1 - The Nervous System Flashcards
What does the CNS consist of?
Brain and spinal cord
What are the functions of the CNS?
Control of behaviour
Regulation of body’s physiological processes
What are the four parts of the brain?
Cerebrum
Cerebellum
Diencephalon
Brain Stem
Describe the cerebrum
Has four lobes and two hemispheres
What does the cerebellum do?
Motor skill
Balance
Coordinates muscles to allow precise movements
Describe the diencephalon. What does it do?
Contains thalamus and hypothalamus
Controls body temperature, stress response, hunger and thirst
What does the brain stem do?
Regulates breathing and heart rate
What is the main function of the spinal cord?
Relay information between the brain and the rest of the body.
It is connected to the rest of the body by pairs of spinal nerves, which connect to specific muscles and glands.
What are reflexes?
Actions that are performed without the brain ( reflex arc).
This is possible because the spinal cord has circuits of nerves.
What does the PNS consist of?
The nervous system throughout the rest of the body
What is the function of the PNS?
Transmit messages via neurones to and from the CNS
What are the two divisions of the PNS?
Somatic nervous system
Autonomic nervous system
Describe the somatic nervous system
Connects senses with the CNS
Has both sensory and motor pathways
Controls skeletal muscles and movement
Controlled by the motor cortex
Involved in reflex arcs
Describe the autonomic nervous system
Has only motor pathways
Controls organs and glands of the body
Controlled by the brain stem
Split into sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
Describe the sympathetic nervous system
Activated when a person is stressed.
Heart rate and breathing increase, digestion stops, salivation reduces, pupils dilate, and the flow of blood is diverted from the surface on the skin (fight or flight response)
