The nervous system is the first multicellular system described in this book because it is one of the major coordinating systems of the body, and because many concepts that concern the nervous system must be clarified to understand other systems of the body.

Most clinical signs in veterinary neurology involve abnormal movement (e.g., seizures, paralysis); therefore the physiology of posture and locomotion is emphasized in the following chapters.

Because veterinary ophthalmology has become an extensive subspecialty, the physiology of vision is also empha­sized. Other sensory systems that can produce easily recog­nizable clinical signs (e.g., vestibular system, hearing) are discussed in Section Il as well. Understanding the autonomic nervous system is essential for understanding pharmacology and the involuntary control of many of the body's most critical functions. Similarly, understanding the blood-brain barrier and the cerebrospinal fluid system (Chapter 15) is essential to understanding the results of the diagnostic cerebrospinal fluid tap and the homeostasis of the cellular microenvironment of the central nervous system. The electro­encephalogram and sensory-evoked potentials (Chapter 16) are described because of their clinical importance in vet­erinary medicine. Because of space limitations, only the basic physiological concepts essential to understanding the mech­anisms of disease and the practice of veterinary medicine are emphasized. For a more expansive study of neurophysiology, the reader should refer to the texts listed in the chapter bibliographies.

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