1- the nervous system Flashcards
1
Q
what does the CNS consist of
A
the brain and the spinal chord
2
Q
what are he 2 main functions of the CNS
A
- control of behaviour
- regulation of the body’s physiological processes
3
Q
what are the 4 main areas of the brain
A
- cerebrum
- cerebellum
- diencephalon
- brain stem
4
Q
describe the cerebrum
A
- largest part of the brain
- four lobes and two hemispheres
5
Q
describe the cerebellum
A
- responsible for motor skills, balance and coordinating the muscles
6
Q
describe the diencephalon
A
- contains the thalamus (regulates consciousness, sleep and alertness)
- contains the hypothalamus (regulates body temp, stress response and hunger/thirst)
7
Q
describe the spinal chord
A
- relay info between brain and rest of the body
- allows brain to monitor and regulate bodily processes and coordinate voluntary movement
- connected to different body parts by pairs of spinal nerves
- if damaged, body areas connected to nerves below damaged area will stop functioning
8
Q
what does the PNS consist of and what does it do
A
- the nervous system throughout the rest of the body
- somatic nervous system
- autonomic nervous system
- transmits messages via neurons to and from CNS
9
Q
describe the somatic nervous system
A
- controls voluntary movements and is under conscious control
- connects senses with the CNS
- sensory AND motor pathways
- controls skeletal muscles
- controlled by the motor cortex
10
Q
describe the autonomic nervous system
A
- is involuntary (i.e. not under conscious control)
- it ONLY has motor pathways
- t controls smooth muscles + internal organs and glands of the body
- is controlled by the brain stem.
- has 2 parts: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system
11
Q
describe the sympathetic nervous system
A
- activated when stressed
- heart rate and breathing increase
- digestion stops
- salivation reduces
- pupils dilate
- flow of blood is diverted from surface of skin
- fight or flight response
12
Q
describe the parasympathetic nervous system
A
- activated when relaxed and conserving energy
- heart rate and breathing reduce
- digestion starts
- salivation increases
- pupils constrict
