Division of the Nervous/Endocrine System

• Central Nervous System (CNS) - The Nervous System that makes up the brain
• Hormones - chemical messengers that travel through the body to regulate certain processes in the body
• Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) - The nervous system that lives outside the central nervous system eg. arms, and is responsible for relaying nerve impulses from the CNS to the body and back
• The Nervous System:

  A) Nervous System

  B) Central Nervous System (CNS)

  C) Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

  D) Spinal Cord

  E) Brain

  F) Somatic Nervous System

  G) Autonomic Nervous System

  H) Sympathetic Nervous System

  I) Parasympathetic Nervous System

  
• Nervous System - Specialised network of cells that carry electrical impulses around the body and is the primary communication system

  • collect, process and respond to information from the environment
  • coordinate the working of different organs/cells
• The brain consists of 4 main regions:

  • Occipital lobe - visual information
  • Temporal lobe - auditory information
  • Parietal lobe
  • frontal lobe
• Parietal Lobe - integrates information from the different senses and plays an important role in spatial navigation
• Frontal Lobe - associated with higher order of functions, including: planning abstract reasoning and logic
• Brain Stem - connects the brain and spinal cord and controls involuntary processes eg. breathing
• Spinal Cord - transfers messages from the brain and the rest of the body and is responsible for simple reflex actions eg. jumping out your chair
• Somatic Nervous System - consciously controls voluntary skeletal muscle movements and sensory information for the body

  • Sensory receptors - carry information from brain to the spinal cord
  • Motor Pathways - allows the brain to control movement
• Autonomic Nervous System - plays a role in homeostasis and controls involuntary muscle movements and glands

  • only consists of motor pathways
• Sympathetic Nervous System - involved in responses that prepare the body for fight and flight responses eg. increased heart rate
• Parasympathetic Nervous System - involved in responses that promote relaxation and restoration eg. decreased heart rate
• Endocrine System - network of glands that secrete chemical messages called hormones through blood vessels
• Endocrine Glands - Special group of cells within the endocrine system, responsible for production and secretion of hormones
• Hypothalamus - connected to the pituitary gland and is responsible for stimulating or controlling the release of hormones from the pituitary gland, therefore regulating the Endocrine System
• Pituitary Gland - known as the 'master gland' because the hormones released control and stimulate the hormones released from other glands

  • Anterior (front) lobe
  • Posterior (back) lobe
• Anterior Lobe - releases adrenocortical trophic hormone (ACTH), stimulating the adrenal cortex and releasing cortisol (stress hormone)
• Posterior Lobe - releases oxytocin responsible for uterus contraction during childbirth. Also known as the 'love hormone' as it's responsible for sexual attraction and mother-infant bonding
• Pineal Gland - releases melatonin, responsible for biological rhythms, including the sleep-wake cycle
• Thyroid Gland - releases thyroxine which is responsible for regulating metabolism

  • people who have over active thyroid struggle to put on weight, and vice versa
• The Adrenal Gland - divided into the adrenal medulla and adrenal cortex

  • Medulla is responsible for adrenaline and noradrenalin release for fight-or-flight responses
  • Cortex is responsible for cortisol stimulating the release of glucose while suppressing the immune system
• The Testes (male reproductive organ) - releases androgens, including hormones such as testosterone

  • responsible for the development of male sex characteristics and sex drive, sperm production and maintenance of muscle strength
• The Ovaries (female reproductive organ) - release estrogen controlling the regulation of the female reproductive system, including menstrual cycle and pregnancy