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Central Nervous System (CNS)

By Julie Stachowiak, Ph.D., About.com

Updated: January 07, 2008

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Definition:

The part of the nervous system which is composed of the brain, the spinal cord and the optic nerve (although the optic nerve often isn’t mentioned in definitions). The brain receives signals from the peripheral nervous system, through nerves which pass through the spinal cord.

The CNS is the system which is affected by demyelination and resulting lesions of multiple sclerosis (MS).

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