Human nervous system

• what are nervous responses?

  use nerves to send electrical signals from the receptors to the brain and spinal cord and then to effectors
• what are receptors?


  in sense organs ( ears, nose , skin) detect a stimulus and send information to coordinators
• what are examples of coordinators?

  the brain

  pancrease

  spinal cord
• what is an effector?

  any part of the body that brings change e.g muscles or glands
• what is the central nervous system?

  the part of the nervous system containing the brain and spinal cord
• what is a neurone?

  A neuron is a specialized cell in the nervous system that transmits information through electrical and chemical signals.
• what is a receptor?

  a group of nerves that respond to sensory stimuli
• what is an effector?

  a muscle or gland that responds to the stimulus
• what is the cerebellum?

  Part of the brain responsible for movement and balance.
• what is the brain stem and medulla?

  The brain stem is the part of the brain that connects the spinal cord to the rest of the brain. The medulla is the lower part of the brain stem that controls vital functions such as breathing and heart rate.
• what is the cerebral cortex?

  where thoughts and consciousness exist
• what is the spinal cord?

  carries signals to the rest of body
• what is the cerebellum?

  for movement
• 3 ways that scientist and doctors are able to study the function of the brain?

  MRI - magnetic feild used to generate images

  EEG - tracks brain activity

  studying damaged brain after death
• Reflex actions are automatic and rapid; they do not involve the conscious part of the brain.
• what is the function of the nervous system in humans?

  make the body react to its surroundings and coordinate a response