Week 5- A Walk Through the Brain Flashcards
What makes up the Central Nervous System?
The Brain and The Spinal Cord
What makes up the Peripheral Nervous System?
Nerves that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
There are two types of Nervous System:
Central Nervous System
Peripheral Nervous System
The Peripheral Nervous System is made up of two sub-systems:
Somatic System
Autonomic System
Function of the Somatic System
This connects the central nervous system to the voluntary muscles: muscles we have control over like moving your arm or leg.
Function of the autonomic system
Connects the central nervous system to the involuntary muscles and glands: all those things you don’t have conscious control over such as the beating of your heart.
The autonomic system is branched into two, which includes;
Sympathetic Nervous System
Parasympathetic Nervous System
Function of the Sympathetic Nervous System
prepares you for action! This system mobilizes the body’s resources during stress and emergencies, e.g. heart beats during a confrontation.
Function of the Parasympathetic Nervous System
says to the body “Whoa, calm down…” This system brings the heightened bodily responses back to normal following an emergency, e.g. your heart rate slows down once the fight is over.
The Spinal Cord
-An extension of the brain
-the spinal cord can act without help from the brain to protect us from injury.
- The spinal cord transmits messages between the brain and the peripheral nervous system. This is how messages from the brain can be sent to the muscles, the glands and other parts of the body
- Protected by bone and spinal fluid, it serves as a shock absorber.
The brainstem consists of:
The pons, the medulla, and the reticular formation
Brainstem: Pons
Plays a role in the body movement and exerts an influence on sleep and dreaming.
Brainstem: Medulla
The medulla controls the heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure, coughing and swallowing.
Brainstem: Reticular Formation
-Plays a crucial role in arousal and attention.
-Screens the messages entering the brain which blocks or send some messages to the brain center for processing.
-Determines how alert we are, which can make us doze off when it slows down or jolt us back into consciousness.
Functions of the Cerebellum
-To execute smooth, skilled movements and regulate muscle tone and posture.
-Enables you to walk in a straight line or touch the tip of your nose.