Divisions of NS/Responses to sensory stimuli

Question 1

What is the central NS?

Answer 1

Processes info received from the body’s internal/ external environments and activates appropriate responses

The brain receives and analyses sensory info, and responds accordingly.
The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that receives sensory info from the body and sends it to the brain for processing, and receives motor information from the brain and sends it to relevant body parts.

Question 2

Peripheral NS?

Answer 2

The network of nerves outside the CNS. It carries info to the CNS from the body and sensory organs and from the CNS to the body.

Question 3

Somatic v Autonomic?

SNS initiates skeletal muscle movement but ANS regulates the activity of the visceral muscles, organs and glands.

sympathetic and parasympathetic are dominant or not

Answer 3

Somatic NS is the nerves that carry sensory info to the CNS and motor info to the body. Sensory info is received at sensory receptor sites and carried along sensory neural pathways by sensory neurons. Motor information is carried along the motor neural pathways by motor neurones to skeletal muscles to control their activity

Autonomic NS connects the CNS to the body’s internal organs and glands (which are self regulating).

• sympathetic increases activity of visceral muscles and organs when active or stressed and parasympathetic decreases activity and restores body to normal state

Question 4

Conscious response vs unconscious response

Answer 4

conscious involves awareness and unconscious does not