitters
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Brain
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Medial View
of the Brain
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Bones and
Sutures of the
Skull
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Meninges and
Related
Structures
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Arterial Blood
Supply of the
Brain
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Cross-Section of
the Spinal Cord
Showing the Major
Spinal Tracts
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Cranial Nerves
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Dermatome
Distribution
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Functions to regulates
activities of internal organs
and to maintain and restore
internal homeostasis
Sympathetic nervous system
Autonomic
Nervous
System
• “Fight or flight” responses
• Main neurotransmitter is
norepinephrine
Parasympathetic nervous
system
• Controls mostly visceral functions
Regulated by centers in the
spinal cord, brainstem, and
hypothalamus
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Anatomy of the
Autonomic
Nervous System
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Neurologic Assessment: Health History
• Pain
• Seizures
• Dizziness (abnormal sensation of imbalance or movement) and
vertigo (illusion of movement, usually rotation)
•
•
•
•
Visual disturbances
Weakness
Abnormal sensations
Past health, family, social history
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• Consciousness and cognition: mental
status, intellectual function, thought
content, emotional status, language
ability, impact on lifestyle
• Cranial nerves
• Motor system: muscle size, muscle tone
Neurologic
Assessment
and strength, coordination and balance,
Romberg test
• Sensory system: tactile sensation,
superficial pain, temperature, vibration
and position sense (proprioception)
• Reflexes: DTRs, biceps, triceps,
brachioradialis, patellar Achilles,
superficial, pathologic, plantar
(Babinski)
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Gerontologic Considerations
• Important to distinguish normal aging changes from
abnormal changes
•
•
•
•
Structural and physiologic changes
Motor and sensory alterations
Temperature regulation and pain perception
Determine previous mental status for comparison. Assess
mental status carefully to distinguish delirium from dementia
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Computed tomography (CT)
Positron emission tomography (PET)
Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Cerebral angiography
Diagnostic
Tests
Myelography
Noninvasive carotid flow studies
Transcranial Doppler
Electroencephalography (EEG)
Electromyography (EMG)
Nerve conduction studies, evoked potential studies
Lumbar puncture, Queckenstedt test, and analysis of cerebrospinal
fluid
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