the nervous system

• what are the two divisions of the nervous system?

  the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system
• what are the lobes in the brain?

  • Frontal - speech, thought and learning
  • Temporal - auditory
  • Occipital - vision
  • Paretial - sensory info
• what is the role of the spinal cord?


  relays info from the body to the brain to regulate processes and co-ordinate voluntary movement
• what happens if your spinal cord is damaged?

  nerves below the damage may be cut off and unable to function
• what is the cerebellum?

  controls motor skills balance. if damaged problems arise in speech and motor problems
• what is the diencephalon?

  • Thalamus - relays nerve impulses from senses to the brain
  • hypothalamus - regulates body temp, thirst, hunger and links to the endocrine system
• what is the brain stem?


  regulates breathing and heart rate
• what are the two divisions of the peripheral nervous system?

  Somatic and autonomic.
• what is the somatic nervous system?

  • controls skeletal and muscle system
  • receives info from sensory receptors
  • VOLUNTARY MOVEMENT
• what is the autonomic nervous system?

  • controls essential life maintaining processes, breathing, digestion, heart rate
  • INVOLUNTARY MOVEMENT
• what are the divisions of the autonomic nervous systems?

  sympathetic and parasympathetic
• what is the function of the sympathetic nervous system?

  Fight or flight
• what is the function of the parasympathetic nervous system?

  rest and digest
• what is the process of fight or flight?

  1. person enters stressful situation
  2. the amygdala is activated and sends distress signals to the hypothalamus
  3. the hypothalamus activates the SAM pathway running to the adrenal medulla and the SNS
  4. the SNS is activated and adrenal medulla releases adrenaline and noradrenaline into bloodstream
• what physiological changes does adrenaline cause?

  increased heart rate, breathing rate, blood flow to brain and muscles, sweating and respiration
• what are the other responses to adrenaline?

  pupils dilate

  bronchi dilate

  bladder relaxes

  digestion slows down
• what are the negative consequences of fight or flight?

  repeated activation of the SNS can lead to physical damage to blood vessels then to heart disease. too much cortisol leads to suppression of the immune system - vulnerable to infection
• what is a weakness of fight or flight?

  most animals initially display a freeze response - gray 1988
• what is a weakness of fight or flight?

  genetic bias to sex differences in the response - the SRY gene promotes aggression and is only found in the male Y chromosome therefore priming fight or flight in males
• what is a weakness of fight or flight?

  the tend to befriend response - females' response to stress is characterised by tend to befriend behaviours