Nervous System

Question 1

what is the role of the nervous system?

Answer 1

controls movement, senses and basic body functions

Question 2

what does CNS stand for?

Answer 2

central nervous system

Question 3

which two organisms make up the CNS?

Answer 3

brain and spinal cord

Question 4

what is the function of the nerve cell?

Answer 4

carries electrical responses around the body

Question 5

how are nerve cells adapted to their function?

Answer 5

they are long and thin, have branched connections to either end enabling them to pass messages onto other nerve cells

Question 6

summarise how the nervous system works (flow chart)

Answer 6

stimulus, receptor, CNS, effector, response

Question 7

why are reflexes important?

Answer 7

they are rapid and automatic, so we can respond to things really quickly, helping to prevent injury

Question 8

identify the order of the key parts of a reflex arc

Answer 8

-receptor
-sensory neurone
-spinal cord
-synapse
-relay neurone
-motor neurone
-effector (muscle)

Question 9

explain how the reflex arc works

Answer 9

-stimuli is detected by the receptor
-stimulates a sensory neurone that carries the impulse to the spinal cord
-message is sent to the relay neurone, then the motor neurone
-then travels back out to an effector
involves a synapse where electrical signals are temporarily converted to chemical signals