The Central Nervous System

• The central nervous system controls behaviour and regulates the body’s physiological processes
• The brain receives info from sensory receptors and sends signals to muscles and glands through spinal cord and nerve cells
• The spinal cord is protected by the spine and vertebrae
• The spinal cord relays info between the brain and the rest of the body
• The spinal cord works with the brain to coordinate involuntary functions
• The spinal cord is connected to different parts of the body through spinal nerves
• The brain is divided into four main areas
• Cerebrum:

  largest part of the brain

  four lobes with different functions
• Cerebellum:

  beneath the back of the cerebrum

  involved in motor skills, balance and speech
• Diencephalon:

  beneath the cerebrum, inside the brain

  contains the thalamus and the hypothalamus

  routes signals, links to the endocrine system
• Brain stem:

  back of the brain leading to the spinal cord

  regulates automatic functions