What is the Nervous system?
It allows an organism to sense & respond to it’s environment through neural signalling
What are the 2 parts of the nervous system?
- Central Nervous System
- Peripheral Nervous System
What is the Central Nervous System?
It is the control centre that integrates sensory info & generates responses.
•
Consists of the brain & spinal cord.
What is the Peripheral Nervous System?
It consists of nerves connecting the central nervous system to the rest of the body.
What are the 3 mechanisms that protect the Central Nervous System?
- Meninges
- Cerebrospinal Fluid
- Blood-Brain Barrier
What are Meninges? (CNS protective Mechanism)
They are 3 layers of protective connective tissue surrounding the Central Nervous System
What is Cerebrospinal Fluid?
The fluid acts as a shock absorber (protects the brain) & transports nutrients.
What is the Blood-Brain Barrier? (3)
The barrier prevents toxins & most blood-borne substances from entering the brain.
•
Allows glucose & oxygen to pass
•
Formed by tight junctions between endothelial cells in brain capillaries
What are 3 key regions of the brain?
- Hindbrain
- Midbrain
- Forebrain
What is the Hindbrain? (Parts & function)
Medulla Oblongata: Controls **involuntary functions (eg. breathing)
What is the function of the spinal cord?
It carries impulses between the brain and peripheral nervous system & controls motor reflexes.
What are the 2 structural components to the spinal cord?
- Grey Matter
- White Matter
What is Grey Matter? Function? (Spinal cord)
(In spinal cord)
It processes signals
•
It is a butterfly-shaped core that contains nerve cell bodies & denrites.
What is White matter?
It sends signals
It surrounds the grey matter & consists of myelinated axons.
What is the parts of signal transmission in the spinal cord?
- Dorsal Root
- Ventral Root
What is the Dorsal Root?
It carries afferent signals (sensory) into the spinal cord.
What is the Ventral Root?
It carries efferent signals (motor) out of the spinal cord to the muscles & glands
What are the 3 key regions of the brain?
- Hindbrain
- Midbrain
- Forebrain
What is the Hindbrain? (Parts & functions)
-Medulla Oblongata: this controls involuntary functions (ex. Heartbeat)
•
-Cerebellum: This is responsible for balance, fine motor control.
•
- Pons: Act as a bridge connecting the cerebellum to higher brain centers
What is the Midbrain?
Part of the brain that connects the forebrain to the spinal cord.
What are the 4 parts of the forebrain?
- Thalamus
- Hypothalamus
- Basal Nuclei
- Cerebrum
What is the thalamus
(In the forebrain)
- it’s the “switch board” that passes sensory info to the cerebral cortex
What is the hypothalamus?
It regulates homeostasis & links nervous & endocrine systems via pituitary gland.
What is the Basal Nuclei?
This is grey matter around the thalamus that moderates voluntary movement
