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See AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM and NERVE IMPULSE. It helps the body return to normal activity after an emergency. somatic nervous system that part of the nervous system which supplies the limbs and body wall and which controls the voluntary activities of the body. It controls normal operations of the body such as digestion, blood pressure, and heart rate.
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The parasympathetic nervous system generally helps to conserve the body's energy. The sympathetic nervous system mobilizes the body to respond to emergencies. This system mediates much of the physiological arousal (such as rapid heart beat, tremor, or sweat) experienced by a fearful person in an emergency situation. The autonomic nervous system also consists of two components: the sympathetic division and the parasympathetic division. It is composed of afferent nerves that carry information to the central nervous system (spinal cord) and efferent fibers that carry neural impulses away from the central nervous system. The somatic nervous system is made up of nerves that connect to voluntary skeletal muscles and to sensory receptors. Nerves are bundles of neuron fibers (axons) that are grouped together to carry information to and from the same structure. The PNS consists of all of the nerves that lie outside the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system (PNS) has two components: the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
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Developmental Psychology: Age 13 to 65+ The somatic nervous system is responsible for chiefly voluntary, conscious behavior, such as choosing a reaction to external stimuli sensed by one of the.Psychology: Biological Bases of Behavior.
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