Unit 4: Understand the control and regulatory systems Flashcards
What are the components of the nervous system?
Central Nervous System Autonomic Nervous System Peripheral Nerves Spinal Cord Sensory Neurons Motor Neurons
What is the Central Nervous System?
The control centre for the body - brain and spinal cord
What are peripheral nerves?
Nerves that branch out from the CNS and take messages to the rest of the body
What is the Autonomic Nervous System?
Controls and regulates processes such as heart rate and peristalsis
What are Sensory Neurons?
Transmit information from the senses - eyes, ears, skin etc
What are Motor Neurons?
Transmit information to the muscles from the brain
What are the components of the brain?
Cerebral Cortex Cerebellum Frontal Lobes Corpus Callosum Hypothalamus Medulla Meninges
What is the Cerebral Cortex?
Outermost layer of brain, responsible for thinking and processing information.
4 different lobes to process different types of information
What is the Cerebellum?
Positioned at the back of the skull, it regulates muscle activity - gross and fine motor skills.
Maintains balance
What is the Frontal Lobe?
Part of the cerebral cortex responsible for thinking, decision making and planning, memory, language and judgement
What is the Corpus Callosum?
A bridge of nerve tissue that connects the two halves of the brain and enables communication between the two
What is the Hypothalamus?
Regulates body temperature.
Regulates appetite and thirst.
Homeostasis
What is the Medulla?
Automatically carries out and regulates life-sustaining functions such as breathing, swallowing and heart rate
What are Meninges?
Three layers of membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
What are the components of a Neuron?
Dendrites Cell body Neucleus Axon Myelin Sheath
What is an Axon?
Long thread-like part of a nerve cell which impulse are conducted away from the cell body to other cells
What is a Dendron?
Short, branched structures that receive electrical impulses and carry them towards the cell body
What is the Myelin Sheath?
Fatty white substance that surrounds the axon - a protective layer enabling electrical impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently along the nerve cells
What is a Synapse?
The gap between nerve cells. Neurotransmitters are released to allow the message to transmit from one nerve cell to the next
Name the glands of the endocrine system
Pancreas Pituitary Gland Adrenal Gland Thyroid Gland Ovaries and Testes
What is the function of the Pancreas?
Produces Insulin to regulate glucose levels in the blood
What is the function of the Pituitary Gland?
Located at the base of the brain it is the “master” gland that regulates all the other endocrine glands
What is the function of the Adrenal Gland?
Situated at the top of each kidney, they produce the “fight or flight” hormone, Adrenaline
What is the function of the Thyroid Gland?
Located in the lower front part of the neck, it produces thyroxine which sustains metabolism
What are hormones?
Chemical messengers produced in the endocrine system
What are the functions of Ovaries and Testes?
Testes - produce testosterone
Ovaries - produce oestrogen and progesterone