Neuroanatomy, Central Nervous System (CNS)(Archived)

Excerpt

The nervous system is a complex network that enables an organism to interact with its surroundings. Sensory components that detect environmental stimuli and motor components that provide skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle control and control of glandular secretions are coordinated in a system to compel appropriate motor responses to the stimuli or sensory inputs that have been received, stored, and processed.

The nervous system comprises vast neural networks; signaling within these circuits enables thinking, language, feeling, learning, memory, and all functions and sensations. It is well-established that through the plasticity of existing cells, our nervous systems can adapt to situations not previously encountered. Still, it has also been shown that neural stem cells (NSCs) are plastic and involved in creating new connections in adaptation and response to injury. NSCs play a fundamental role in development and the ability to respond to stimuli in the environment and injury.