Bio - The nervous system Flashcards
How much of the body’s weight is made up by the brain?
About 2%.
What is the nervous system divided into?
Central nervous system (CNS)
Peripheral nervous system
What are the 2 parts of the CNS?
Brain and spinal cord.
What are the 2 parts of the peripheral nervous system?
Somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system.
What are the 2 parts of the autonomic nervous system?
Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
What are the 2 main functions of the CNS?
Control of behaviour and regulation of the body’s physiological processes.
What does the brain receive information from in order to function?
The sensory receptors (eyes, ears, skin, etc.)
What does the brain have to do in order to function?
Receive information from the sensory receptors and be able to send messages to the muscles and glands of the body including the spinal cord.
What is the spinal cord?
A collection of nerve cells that are attached to the brain and run the length of the spinal column.
A bundle of nerve fibres enclosed within the spinal column and which connects nearly all parts of the body with the brain.
What is the main function of the spinal cord?
Relay information between the brain and the rest of the body.
What does the relay of information between the brain and the rest of the body allow?
The brain to monitor and regulate bodily processes, such as digestion and breathing, and to coordinate voluntary movements.
How is the spinal cord connected to different parts of the body?
By pairs of spinal nerves which connect with specific muscles and glands.
For example, spinal nerves which branch off from the thoracic region of the spinal cord carry messages to and from the chest and parts of the abdomen.
What do spinal nerves which branch off of the thoracic region do?
Carry messages to and from the chest and parts of the abdomen.
How does the spinal cord allow us to perform some simple reflexes?
Contains circuits of nerve cells that enable us to perform the reflex without direct involvement of the brain.
Give an example of a simple reflex:
Pulling your hand away from something that is hot.
What happens if the spinal cord is damaged?
Areas supplied by spinal nerves below the damaged site will be cut off from the brain and will stop functioning.
What are the 4 main areas of the brain?
The cerebrum, cerebellum, diencephalon and brain stem.
What is the cerebrum?
The largest part of the brain.
What is the largest part of the brain?
The cerebrum.
What is the cerebrum divided into?
4 lobes.
What are the four lobes of the cerebrum?
Frontal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe and parietal lobe.
What is the frontal lobe involved in?
Thought and production of speech.
What is the occipital lobe involved in?
Processing of visual images.
What is the temporal lobe involved in?
Hearing and memory.
What is the parietal lobe involved in?
Processing sensory information such as touch temperature and pain.
Where is the frontal lobe?
At the front of the cerebrum.
Where is the occipital lobe?
At the back of the cerebrum.
Where is the temporal lobe?
Above the brainstem in the cerebrum.
Where is the parietal lobe?
At the top of the cerebrum.
The cerebrum is split into two halves, what are these called?
Cerebral hemispheres.
How do the cerebral hemispheres work together?
They communicate with each other through the corpus callosum.
Why are there two hemispheres to the brain?
Each hemisphere is specialised for particular behaviours.