🟢 Biopsychology - The Nervous System Flashcards
What is our nervous system divided into
Central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system
What does the central nervous system contain
Brain and the spinal cord
What does our brain control
Centre of all conscious awareness and it does 2 things, receives information from sensory receptors and sends messages to muscl glands in the body
What does the spinal cord do
The spinal cord is an extension of the brain. It transports messages to and from the brain to the peripheral nervous system. It is also responsible for reflexes.
What does the spinal cord consist of
Collection of nerve cells which are attached to the brain and run the length of the spinal cord
What does the spinal cord consist of
Collection of nerve cells which are attached to the brain and run the length of the spinal cord
What does the peripheral nervous system do
- it consists of all other nerves which are not part of the CNS
- reaching out to other parts of the body all the way down to the tips of toes
What is the peripheral nervous system divided into
- somatic nervous system
- autonomic nervous system
Somatic nervous system
Part of the PNS that is associated with the voluntary control of body movements. It includes both sensory receptors and motor pathways.
- The motor pathways run the opposite way taking information from the CNS out
- the sensory neurons carry sensory information to the CNS
What does the autonomic nervous system control
Involuntary actions
What does the autonomic nervous system have an important role in
Homeostasis - regulation of internal body conditions
2 sections of the autonomic nervous system
- Sympathetic - gets us ready for emergencies and is involved in the fight or flight response
- Parasympathetic - restores natural order, relaxing us after an emergency and is called ‘rest and digest’
Examples of what ANS controls
Smooth muscles and glands
Internal organs: stomach, intestines …
Heart rate
What is the Fight or flight response
An early evolutionary adaptation that is useful in dealing with physical threats. It helps us with dealing with short term problems that can be solfved by fighting or running
How is the fight or flight activated
The amygdala sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus. This recognises the stress so it activates the synpathomedullary pathway
