Human Peripheral Nervous System
The peripheral nervous system is a collection of nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body and the external environment. It is subdivided into the sensory somatic system and the autonomic nervous system.
The sensory somatic system carries impulses from the external environment and the senses. It consists of 12 pairs of cranial nerves and 31 pairs of spinal nerves. The sensory somatic system permits humans to be aware of the outside environment and react to it voluntarily.
The autonomic nervous system works on an involuntary basis. It consists of two groups of motor neurons and a set of knotlike groups of cell bodies called ganglia. Motor neurons extend to and from the ganglia to the body organs. One subdivision of the autonomic nervous system is the sympathetic nervous system. Impulses propagated in this system prepare the body for an emergency. They cause the heart rate to increase, the arteries to constrict, the pupils to dilate, and other changes to take place. The other subdivision is the parasympathetic nervous system. Impulses in this system return the body to normal after an emergency has occurred.
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