Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Topic Content:

The peripheral nervous system includes all nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. It consists of nerves, ganglia, and sensory receptors that connect the CNS to the rest of the body. It enables us to sense and respond to the environment, move our muscles, and maintain essential bodily functions.

The ganglia is a cluster of nervous cell bodies containing thousands of neurons.

It has two parts:

(i) The Somatic Nervous System (SNS)
(ii) The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

The Somatic Nervous System:

The somatic nervous system spreads outward from the brain and spinal cord.

It consists of:

(i) 12 pairs of cranial nerves in the head (connecting the brain to the head and neck region)

(ii) 31 pairs of spinal nerves in the trunk (connecting the spinal cord to the thorax, abdomen and limbs)

Out of the 12 pairs of cranial nerves, the