The Nervous System Flashcards
2 main components of the nervous system
- central nervous system
- peripheral nervous system
What is the function of the central nervous system
- be able to send messages to the muscles and glands of the body
- is the brain and spinal cord
Function of the peripheral nervous system
- relay nerve impulses from the central nervous system and to the rest of the body
What is the function of the brain
The part of the CNS that is responsible for coordinating sensation, intellectual and nervous activity
What is the function of the spinal cord
A bundle of nerve fibres enclosed within the spinal column and which connects nearly all parts of the body with the brain
What two parts is the peripheral nervous system divided into
- somatic nervous system
- autonomic nervous system
What is the somatic nervous system
The part of the peripheral nervous system responsible for carrying sensory and motor information to and from the CNS
What is the autonomic nervous system
It governs the brain involuntary activities ( stress, heartbeat) and is self regulating
Divided into the symapathetic branch (fight or flight) and parasympathetic branch (rest and digest)
The autonomic system is divided into two parts called :
- sympathetic nervous system
- parasympathetic nervous system
What does the sympathetic nervous system do
- regulates homeostasis and investigates flight or fight response
- during times of stress it can dilate the pupils, elevate hear rate and increase sweating
What does the parasympathetic nervous system do
- controls bodily functions when a person is at rest
What is the sensory neuron
In peripheral nervous system - carry information from receptors to the brain
- convey information about sensory stimuli (touch, taste) towards the brain
One difference between the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system
- the autonomic nervous system is involuntary wheras the somatic nervous system is under the conscious mind
Outline the function of the endocrine system using an example of a gland and hormone
- the endocrine system helps to regulate the activity of cells and organs in the body
It communicates chemical messages to the organs of the body - the pancreas secretes insulin and glucagon which helps regulate blood sugar levels
Defences between infradian and ultradian rhythms
The infradian occurs over 24 hours and the ultradian cycles last less than 24 hours
One similarity and difference between FMRIs and ERPs
- one similarity is that they are non invasive and do not use radiation
- one difference is that FMRIs are more expensive than ERPs
And FMRIs have poor temporal resolution where ERPs have good temporal resolution
Similarity’s and differences between the endocrine system and nervous system
- similarity - both carry messages in the body
- both involved in fight or flight response to stress
Differences - nervous system sends messages in chemical and electrical form via neurons whereas endocrine system in chemical messages in the blood
- nervous system is much quicker to transmit messages, hormonal changes are sower than nerve impulses
What is the nervous system
The nervous system is a specialised network of cells in the human body and is our primary internal communication system
It is based on electrical and chemical signals
