The Nervous System Flashcards
What are the two systems in the the nervous system
Central nervous system
Peripheral nervous system
What is the nervous system
Complex network of never cells distributed throughout the body
What does the nervous system do
Help communication around your body and responsible for higher functions such as consciousness, thought and memory
What controls the nervous system
The brain and controls billions upon billions of connections
What is the central nervous system made up of
Brain and spinal cord
What are the main functions of the central nervous system
Controlling behaviour and regulating the body’s physiological processes
Where does the central nervous system require info from
Sensory receptors (eyes, ears, skin etc)
How does the central nervous system communicate
Uses hormones (in the bloodstream) and neurotransmitters (between nerve cells)
What 4 main areas is the central nervous system divided into in the brain
Cerebrum
Cerebellum
Brain stem
Diencephalon
What is the cerebrum
Largest part, broken up into 4 lobes and split into 2 hemispheres
What are the 4 lobes in the cerebrum
Occipital
Parietal
Temporal
Frontal
What is the cerebellum responsible for
Motor skills and balance, coordinating movement
What is the brain stem responsible for
Regulating automatic functions, such as breathing and swallowing. Connection between brain and spinal cord
What is the diencephalon for
Contains thalamus and hypothalamus, which are important for regulation, for instance of hunger and thirst.
What does the Hypothalamus control
Hypothalamus controls the release of hormones from the endocrine system
What does the spinal cord allow
Communication between the brain and the rest of the body
What is the spinal cord capable of
Simple reflex actions without the brain, such as pulling your hand away from a hot surface
Why is the spinal cord connected all over the body
To receive info and to relay info
What are the 2 systems in the Peripheral nervous system
Somatic nervous system
Autonomic nervous system
What does the peripheral nervous system refer to
All the nerves outside of the central nervous system
What is the peripheral nervous system involved with
Relaying info from the CNS to the rest of the body and back again
What does the autonomic nervous system govern
Vital functions in the body such as breathing, heart rate, digestion, stress responses by transmitting info to and from interval bodily organs
It’s involuntary
What does the somatic nervous system control
Muscle movement and receives info from sensory receptors by transmitting info from receptor cells in the sense organs to the CNS
What are the 2 main divisions of autonomic nervous system
Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
