Chapter 8. The Nervous System
![A high jumper clears a bar.](https://opentext.uoregon.edu/app/uploads/sites/35/2015/10/Figure_35_00_01-1024x512-1.jpg)
Introduction
When you’re reading this book, your nervous system is performing several functions simultaneously. The visual system is processing what is seen on the page; the motor system controls the turn of the pages (or click of the mouse); the prefrontal cortex maintains attention. Even fundamental functions, like breathing and regulation of body temperature, are controlled by the nervous system. A nervous system is an organism’s control center: it processes sensory information from outside (and inside) the body and controls all behaviors—from eating to sleeping to finding a mate.
Attribution
This section is adapted from Chapter 16. The Nervous System in Concepts of Biology – 1st Canadian Edition by Charles Molnar and Jane Gair which is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License.