(BQ) Part 2 book "Illustrated pharmacology for nurses" presentation of content: Structure and function of the nervous system, antimicrobial drugs, drugs in anaesthesia, the use of drugs during pregnancy and the breastfeeding period, children and drugs, the elderly and drugs, drugs of abuse, and other contents. | section III: PHARMACOLOGY OF ORGAN SYSTEMS This page intentionally left blank 11 Structure and function of the nervous system Anatomy and physiology of the nervous system Components of the nervous system Synapses and transmission of information The peripheral nervous system Somatic nervous system Autonomic nervous system Neurotransmission in the peripheral nervous system The central nervous system Neurotransmission in the central nervous system The nervous system and drugs Summary 99 100 100 103 103 104 106 109 110 112 112 The nervous system consists of specialized cells with an ability to generate and conduct electrical impulses along a nerve cell and to transmit the impulse to other nerve cells, or to sense organs and effect organs. Together with the endocrine system, the nervous system controls the body’s functions, by the release of chemical signal substances called transmitter substances or transmitters. Drugs, some food substances, natural stimulants and intoxicating substances can alter the nerve cells’ ability to generate, conduct and transmit signals. The ways in which drugs can modify the actions of the peripheral nervous system are relatively well understood but there is still a great deal to be learnt about drug action in the central nervous system. effere n t ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM m us cle affe rent Figure Relationship between the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The nervous system functions as a unit, but is usually divided into the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system consists of the brain and the spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system forms a communication link between the central nervous system and all the sense and effector organs. It consists of a motor (efferent) division, which carries information away from the central nervous system to effector cells, and a sensory (afferent) division, which returns information to the .
