Central Nervous System

Synonyms

CNS

Description

The central nervous system is that part of the nervous system that consists of the brain and spinal cord. The central nervous system (CNS) is one of the two major divisions of the nervous system. The other is the peripheral nervous system (PNS) which is outside the brain and spinal cord [Source: Brenda].

Structure

Anatomical System 4331 ➥
- anatomical site 223 ➥
  - head and neck
  - thorax 1 ➥
    - thoracic wall
  - abdomen
  - pelvis
  - perineum
  - upper limb
  - lower limb
  - whole body 30 ➥
  - adipose tissue 190 ➥
  - mucosa
  - spine 2 ➥
- cardiovascular system 62 ➥
  - heart 40 ➥
    - atrium
    - ventricle 2 ➥
      - left ventricle 2 ➥
    - endocardium
    - myocardium
    - pericardium
    - cardiac valve
    - cardiac conducting system
  - artery 15 ➥
    - aorta 2 ➥
    - arterial intima 5 ➥
    - arterial media
    - arterial adventitia
    - carotid artery
    - coronary artery
  - vein 1 ➥
    - venous intima 1 ➥
    - venous media
    - venous adventitia
  - capillary
- respiratory system 187 ➥
  - nose
  - sinus
  - larynx 1 ➥
  - trachea
  - bronchus
  - lung 175 ➥
    - alveolus 4 ➥
  - pleura
  - diaphragm
- hematological system 385 ➥
  - bone marrow 51 ➥
    - hematopoietic stem cells 6 ➥
    - mesenchymal stem cell 37 ➥
  - blood 241 ➥
    - plasma 40 ➥
    - myeloid progenitor cell 1 ➥
- lymphoreticular system 2 ➥
  - lymph
  - lymph node
  - tonsil
  - spleen
- alimentary system 123 ➥
  - oral cavity 10 ➥
    - tongue 1 ➥
    - salivary gland 3 ➥
    - tooth 3 ➥
    - gum
  - pharynx 5 ➥
    - nasopharynx
    - oropharynx 3 ➥
    - hypopharynx 1 ➥
  - oesophagus 9 ➥
  - stomach 7 ➥
    - gastric mucosa 1 ➥
  - intestine 19 ➥
    - small intestine 7 ➥
      - duodenum
      - jejunum 1 ➥
      - ileum 1 ➥
    - vermiform appendix
    - large intestine 7 ➥
      - colorectal 2 ➥
        
        colon 1 ➥
        
        appendix
        
        rectum 1 ➥
      - anus 2 ➥
      - cecum
  - mesentery
  - omentum
  - peritoneum
  - liver and biliary system 61 ➥
    - liver 60 ➥
    - gall bladder
    - bile duct
  - pancreas 5 ➥
    - exocrine pancreas
- urogenital system 301 ➥
  - urinary system 132 ➥
    - kidney 130 ➥
      - nephron 7 ➥
        
        renal corpuscle
        
        glomerus
        
        renal tubule 6 ➥
        
        renal proximal convoluted tubule
        
        renal distal convoluted tubule
        
        loop of Henle
        
        renal collecting duct
      - renal vasculature 5 ➥
      - glomerulus 5 ➥
    - ureter
    - bladder 1 ➥
    - urethra
  - reproductive system 169 ➥
    - male reproductive system 88 ➥
      - testis
        
        seminiferous tubule
      - epididymis
      - prostate 2 ➥
      - vas deferens
      - penis 83 ➥
        
        glans
        
        foreskin 83 ➥
    - female reproductive system 81 ➥
      - ovary 76 ➥
      - uterine tube
      - uterus 3 ➥
        
