The Nervous System Flashcards
What is the central nervous system made of?
The central nervous system is made up of the brain and the spinal cord.
What is the nervous system?
The nervous system is our primary internal communication system, a specialised network of cells in our body
What is the nervous system split into?
The central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
What does the central nervous system do?
The central nervous system receives information from the senses and controls the behaviour and regulation of the body’s psychological processes.
What is the autonomic nervous system subdivided into?
Into the sympathetic and parasympathetic
branches.
What is the peripheral nervous system divided into?
The autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system.
What does the autonomic nervous system do?
It controls involuntary, vital functions of the body, such as maintaining heart rates and breathing rates
What do the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches do?
They work as part of an antagonistic pair during the ‘rest and digest’
response, and are crucial in producing the physiological arousal needed to maintain the fight or flight
response.
An example of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems working as an antagonistic pair:
The sympathetic nervous system increases heart rates, breathing rate, causes vasoconstriction and pupil dilation.
Whilst the parasympathetic nervous system decreases heart
rate, breathing rates, causes vasodilation and pupil constriction.
What does the somatic nervous system do?
It also governs muscle movement.
It receives information from sensory receptors belonging to each of the 5 senses, and results in effectors being stimulated by the CNS, via motor neurones.
What is the function of the peripheral nervous sytem?
To transmit messages via neurons.
What are the 2 functions of the nervous system?
To collect, process and respond to info from the environment.
To co-ordinate the working of different organs and cells in the body.
What is the function of the spinal cord as part of the CNS?
The spinal cord passes info from the brain and connects nerves to the PNS.
What is the function of the spinal cord as part of the CNS?
The spinal cord passes info from the brain and connects nerves to the PNS.
