Nervous system functioning Flashcards
what is the central nervous system made up of?
the brain
the spinal cord
what is the spinal cord responsible for
the spinal cord is responsible for the spinal reflexes, which are involuntary and unlearned movements that are an automatic response to external stimuli.
what does the spinal cord do
receives sensory information from the body and transits it to the brain, the sends motor information from the brain to the skeletal muscles.
sensory neurons
afferent neurons carry incoming information from sensory receptors in the body to the brain.
motor neurons
efferent neurons carry outgoing information to the skeletal muscles to cause them to relax or contract.
inter neurons
transits messages between other neurons- allow sensory and motor neurons to communicate.
what is the subdivisions of the peripheral nervous system?
the somatic nervous system
the automatic nervous system
what is the peripheral nervous system
includes all other nerves that extend from the spinal cord and brain.
what is the somatic nervous system
has 2 functions - transmits sensory information from sensory receptors in the body to the central nervous system
- transmits motor information from the central nervous system to the muscles
the autonomic nervous system
is mostly responsible for the involuntary control of the body.
internal functions necessary for survival.
2 subdivisions- parasympathetic NS, sympathetic NS
the sympathetic nervous system
activates and prepares the body for vigorous activity or to deal with a stressful or threatening situation.
accelerate your heart rate
raise blood pressure
the parasympathetic nervous system
counterbalances the activities of the sympathetic nervous system - returns the body to homeostasis.