        cervix 1 ➥
        
        endometrium
        
        myometrium 1 ➥
      - vagina
      - vulva
      - breast 1 ➥
        
        mammary gland 1 ➥
- endocrine system 10 ➥
  - endocrine pancreas
    - islets of Langerhans
  - pineal gland 1 ➥
  - pituitary gland 1 ➥
  - thyroid
  - parathyroid
  - adrenal gland 2 ➥
    - adrenal cortex
    - adrenal medulla
- musculoskeletal system 529 ➥
  - bone 12 ➥
    - ulna 1 ➥
    - femur 1 ➥
  - cartilage 17 ➥
  - joint 3 ➥
    - synovium 1 ➥
    - ligament
    - meniscus
  - muscle 494 ➥
    - skeletal muscle 358 ➥
    - smooth muscle 1 ➥
  - tendon 1 ➥
  - fascia
- integument system 1602 ➥
  - skin 1595 ➥
    - epidermis 7 ➥
    - dermis 60 ➥
  - appendages 4 ➥
    - hair follicle 1 ➥
    - hair 2 ➥
    - nail bed
    - nail
    - sweat gland 1 ➥
    - sebaceous gland
  - subcutaneous 2 ➥
- nervous system 767 ➥
  - central nervous system 737 ➥
    - brain 734 ➥
      - cerebrum 334 ➥
        
        cerebral cortex 334 ➥
        
        frontal lobe 84 ➥
        
        prefrontal cortex 3 ➥
        
        parietal lobe 78 ➥
        
        temporal lobe 31 ➥
        
        occipital lobe
        
        visual
        
        insula
        
        olfactory bulb
        
        anterior olfactory nucleus
        
        lateral olfactory stria
        
        medial olfactory stria
        
        olfactory tubercle
        
        primary olfactory cortex
        
        secondary olfactory cortex
        
        hippocampus 137 ➥
        
        parahippocampal gyrus
        
        basal nuclei
      - hypothalamus 1 ➥
        
        preoptic nucleus
        
        supraoptic nucleus
        
        suprachiasmatic nucleus
        
        paraventricular nucleus
        
        infundibular nucleus
        
        anterior nucleus
        
        dorsomedial nucleus
        
        ventromedial nucleus
        
        lateral nucleus
        
        posterior nucleus
        
        premamillary nucleus
        
        tuberomamillary nucleus
        
        medial mamillary nucleus
        
        lateral mamillary nucleus
        
        lateral tuberal nucleus
      - brain stem 12 ➥
        
        midbrain 2 ➥
        
        crus cerebri
        
        colliculi
        
        substantia nigra 2 ➥
        
        red nucleus
        
        periaqueductal grey matter
        
        oculomotor nucleus
        
        trochlear nucleus
        
        mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus
        
        pons 10 ➥
        
        vestibular nuclei
        
        cochlear nuclei
        
        superior olivary nucleus
        
        trapezoid nucleus
        
        nucleus of the lateral lemniscus
        
        abducent nucleus
        
        facial nucleus
        
        salivatory nuclei
        
        trigeminal nucleus
      - cerebellum 14 ➥
        
        cerebellum cortex
        
        cerebellum nuclei
      - tract 1 ➥
        
        corpus callosum 1 ➥
      - ventricular system
      - cerebrospinal fluid
      - meninges
      - white matter 5 ➥
      - grey matter 2 ➥
      - blood brain barrier 4 ➥
    - spinal cord
  - peripheral nervous system 25 ➥
    - visual apparatus 17 ➥
      - globe
      - eyelid 1 ➥
      - lacrimal gland
      - conjunctiva
      - cornea
      - sclera
      - lens 6 ➥
      - vitreous humor 1 ➥
      - iris
      - ciliary body
      - choroid
      - retina
      - optic nerve
      - trabecular meshwork
    - auditory apparatus 8 ➥
      - external ear
      - middle ear
      - tympanum
      - auditory tube
      - auditory ossicle
      - internal ear 8 ➥
        
        osseous labyrinth 8 ➥
        
        cochlea 8 ➥
        
        spiral organ of Corti
        
        semicircular canal
        
        vestibule
        
        membranous labyrinth
    - olfactory apparatus
    - peripheral nerve
    - ganglion
    - sympathetic chain
- immune system 98 ➥
  - thymus 5 ➥
    - T cell progenitor 1 ➥
  - lymphocytes 3 ➥
  - B cell 5 ➥
  - memory B cell 1 ➥
  - T cell 42 ➥
  - T regulatory cell 1 ➥
  - stromal cell 1 ➥
  - naïve T cell 2 ➥
  - neutrophil 11 ➥
  - macrophage 2 ➥
  - natural killer cell 2 ➥
  - dendritic cell 2 ➥
  - leukocyte 3 ➥

Changes associated with this tissue

Due to the potentially large amount of high-throughput molecular changes these have been excluded below. You can view the full list of 740 changes through the filter results page.

