B10 - The Human Nervous System - B10.4, B10.5, B10.6 Done Flashcards
What does the cerebral cortex do?
It controls the functions of consciousness, intelligence, memory, and language
What does the cerebellum do?
Coordinate muscular activity and balance
What does the medulla do?
It is concerned with unconscious activities, such as breathing, heartbeat, and the movements of the gut
What does the hypothalamus do?
It is involved in controlling body temperature
What are two techniques scientists use to find out about the brain?
They study people with brain damage, electrically stimulate parts of the brain, and use MRIs to find out what each section does
Why is it so easy to damage the brain and hard to treat problems related to it?
As it is very delicate, involving thousands of separate neurones and chemicals across the synapses, and it is easy to cause unintended damage from operating on parts where we don’t know what they do. Drugs can also struggle to penetrate the protective membranes around it
What is the sclera?
The hard white muscle outer shell of the eye
What happens in dim light to the pupil? And therefore what happens in bright light?
In dim light the pupil expands as much as possible in order to try and let as much light as possible to enter the eye. Similarly, it also closes and becomes as small as possible when there is lots of bright light so as not to damage the retina - where the light is focused
What muscles control the shape of the lens?
The ciliary muscles - contracting and loosening in order to try and focus the light and the image perfectly on the retina so it is not blurred
What is the purpose of the optic nerve?
To carry the impulses of the messages from the eye to the brain where they can be processed
What is myopia?
Close sighted-ness
What causes myopia?
A particularly long eyeball or a thicker/too curved lens
What can be a solution for people who suffer with myopia?
Getting them glasses with a concave lens that spreads out the light before it reaches the eye so the thicker lens can bring it into focus more easily
What is hyperopia?
Long sighted-ness
What causes hyperopia?
A lens that is too thin or a particularly short eyeball
