Central Nervous System Regulation, Mood, and Cognition
Central Nervous System Regulation, Mood, and Cognition
8.2 CNS Regulation, Mood, and Cognition Concepts
Concepts Related to the CNS, Mood, and Cognition
This resource provides a basic introduction to the concepts related to the central nervous system and cognition in connection with pharmacology. The concept of cognition is defined as “the process of thought that embodies perception, attention, visuospatial cognition, language, learning, memory, and executive function with the higher-order thinking skills of comprehension, insight, problem-solving, reasoning, decision making, creativity, and metacognition”[1].
This chapter also addresses mood[2], affect[3], and anxiety[4].
The concept map in Figure 8.2a summarizes information related to the concept of mood, affect, and the CNS [5]. You are encouraged to revisit this map after you have completed the chapter. You may also wish to develop your own concept map related to other CNS concepts in this chapter.
Overview of the Central Nervous System and Processes
Before we can begin to understand how different medications influence the brain, we need to review the central nervous system. The nervous system can be divided into two major regions: the central and peripheral nervous systems. The central nervous system (CNS) is the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) is everything else. The brain is contained within the cranial cavity of the skull, and the spinal cord is contained within the vertebral cavity of the vertebral column.
It is a bit of an oversimplification to say that the CNS is what is inside these two cavities and the peripheral nervous system is outside of them, but that is one way to start to think about it. In actuality, there are some elements of the peripheral nervous system that are within the cranial or vertebral cavities. The peripheral nervous system is so named because it is on the periphery—meaning beyond the brain and spinal cord. Depending on different aspects of the nervous system, the dividing line between central and peripheral is not necessarily universal.
The peripheral nervous system is further divided into the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system, which are further discussed in the Autonomic Nervous System chapter in this book.[6] (See Figures 8.2b[7] and 8.2c[8] for illustrations of the central and peripheral nervous systems).
Review more detailed information about the nervous system function using this OpenStax link: Basic structure and function of the nervous system
Communication in the Nervous System
Your brain communicates with electrical impulses that signal a release of a neurotransmitter, which then binds to the targeted cell. Understanding this communication will help you put the pieces together when you are trying to understand the mechanism of action of medication that works by influencing neurotransmitters. See Figure 8.2d for an illustration of the major elements in neuron communication.[9]
There are two types of conn