The Nervous System and Synapse Flashcards
What is a stimulus?
Change in the environment that you may react to
What are the 5 sense organs?
- Eye
- Ears
- Nose
- Tongue
- Skin
What are receptors?
Specialised cell that detects stimuli
What are the sense organs and their receptors ?
- Eye=light receptors
- Ears=sound receptors
- Skin=pain and touch receptor
What do receptors do?
Change stimulus energy into electrical impulses
What is the central nervous system made of?
Brain and spinal cord
What does the central nervous system do?
It is where all information from sense organs is sent and where reflexes and actions are coordinated
What are neurones?
They transmit information as electrical impulses to and from the CNS
What are effectors?
Muscles and glands
What is a synapse?
The connection between two neurones
How are nerve signals transferred?
Transferred by chemicals which diffuse across the gap
What are reflexes?
Automatic responses to certain stimuli
Describe the reflex arc
Stimulus, Receptor, Sensory neurone, Relay neurone, Motor neurone, Effector, Response
What are sent to the CNS?
Electrical impulses
What is a neurotransmitter?
Chemical that is diffused across a synapse
What do muscles do?
Muscles contract
What do glands do?
Release hormones
What are the differences between a nervous system and endocrine system?
Nervous system-fast communication, electrical messages, travels via neurones
Endocrine system-slow communication, chemical messages, travels through blood
