biopsychology- the nervous system Flashcards
what is the nervous system?
-body’s main communication system which is very fast acting
-its a complex network of specialised nerve cells which pass info around the body
-passes messages through electrical signals and chemicals using neutrons and neurotransmitters
what’s the CNS?
central nervous system
what is the CNS made up of?
-brain
-spinal cord
what is the function of the CNS?
pass messages from brain to other parts of body and receive incoming messages from the PNS
what’s special about the brain?
-centre of conscious awareness
-cerebral cortex is highly developed in humans, distinguished our higher mental functions from other animals
what is the spinal cord?
-extension of brain
-responsible for reflex actions
what’s the PNS?
peripheral nervous system
what is the PNS made up of?
nerve fibres (axons) which are connected to the CNS
what is the purpose of the PNS?
-send info to the CNS from the outside world
-transmits from CNS to muscles and glands in the body
what nervous systems are inside the PNS?
-somatic nervous system
-autonomic nervous system
what is the somatic nervous system?
CONSCIOUS
-receives info from the CNS (motor cortex) for muscle movement
-controls conscious movement
-transmits info from receptor cells in sense organs to the CNS
what is the somatic nervous system made of?
myelinated neurons as needs to act quickly
what is the autonomic nervous system?
UNCONSCIOUS
-controls functions that are not consciously directed such as breathing, heartbeat, digestive processes and sexual arousal
-transmits info to and from internal bodily organs
-acts more slowly than SNS
what’s the autonomic nervous system made of?
unmyelinated nerve fibres
what nervous systems are inside the autonomic nervous system?
-sympathetic
-parasympathetic
