Lesson 1 - The Nervous System Flashcards
What does the Central Nervous System (CNS) consist of?
Brain and spinal cord
What are the two main functions of the CNS?
Control of behaviour and regulation of the body’s physiological processes
Where does the CNS obtain its information and what must it do with that info?
Receives info from sensory receptors and use that to send messages to the muscles and glands of the body
What are the four main areas of the brain ?
Cerebrum, Cerebellum, Diencephalon, Brain stem.
(CCDBS)
What do the areas of the brain do?
Cerebrum = Largest part of brain, 4 lobes, split into left and right hemisphere
Cerebellum = Motor skills
Diencephalon = Contains the thalamus (regulates sleep and alertness) and hypothalamus (regulates body temp and stress response)
Brain stem = Regulates breathing and heart rate
What is the main function of the spinal cord?
Relay info between the brain and the rest of the body. Allows brain to monitor and regulate body processes.
What is the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)?
The PNS consists of the nervous body throughout the rest of the body (not spinal cord or brain).
What does the PNS do?
The PNS transmits messages via neurones too and from the CNS.
What are the 2 divisions of the PNS?
The somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system
What does the somatic nervous system do?
The somatic nervous system controls voluntary movements and is under conscious control. It connects the senses with the CNS. It is controlled by the motor cortex
What does the automatic nervous system do?
The automatic nervous system is involuntary. Only has motor pathways and it controls smooth muscles and the internal organs and glands of the body. ANS is controlled by brain stem.
What is the role of the sympathetic nervous system?
This is activated when a person is stressed. Heart rate and breathing increase, digestion stops, pupils dilate. (Fight of flight response)
What is the role of the parasympathetic nervous system?
Activates when body is relaxing and thus conserving energy. Heart rate and breathing reduce, digestion starts.pupils constrict.