Physiological (51) View on results page

Accumulation of extracellular neuritic plaques Accumulation of neuromelanin in dopaminergic nigral neurons Altered brain mitochondrial metabolism Axon loss Brain matter volume declines Brain volume decrease Brain volume decreases in a regional-specific way Calcium binding capacity decreases in neurons Cerebral blood flow and glucose utilization are reduced Cerebral spinal fluid amount increases Cortical plasticity decreases Decrease in mitochondrial content and oxidative metabolism in cells Degeneration of dopamine neurons and receptors Demyelination Dendrite regression, reduction in dendrite length Depolarization of mitochondria Down regulation of calcium clearance from nerve cells EEG alterations during auditory test Frequency of mitochondrial DNA deletions increases with age Frequency of somatic mitochondrial mutations increases with age Glial cell number Global neuron loss Gray matter volume decreases Increased bilateral anterior frontal activity in memory interference tests Increased rhinal cortex activity and functional connectivity in tests for verbal familiarity Increased sustained activity in tests of working memory Increased transient activity in non-spatial auditory working memory test Intracellular glutathione content decreases Layer-specific dendritic regression of pyramidal cells Leukoaraiosis Lipid biosynthesis decreases Localized increases and decreases in synaptic transmission Mean diffusivity increases and water diffusion anisotropy decreases Medial temporal activation during encoding and retrieval of memory is reduced Mutations in mitochondrial DNA accumulate Neural stem cell pool declines Neurofibrillary tangles and Lewy bodies in neurons Neurogenesis is reduced Neuronal soma shrinks in size Neurotransmitter and neuro receptor concentrations are altered Permeability increases with age Prefrontal cortex activation during learning is reduced Prolongation of calcium signals in nerve cells Reaction time for a visually paced simple motor task increases with age Receptor expression alterations Reduced hippocampal activity and functional connectivity in tests for verbal familiarity Selective increase in oxidative damage and decrease in antioxidant function during aging in the substantia nigra Sensitivity of HPA axis is impaired Synaptic density slightly decreases at advanced ages Viscoelastic modulus of brain tissue decreases White matter volume decreases

Psychological (22) View on results page

Ability to acquire motor skills decreases Activation threshold for long-term potentiation is increased Altered sleep parameters and patterns Balance decreases Cognitive decline Cognitive deficits Cognitive executive functions decline Cognitive processing speed decreased Earlier sleep and wake time Exploratory behavior is decreased Increased reliance on vision to control balance Learning impairment as assessed by contextual cuing Memory consolidation is impaired Memory impairment Mild cognitive impairment incidence increases No clear changes in anxiety but decrease in ambulation Reaction time slowing in tasks with conflict between visual stimulus and required motor response Reduction in episodic, working and long-term memory Speech production problems Variability of performance for multiple cognitive tasks increases Verbal memory declines Visual memory declines

Molecular (6; 652 in total) View on results page

Changes from high-throughput approaches are excluded but can be viewed on the results page.

5-hmC increase in cerebrellum Alox5 arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) mRNA expression increase Alox5 arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) promoter methylation increase efflux pump activity decreases MTHFR methylation decrease transporter activity decreases

Pathological (9) View on results page

Acute rheumatic fever and chronic rheumatic heart diseases Alzheimer's disease Cancer of meninges, brain and other parts of central nervous system Mental Health (psychological distress) (Female) Mental Health (psychological distress) (Male) Parkinson's disease Stroke Stroke (Female) Stroke (Male)