Central

The term central describes the location of a structure closer to the center of the body or closer to the trunk. This is contrary to the term ‘peripheral’ which refers to the structure being away from the center of the body or trunk region.

For example, our nervous system can be divided into two sub-parts, namely the ‘central’ and the peripheral nervous systems. The central nervous system comprises of brain and spinal cord which reside within the axial skeleton, close to the body center. The brain is protected inside the bony skull and the spinal cord resides within the vertebral column. On the contrary, the peripheral nervous system comprises of cranial and spinal nerves, which innervate structures away from the body center, such as, the appendicular muscles.