A specialised network of cells in the body and is our primary internal communication system.
What are the two main functions of the nervous system?
To collect, process and respond to information in the environment.
To co-ordinate the working of different organs and cells in the body.
What are the two sub-systems that the nervous system is divided into?
Central nervous system.
Peripheral nervous system.
The central nervous system is made up of the brain and the spinal cord.
The brain is the centre of all consciousness awareness. The cerebral cortex is highly developed and is what distinguishes our higher mental functions from those of animals. The brain is divided into two hemispheres.
The spinal cord is responsible for reflex actions.
What is the peripheral nervous system?
The peripheral nervous system, via millions of neurons, to and from the central nervous system.
The peripheral nervous system is further sub-divided into the:
Autonomic nervous system.
Somatic nervous system.
What is the autonomic nervous system?
Governs vital functions in the body such as breathing and heart rate.
What is the somatic nervous system?
Controls muscle movement and receives information from sensory receptors.
What is the endocrine system?
One of the body's major information systems that instructs glands to release hormones directly into the bloodstream. These hormones are carried towards target organs in the body.
Hormones are secreted into the bloodstream and affect any cell in the body that has a receptor for that particular hormone.
The thyroid gland produces the hormone thyroxine. This hormone increases heart rate and metabolic rates.
The major endocrine gland is the pituitary gland, located in the brain. It is often called the 'master gland' because it controls the release of hormones from all the other endocrine glands in the body.
