Peripheral

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

For example, our nervous system can be divided into two sub-parts, namely the ‘central’ and the ‘peripheral’ nervous systems. The peripheral nervous system comprises of cranial and spinal nerves, which innervate structures away from the body center, such as, the appendicular muscles. On the contrary, 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.