THE NERVOUS SYSTEMBy: Chellesy Foster & Chloe

SchwabPeriod 3

Functions The nervous system

functions very quickly. It can receive information, process it, and respond in less then one second. The nervous system receives information from your five senses.

The nervous system gathers information. An example when a goalie nervous system gathers and interprets the sight of the puck approaching and causes his/her body by raising his/her arm to block the shot.

Functions(continued)

The nervous system also responds to Stimuli. Responding to Stimuli is when there is a change in an organism's environment that causes a response. For example when a puck is approaching some people might get ready to block it while others may get out of the way as a response to the fear of getting hit. These reactions are ways the nervous system enables people to respond to a stimulus in the environment.

The nervous system also has a role in maintaining homeostasis. Maintaining Homeostasis is the regulation of their internal environments. For example , the goalie’s nervous system must signal his heart and breathing to slow down to restore homeostasis once he/she has blocked the shot.

Major Parts and Organs The nervous system is divided

into two parts, the central nervous system and the Peripheral nervous system.

The central nervous system (CNS) is made up of the brain and the spinal cord. The CNS receives, processes, stores, and transfers information.

The Peripheral nervous system has sensory neurons and motor neurons that transmit information between the CNS and the rest of the body.

Main Parts(explained)THE CENTRAL NERVOUS

SYSTEMTHE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS

SYSTEM The part of the brain that

controls memory, language, and thought is called the Cerebrum.

The part of the brain that coordinates voluntary muscle movement and regulates balance and posture is the cerebellum.

The area of the brain that controls involuntary functions is the brain stem.

The spinal cord is a tube-like structure made of neurons.

Neurons, or nerve cells, are the basic functioning units of the nervous system.

The PNS has two parts: The somatic system and the autonomic system.

The somatic system controls skeletal muscles. Neurons of the somatic system communicate between the CNS and skeletal muscles. They cause voluntary movements, such as kicking a ball.

The autonomic system controls smooth muscles and cardiac muscles. It regulates involuntary movements such as the beating of your heart. A neuron

Interactions With The Digestive System

The nervous system interacts with the digestive system because the digestive system sends signals to the brain , which can include being hungry.

The brain controls drinking, feed behavior, muscles for eating, and elimination of waste.

Interactions With The Circulatory System

A specific nerve called the vagus nerve controls the pumping of the heart, which can also be called heart rate regulation.

The spinal cord delivers the messages from the brain to the rest of the body .

The nervous system has control over important body functions, but the circulatory system must relay information so that adjustments are made.

Health/ Diseases The most common way the Nervous System is damaged is

because of physical injuries. The injured nerves can no longer send and receive signals. This stops communication between the CNS and the PNS, which causes Paralysis to occur. Paralysis is the loss of muscle function and sometimes loss of feeling. The Nervous System can be affected by substances you take into your body such as drugs . Drugs are chemicals that affect the body’s function. The cause the system to slow down or speed up the communication between neurons. Pain medications slow down this communications so that they stop pain stimuli from reaching the brain.

Role In Maintaining Homeostasis

The nervous system helps maintain homeostasis by sending messages to the body and brain.

For example, while responding to the stimuli of the approaching puck, a goalies nervous system causes his heart and breathing rate to increase . This helps him react faster.

Fun Facts

Did you know.... There are more nerve cells in the human brain than

there are stars in the Milky Way. If we lined up all the neurons in our body it would be

around 600 miles long. There are 100 billion neurons in your brain alone. The left side of human brain controls the right side

of the body and the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body.

As we get older, the brain loses almost one gram per year.

There are about 13,500,00 neurons in the human spinal cord.

The total surface area of the human brain is about 25,000 square cm.