Importance of the Nervous System

All the species into which the living beings are different from each other, both in appearance, functions and life habits, as well as in the organs and systems that make them up, however, almost all species of the Animal Kingdom have something in common: possessing a system highly strung.

From its simplest forms such as jellyfish and corals belonging to the Cnidarians, to the largest mammals, all animals –except porifera– have a type of special cells that carry out the function of transmitting impulses nervous. Depending on the case, these cells can be glial or neurons and constitute the nervous tissues that allow the capture and conduction of stimuli, as well as the processing and conduction of the responses that the animal require.

This particular capacity of nerve cells is the fundamental characteristic that gives the nervous system the most importance. relevant in the survival of any of these species, since through it the animal is able to relate to its environment a more complex way, allowing you to adapt to or react to changes so that you can keep your existence. The

perception that the nervous system allows on environmental conditions, is the key piece in the puzzle of evolution in animals.

The uptake, transmission, and response capacity of neurons and glial cells is far superior to that of any other mechanism that organisms unicellular, the poriferous or the plants themselves may have, hence also the great differentiation in the development of animal species with respect to the others, leaving in evidence the fact that they are capable of fulfilling even more complex functions, in a directly proportional way to the complexity of their nervous system.

Another key factor is found in the displacement capacity that it allows the different species. Both invertebrates and vertebrates present a different degree of development of the nervous system among their various species and, in turn, it can be observed how these they have managed to develop more skillful ways of moving as their ability to perceive stimuli and generate responses becomes broader and effective.

Likewise, such is the importance of the nervous system, that without its presence there could not be any kind of sense.

The first of all systems

In terms of evolution, the nervous system has been the first to conform, evidence of this is the grouping of nerve cells in cnidarians, which, although they are far from being able to reaching the level of the brain of vertebrates, they have managed to organize themselves in such a way as to form ring-shaped nerve plexuses, which allow jellyfish and anemones a high efficiency when having to defend themselves from their predators, as well as detect and capture their prey, distinguishing one from another without having any type of organ that provides them with more information accurate.

On the other hand, during the stages of embryonic development, the nervous system is also the first to begin its conformation, from neurulation, a process during which the differentiation of nerve cells begins with the transformation of the notochord into the ectoderm, a phenomenon that will give rise to the entire nervous system in animals vertebrates.

Stimulus-Response Mechanism

The evolution of a nervous system has in turn allowed the development of organs specialized in perception, being able to capture phenomena ranging from characteristics external aspects of the environment, such as colors, lights and shadows, smells, tastes, temperatures, heights and depths, to physical conditions and chemical properties of the individual, so that the relationship of complexity between the areas of the nervous system and the sense organs becomes increasingly more and more, as the species is adapted to a broader use of the information that it can perceive and process about its around.

The constant dynamics of capturing stimuli allows animals to recognize the specific characteristics of their environment, and therefore, perceive the most subtle changes that may occur. In turn, the processing of said information by the nervous system translates into the generation of responses with which the individual will react to these changes, managing to fulfill roles and vital needs such as example the feeding, by being able to detect and even capture their food sources or reproduction, being able to attract or recognize the opposite gender of their own species.

Somatic and autonomic nervous system

Just as if it were an electrical circuit or a means of communication between which different messages are sent from different parts of the organism, its presence is essential, allowing not only the perception, but also acting as control, coordination and functioning of the vital organs, functioning in this case in a automatic. Depending on the function that is being carried out, we find the nervous system as two large groups, according to their usefulness and how this is "activating: 1) Somatic nervous system: This part contemplates all the voluntary actions that are carried out in relationship with the environment, from the orders associated with the movement of the Body, to the control of the different perceptions sensory. 2) Autonomous: it is in charge of controlling the functioning of the different vital organs, for which reason we do not have any will of its functions or control, being also called the nervous system visceral.

Just as in mathematics, complex numbers are made up of different units, with regard to the nervous system, the smallest portion of it is the neurons, consisting of special cells that are in charge of the connection between different parts of it by means of the impulse of electrical and chemical signals, distributing throughout the organism.

Bibliographic references

Salvat Library (1973). The evolution of the spices. Barcelona, ​​Spain. Salvat Editors.

Fernandez, Jimena Pia; Rubilar Panasiuk, Cynthia Tamara; González Aravena, Jorge Marcelo; Pitta Alvarez, Sandra Irene; Neural development in embryonic models: The effect of trophic factors; 30-7-2019.

Hickman, C. et al. (1998) Integral Principles of Zoology. 11th Ed. Madrid, Spain. McGraw-Hill Interamericana.

Ruiz, R. (2009). Evolution. Autonomous University of Mexico. Social Research Institute.