What life function does the nervous system help to carry out?

What life function doesthe nervous system help

to carry out?

Regulation because it is the system that controls all of the activities of

the body.The nervous system is made of:

The brain The spinal cord

The nerves The senses

The nervous system also allows you to react to a stimulus.

A stimulus is a change in the environment.

Example: A hot stove

Or… tripping over a rock

The Central Nervous System is made of the brain and the spinal

cord.

The “Outer Nervous System” is made of the nerves and the sense organs outside of the spinal cord and brain.

Nerves Sense organs

Electrical messages carried throughout the body by nerves.

You have a nerve along your whole arm.

The “funny bone” is the only place on the arm where the nerve is not

protected.

The “funny bone” is on the elbow.

* The Central Nervous System controls all of the body’s activities.

* The Central Nervous System is made of two main organs.

1. The brain

2. The spinal cord

* The brain controls everything in the body.

* The brain is made of more than 10 billion nerves!

* The brain is divided into three parts and is protected by the skull.

* The Brain has three main parts…

1. The Cerebrum

2. The Cerebellum3. Medulla oblongata

* The Cerebrum is the largest part of the brain.

1. The cerebrum controls your thinking.

2. The cerebrum controls your memory.

3. The cerebrum controls your speaking.

4. The cerebrum identifies the information gathered by your sense organs.

Cerebrum

* The cerebellum is below and to the back of the cerebrum.

1. The cerebellum controls you balance.

2. The cerebellum controls your posture.

2. The cerebellum controls muscle coordination.

Cerebellum

* The Medulla connects the brain to the spinal cord and is sometimes called the brain stem.* The nerves in the brain stem control your heartbeat, breathing, and blood pressure.

Medulla

* The spinal cord is a thick bundle of nerves that sends messages between the brain and the rest of the body.

* It connects the brain to the rest of the nervous system.

* It is surrounded by and protected by the vertebrae of your spine.

Spinal Cord

* The peripheral nervous system carries messages between the central nervous system and the

body.

* The peripheral nervous system is made of the nerves and the sense organs. Everything

outside of the brain and spinal cord.

Ear

EyeSkin

Nerves

Tongue

* An automatic reaction that happens without thinking about

it. When your body receives a stimulus, such as pain, it uses

reflexes to protect itself. A reflex is an automatic movement that

happens quickly and without thinking because the impulse

never makes it to the brain. An example of an impulse is pulling

your hand off a hot stove.  

Upon feeling pain, the stimuli, the receptors of a sensory neuron in your skin sends a message to your spinal cord which immediately sends an impulse to a motor neuron in your muscle to cause a response. This is much faster than sending the message all the way to the brain and you never even have to think about it!

One nerve cell.

Cell bodyTerminal Branches

Axon

Nucleus

Dendrites

Impulses travel in one direction!

1

2

3

4

More than one nerve cell makes a nerve.

A nerve impulse is an electrical impulse that travels down the nerve cell. However, the nerve cells do not touch! What chemical messenger helps the impulse jump the gap called the synapse?Neurotransmitters

Parkinson’s Disease

Meningitis

Stroke

Cerebral Palsy

Multiple Sclerosis