The Division of the Nervous System

Question 1

What is the nervous system?

Answer 1

• A complex network of nerve cells that carry messages to and from the brain and spinal cord to different parts of the body
• It helps to coordinate different organs and cells in the body

Question 2

What are the 2 sections the nervous system is divided into?

Answer 2

• The Central Nervous System (CNS)
• The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Question 3

What is the Central Nervous System?

Answer 3

• Consists of the brain and the spinal cord
• Where all the complex processing of information is done and decisions are made
• Where the control of behaviour and the regulation of the body’s psychological processes happen

Question 4

What is the Peripheral nervous system?

Answer 4

• Brings information from the senses to the CNS and transmit information from the CNS to the muscles and glands

Question 5

What is the brain?

Answer 5

• The centre of awareness
• It is divided in two hemispheres

Question 6

What is the spinal cord?

Answer 6

• An extension of the brain
• It transports messages to and from the brain to the peripheral nervous system
• It is responsible for reflexes and consists of a collection of nerve cells (which are attached to the brain and run the length of the spinal column)

Question 7

What does the brain do in the CNS?

Answer 7

• It receives information from sensory receptors
• It sends messages to muscle glands in the body

Question 8

Give examples of the brain taking action in the CNS

Answer 8

• It gets a message from your eyes to say the sun is bright and coordinates your arms, hands etc to put sunglasses on
• If you start running, it gets messages about what your body needs and responds to make your heart beat faster, make you breath faster, make you sweat etc.

Question 9

What is the Peripheral Nervous System split up into?

Answer 9

• The Somatic Nervous System
• The Autonomic Nervous System

Question 10

What is the Central Nervous System Split into?

Answer 10

• The spinal cord
• The brain

Question 11

What is the Autonomic Nervous System split into?

Answer 11

• The Sympathetic Nervous System
• The Parasympathetic Nervous System

Question 12

What does the Peripheral Nervous System do?

Answer 12

• It consists of all other neves which are not part of the CNS
• They relay information via nerve impulses from the rest of the body back to the CNS

Question 13

Explain how the Peripheral Nervous System Relays informatio

Answer 13

• The Peripheral nerves run from the spinal cord to all parts of the body
• They surround all the organs, muscles and tissues (the heart, liver, intestines, lungs, skin and blood vessels
• These outside nerves receive messages from the brain and control the heartbeat, blood pressure, breathing and all of the body functions
• The peripheral nerves pick up information about the body and send messages through the spinal cord to the brain
• The brain sends out messages to the peripheral nerves so they may control our actions

Question 14

What is the Somatic nervous system?

Answer 14

• The part of the Peripheral Nervous System that could be said to ‘talk to’ the outside world.
• It includes both sensory receptors and motor pathways.

Question 15

Explain what the Somatic nervous System does.

Answer 15

• Where sensory neurons carry sensory information to the Central Nervous System

Question 16

Give an example of the Somatic Nervous System taking action.

Answer 16

• If you feel something is rough or smooth, that information is taken in and passed up through the Somatic Nervous System
• The motor pathways run the opposite way taking information from the Central Nervous System out, for example to muscles

Question 17

What is the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 17

• It regulates involuntary actions (e.g. Heart beat)
• It has an important role in homeostasis, which means it regulates the body’s internal processes like blood pressure

Question 18

What is the Sympathetic Nervous System?

Answer 18

The part in the ANS that gets us ready for emergencies and is involved in the fight or flight response

Question 19

What is the the Parasympathetic Nervous System?

Answer 19

Part of the ANS that restores natural order, relaxing us after an emergency and is sometimes called ‘rest and digest’

Question 20

When the SNS and PNS interact what is created?

Answer 20

Homeostasis

Question 21

How is the nervous system working in the scenario ‘the bell rings, and the students start packing up their bags.’

Answer 21

• The sound of the bell ringing is picked up by the students’ ears and transmitted via the peripheral nervous system to the brain (a sensory message)
• The brain recognises the sound as a bell and interprets it as a signal that the lesson has ended.
• To fulfil the goal of packing up and going elsewhere, the brown sends out a large number of messages, via the somatic nervous system
• These motor messages are carried by the spinal cord to the skeletal muscles, where they result in movements that allow the students to pick up their belongings
• Throughout this process the brain relies on visual sensory input via the PNS in order to identify locations of objects, decide whether they are personal possessions and co-ordinate the control of the muscles in order that movements are accurate.