The nervous System Crashcourse

Question 1

Central nervous system

Answer 1

Brain and spinal cord

- Responsible for analysing and interpreting data

Question 2

Peripheral nervous system

Answer 2

Nerves outside of brain and spine

• Collects data and sends it to body parts
• Somatic- controls things people think about doing. All information from senses and movement of body
• Automatic- carries signals from CNS and drives the things the body does not think about (heartbeat, digest, saliva production, breathing)

Question 3

Afferent systems

Answer 3

Carry things to a central point

• CNS afferent neurons- bring information into special parts of the brain
• PNS afferent (sensory) neurons- activated by external stimuli and convert data to signal for CNS to process

Question 4

Efferent systems

Answer 4

Carry things away from a central point

• PNS efferent (motor) neurons- carry information from brain and spinal cord to muscles to help movement
• CNS efferent neurons- carry information from special parts of the brain to other parts of the brain or spinal cord

Question 5

PNS- Automatic System (Sympathetic Division)

Answer 5

• Sympathetic Division- Responsible for flight or flight repsonse-> stress
• Prepares body for action by increasing heart rate, blood pressure, enhancing sense of smell, dilating pupils, activating adrenal cortex to make adrenaline
• Shuts down blood supply to digestive and reproductive systems to allow more blood for lungs and muscles for movement (running)

Question 6

PNS- Parasympathetic division

Answer 6

• Stops stress-> helps you remain calm
• Dials down heart rate and blood pressure, constricts lungs, increases blood flow to reproductive systems
• Helps mouth produce saliva, encourage us to urinate and excrete faeces