So for this first post, we're talking about the integumentary system and how it works in harmony with the nervous system. The integumentary system is our hair, skin and nails. What us ladies spend our whole lives trying to perfect, am I right? Overall, I really enjoyed this unit because, as a beauty junkie, I love learning more about my hair and skin! I liked learning about all the different glands and in what specific circumstances they are stimulated and I liked learning more about the hair, its follicle, and its root. It was interesting to me that our hands actually have more sweat gland than our arms, which I guess would make sense because my mother is always nagging at me to not put my fingers on our pictures.
What I probably found most interesting what the integumentary's function of cutaneous sensation, which coincidentally has to do with the nervous system. The free nerve endings, Meissner's corpuscle, and the Pacinian corpuscle are a part of the integumentary system and the nervous system. All three of these structures are found in the dermis but each one has variation in its function. Meissner's corpuscle is responsible for feeling light touch such as something brushing up against your arms. On the other hand, the Pacinian corpuscle feels deep pressure, like when you press on your skin harshly. Our free nerve endings feel both light touch and deep pressure, but also feel pain like cuts or scrapes. It's cool how both of these systems are intertwined.
Hyperhidrosis is a disorder that affects both the integumentary system and the nervous system. People with this disorder experience excessive sweating in their palmar, plantar and axillary regions. This affects the sympathetic nerve that tell these glands when to excrete sweat, so those with this disorder may start sweat at random times, even when they aren’t hot or doing physical activity. This disease is simply diagnosed by explaining your symptoms and there are a wide range of treatments available. One of the obvious choices for controlling this is a medicated antiperspirant, or deodorant. You may also choose to go on a light sedative medication or even get botox injections into the affected regions to block those nerves. In extreme cases, surgery is an option.
Overall, I really enjoyed learning about the integumentary system. Skin is something that I mess with everyday so it was extremely cool to learn what it looks like anatomically. If skin or hair is something that interests you I would definitely recommend that you learn more about it yourself!
Sources:
"Neuroscience Resources for Kids - Body System Interaction." Neuroscience Resources for Kids - Body System Interaction. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2014.
"Thoracic Surgery." Hyperhidrosis. Boston Medical Center, n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2014.
"Nervous System Information." Nervous System Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2014.
What I probably found most interesting what the integumentary's function of cutaneous sensation, which coincidentally has to do with the nervous system. The free nerve endings, Meissner's corpuscle, and the Pacinian corpuscle are a part of the integumentary system and the nervous system. All three of these structures are found in the dermis but each one has variation in its function. Meissner's corpuscle is responsible for feeling light touch such as something brushing up against your arms. On the other hand, the Pacinian corpuscle feels deep pressure, like when you press on your skin harshly. Our free nerve endings feel both light touch and deep pressure, but also feel pain like cuts or scrapes. It's cool how both of these systems are intertwined.
Hyperhidrosis is a disorder that affects both the integumentary system and the nervous system. People with this disorder experience excessive sweating in their palmar, plantar and axillary regions. This affects the sympathetic nerve that tell these glands when to excrete sweat, so those with this disorder may start sweat at random times, even when they aren’t hot or doing physical activity. This disease is simply diagnosed by explaining your symptoms and there are a wide range of treatments available. One of the obvious choices for controlling this is a medicated antiperspirant, or deodorant. You may also choose to go on a light sedative medication or even get botox injections into the affected regions to block those nerves. In extreme cases, surgery is an option.
Overall, I really enjoyed learning about the integumentary system. Skin is something that I mess with everyday so it was extremely cool to learn what it looks like anatomically. If skin or hair is something that interests you I would definitely recommend that you learn more about it yourself!
Sources:
"Neuroscience Resources for Kids - Body System Interaction." Neuroscience Resources for Kids - Body System Interaction. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2014.
"Thoracic Surgery." Hyperhidrosis. Boston Medical Center, n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2014.
"Nervous System Information." Nervous System Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2014.