nervous system

• nervous system?

  receives information about our world & assists in allowing us to respond accordingly.
• brain?

  receives, processes and integrates info from the rest of the body and generates a response to it.
• spinal cord?

  acts as a pathway for messages to get to & from the brain
• ascending/afferent/ sensory tracts?

  allow for sensory information to travel from the body to the brain via the spinal cord
• descending/motor/efferent tracts?

  tracts, allow for motor messages to travel from the brain to relevant parts of the body via the spinal cord.
• sensory neuron?

  transmit neural messages about bodily sensations from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system
• motor neuron?

  transmit neural messages about motor movement from the central nervous system to the peripheral nervous system
• role of interneuron?

  transfer neural messages between sensory neurons and motor neurons
• somatic nervous system?

  carries messages from sensory receptors in the body to the CNS, and motor messages from the CNS to skeletal muscles
• autonomic ns?

  self regulating, connects CNS to internal organs and glands
• sympathetic nervous system?

  provides an instant, automatic response to stressful situations and activates bodily systems essential for survival
• parasympathetic nervous system?

  helps maintain a calm internal state (homeostasis) and counteracts the activity of sympathetic NS
• enteric ns?

  largest part of ANS and manages the functions of the digestive system
• conscious response?

  involves awareness and is seen as voluntary, intentional and purposeful
• unconscious response?

  does not involve awareness and is seen as involuntary, unintentional and automatic controlled by the ANS
• divisions of autonomic NS?

  • parasympathetic NS is active when you are at peace
  • sympathetic NS is active when you are stressed
  • enteric NS is involved in eating
• peripheral nervous system?


  carries messages to and from the central nervous system
• spinal reflex?


  an unconscious automatic response controlled solely by neural circuits in the spinal cord. there is no involvement of the brain