{"id":2265,"date":"2024-03-12T15:05:48","date_gmt":"2024-03-12T19:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/chapter\/introduction-to-the-neurological-system-2\/"},"modified":"2024-05-31T10:37:03","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T14:37:03","slug":"introduction-to-the-neurological-system-2","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/chapter\/introduction-to-the-neurological-system-2\/","title":{"raw":"Introduction to the Neurological System","rendered":"Introduction to the Neurological System"},"content":{"raw":"<span style=\"color: #000000\">The <strong>neurological system<\/strong> is important to assess because it is responsible for relaying messages from all body systems to the brain and spinal cord, and from the brain and spinal cord back out to all body systems. It is involved in regulating:<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Senses<\/strong> (e.g., seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching).<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Motor function<\/strong>\u00a0(e.g., walking, balance, coordination).<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Cognition<\/strong> (e.g., level of consciousness, thinking).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">As a nurse, your assessment of the neurological system provides information about the functioning of this system and potential cues that may require your action. This chapter focuses on the adult and adolescent (older child) population; neurological assessment of the newborn\/infant\/young child is beyond the scope of this chapter.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Neurological System Components<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">See <strong>Figures 1<\/strong>, <strong>2<\/strong>, and <strong>3<\/strong> for the anatomy of the main components of the neurological system. The main components of the neurological system include:<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">The <strong>central<\/strong> nervous system:<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">Brain.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">Spinal cord.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">The <strong>peripheral<\/strong> nervous system:\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">12 paired cranial nerves.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">31 paired spinal nerves.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><img src=\"https:\/\/oercommons.s3.amazonaws.com\/media\/courseware\/openstax\/m49005\/CNX_Psych_03_03_NervSystem.jpg\" alt=\"Image (a) shows an outline of a human body with the brain and spinal cord illustrated. Image (b) shows an outline of a human body with a network of nerves depicted.\" \/><\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Figure 1<\/strong>: Central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. (<a href=\"https:\/\/oercommons.org\/courseware\/lesson\/71166\/overview\" style=\"color: #000000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/oercommons.org\/courseware\/lesson\/71166\/overview<\/a>)<\/span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https:\/\/img.oercommons.org\/780x780\/oercommons\/media\/courseware\/lesson\/image\/The_Central_Nervous_System.png\" alt=\"The Central Nervous System\" \/>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Figure 2<\/strong>: Central nervous system. (<a href=\"https:\/\/oercommons.org\/courseware\/lesson\/15117\/overview\" style=\"color: #000000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/oercommons.org\/courseware\/lesson\/15117\/overview<\/a>)<\/span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<img src=\"https:\/\/oercommons.s3.amazonaws.com\/media\/courseware\/openstax\/m49005\/CNX_Psych_03_03_Autonomic.jpg\" alt=\"A diagram of a human body lists the different functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic system can constrict pupils, stimulate salivation, slow heart rate, constrict bronchi, stimulate digestion, stimulate bile secretion, and cause the bladder to contract. The sympathetic nervous system can dilate pupils, inhibit salivation, increase heart rate, dilate bronchi, inhibit digestion, stimulate the breakdown of glycogen, stimulate secretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline, and inhibit contraction of the bladder.\" \/>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Figure 3<\/strong>: Autonomic nervous system. (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/oercommons.org\/courseware\/lesson\/71166\/overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/oercommons.org\/courseware\/lesson\/71166\/overview<\/a><span style=\"color: #000000\">)\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">If you want to refresh your knowledge of anatomy and physiology of the nervous system, watch these videos:<\/span>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/qPix_X-9t7E?si=PDMOgOswGj_7QMpa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The nervous system<\/a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/q8NtmDrb_qo?si=VM3uBRDJeisz2N9r\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Central nervous system<\/a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QY9NTVh-Awo?si=GldR17fDd7kRb5kc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Peripheral nervous system<\/a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--examples\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<h2 class=\"textbox__title\" style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Clinical Tip<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">The neurological system is closely interconnected with and influences all body systems, so it is rarely assessed in isolation. When attempting to make sense of neurological cues, nurses commonly assess related body systems. For example, hypertension (and the pathophysiological processes of atherosclerosis) is a major risk factor for stroke.