

It contains a brain, ventral nerve cord, and ganglia (clusters of connected neurons). The insect nervous system is more complex but also fairly decentralized. Flatworms of the phylum Platyhelminthes have both a central nervous system (CNS), made up of a small “brain” and two nerve cords, and a peripheral nervous system (PNS) containing a system of nerves that extend throughout the body. Others, like jellyfish, lack a true brain and instead have a system of separate but connected nerve cells (neurons) called a “nerve net.” Echinoderms such as sea stars have nerve cells that are bundled into fibers called nerves. Some organisms, like sea sponges, lack a true nervous system. Nervous systems throughout the animal kingdom vary in structure and complexity, as illustrated by the variety of animals shown in Figure 16.2. Compare the functions of different types of glial cells.List and describe the four main types of neurons.List and describe the functions of the structural components of a neuron.
