http://www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Human Biology
1.42 Central Nervous System
- Describe the structures of the central nervous system.
What’s the control center of your body?
Your brain is like the control center of your body. It controls your breathing and heartbeat. It helps you to think and
learn. The brain is so "central" to all your body systems, it’s not surprising that the brain and spinal cord are called
the central nervous system.
The Central Nervous System
Thecentral nervous system(CNS) (Figure1.75) is the largest part of the nervous system. It includes thebrain
and thespinal cord. The bony skull protects the brain. The spinal cord is protected within the bones of the spine,
which are calledvertebrae.
FIGURE 1.75
The brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous system.