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">The <strong>neurological system<\/strong> is important to assess because it is responsible for relaying messages from all body systems to the brain and spinal cord, and from the brain and spinal cord back out to all body systems. It is involved in regulating:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Senses<\/strong> (e.g., seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Motor function<\/strong>\u00a0(e.g., walking, balance, coordination).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Cognition<\/strong> (e.g., level of consciousness, thinking).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">As a nurse, your assessment of the neurological system provides information about the functioning of this system and potential cues that may require your action. This chapter focuses on the adult and adolescent (older child) population; neurological assessment of the newborn\/infant\/young child is beyond the scope of this chapter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Neurological System Components<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">See <strong>Figures 1<\/strong>, <strong>2<\/strong>, and <strong>3<\/strong> for the anatomy of the main components of the neurological system. The main components of the neurological system include:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">The <strong>central<\/strong> nervous system:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">Brain.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">Spinal cord.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">The <strong>peripheral<\/strong> nervous system:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">12 paired cranial nerves.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">31 paired spinal nerves.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/oercommons.s3.amazonaws.com\/media\/courseware\/openstax\/m49005\/CNX_Psych_03_03_NervSystem.jpg\" alt=\"Image (a) shows an outline of a human body with the brain and spinal cord illustrated. Image (b) shows an outline of a human body with a network of nerves depicted.\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Figure 1<\/strong>: Central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. (<a href=\"https:\/\/oercommons.org\/courseware\/lesson\/71166\/overview\" style=\"color: #000000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/oercommons.org\/courseware\/lesson\/71166\/overview<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.oercommons.org\/780x780\/oercommons\/media\/courseware\/lesson\/image\/The_Central_Nervous_System.png\" alt=\"The Central Nervous System\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Figure 2<\/strong>: Central nervous system. (<a href=\"https:\/\/oercommons.org\/courseware\/lesson\/15117\/overview\" style=\"color: #000000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/oercommons.org\/courseware\/lesson\/15117\/overview<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/oercommons.s3.amazonaws.com\/media\/courseware\/openstax\/m49005\/CNX_Psych_03_03_Autonomic.jpg\" alt=\"A diagram of a human body lists the different functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic system can constrict pupils, stimulate salivation, slow heart rate, constrict bronchi, stimulate digestion, stimulate bile secretion, and cause the bladder to contract. The sympathetic nervous system can dilate pupils, inhibit salivation, increase heart rate, dilate bronchi, inhibit digestion, stimulate the breakdown of glycogen, stimulate secretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline, and inhibit contraction of the bladder.\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>Figure 3<\/strong>: Autonomic nervous system. (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/oercommons.org\/courseware\/lesson\/71166\/overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/oercommons.org\/courseware\/lesson\/71166\/overview<\/a><span style=\"color: #000000\">)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">If you want to refresh your knowledge of anatomy and physiology of the nervous system, watch these videos:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/qPix_X-9t7E?si=PDMOgOswGj_7QMpa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The nervous system<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/q8NtmDrb_qo?si=VM3uBRDJeisz2N9r\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Central nervous system<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QY9NTVh-Awo?si=GldR17fDd7kRb5kc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Peripheral nervous system<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--examples\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<h2 class=\"textbox__title\" style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Clinical Tip<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">The neurological system is closely interconnected with and influences all body systems, so it is rarely assessed in isolation. When attempting to make sense of neurological cues, nurses commonly assess related body systems. For example, hypertension (and the pathophysiological processes of atherosclerosis) is a major risk factor for stroke.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"menu_order":2,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":"cc-by-nc"},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[88],"license":[56],"class_list":["post-2265","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","contributor-june-2024-cu3e0lrwrt","license-cc-by-nc"],"part":2261,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2462,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2265\/revisions\/2462"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/2261"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2265\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=2265"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=2265"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=2265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}