The Nervous System
What kind of supercomputer can write
stories, do math problems, draw pictures, play
games, see through eyes, hear someone
talking, talk back, and network with devices
that make snacks in the microwave oven?
• Your BRAIN and NERVOUS
SYSTEM can do all these things.
• You think with your brain. Your brain also
sends signals through a network called your
nervous system. It tells your legs to walk
and run. It tells your hands and arms to put
popcorn in the microwave. You don’t even
have to think about many of the things your
brain does. Your brain tells your heart to
beat. It tells your lungs to breathe in and
out, even when you are sleeping.
• Your brain also controls your feelings.
Such feelings as joy, sadness, love, anger,
and fear all come from your brain.
Brain Teaser
8 15 14 9 1 6 3
Which number comes next in the sequence?
4, 7, 10 or 12 ?
7
Functions of the Nervous System
1. Collects and receives information from
inside the body and from the outside
environment to facilitate response.
“receptors” are the receiver of different
information
2. Directs thought processes (memory,
intelligence, and learning)
3. Controls movement and balance.
General Functions of the
Nervous System
• Sensory: gathers info about changes occurring
within and around the body; sensory receptors, at
ends of peripheral nerves, send signals to CNS
examples – light, oxygen levels, body temperature
• Integrative: information is “brought together,”
interpreted, to create sensations, create thoughts,
add to memory, make decisions, etc.
• Motor: sending of signals to muscles and/or
glands to elicit a response
Bottom Line = Maintenance of Homeostasis
Nervous System
Neurons (nerve cells) :
-specialized cells
-store information
-carry messages
-microscopic nerve
cells that make up the
brain, spinal cord, and
nerves
- 30,000 neurons can fit
on a pinhead
Nervous Tissue is composed of two major
cell types: neurons and neuroglial cells.
Anatomy of a Neuron
Each neuron contains:
- Cell body with
nucleus
- Dendrites : fibers that
receive messages from
other neurons
- Axons : fibers that
send messages to other
neurons, wrapped in
myelin sheath.
• Neurons do NOT touch;
there is a gap between
them called a synapse
• Messages are sent
across the synapses by
special chemicals called
neurotransmitters
Classification of Neurons
• Neurons can be classified based
on function or by structure.
• Structure:
• (1) Multipolar
• Many processes arising from cell
body
• Brain or spinal cord
• (2) Bipolar
• 2 processes (1 from each end of
cell body)
• Ear, eyes, nose
• (3) Unipolar
• Single process extends from cell
body
• Outside of brain & spinal cord
Classification of Neurons
• Classifying by Function:
Classification of Neurons (by function)
Sensory Neurons –
(afferent) have specialized
receptor ends that sense
stimuli and then carry
impulses from peripheral
body parts to brain or
spinal cord.
Can be unipolar or
bipolar.
Interneurons – lie
entirely within the brain or
spinal cord; direct
incoming sensory impulses
to appropriate parts for
processing and
interpreting.
Motor Neurons –
(efferent) carry impulses
out of the brain or spinal
cord to effectors (muscles,
glands).
Interneurons and motor
neurons are multipolar.
How Impulse Travels
Neurons are like “wires” that spread all over our
body to transmit information. However, gaps and spaces
separate them. Information from one neuron flows to
another neuron across a synapse. A synapse is the tiny
space that separates neurons. Along a neuron, nerve
impulses travel from a dendrite to an axon to the next
neuron. Notice that dendrites of one neuron is always next
to the axon of the next neuron.
When stimulated, axon releases acetylcholine, a
neurotransmitter that diffuse across the synapse. Special
receptors at the tip of dendrites of the next neuron bind
with it. Thus, transmission of messages continues.
Communication Between
Neurons
- The use of
neurotransmitters
causes an electrical
current
There is enough
electrical current in the
brain to power a
flashlight
Brain Teaser
If you were running a race, and you passed the
person in 2nd place, what place would you
be in now?
Second
Two Major Divisions
of the Nervous
System
Central Nervous System
Brain : a mass of 100
billion neurons located
inside the skull
-Learning occurs as more
and stronger
connections are made
between neurons
Anatomy of the Brain
Cerebrum : largest part of
human brain
- Responsible for:
- Thought
- Language
- Senses
- Memory
- Voluntary movement
Retrieval of a Memory
A memory is not a
snapshot stored in the
brain – it must be put
together from
information stored in
various parts of the
brain
Anatomy of the Brain
Cerebellum : at base of
brain
-Responsible for:
- Muscle coordination
- Balance
- Posture
Anatomy of the Brain
Brain Stem : connects
brain to spinal cord
-Responsible for:
- Breathing
- Swallowing
- Heartbeat
- Blood pressure
Central Nervous System
Spinal Cord : Column of
nerves from brain to
tailbone – protected by
vertebrae of spine
- Responsible for:
- Conducting
impulses between the
brain and the rest of
the body
*Impulses may travel as
fast at 268 miles/hr
Brain Teaser
AHIMNOTUVW
Which of the letters above does not belong
with the rest?
N It is not a mirror-image of itself
Peripheral Nervous System
Nerves : visible bundles
of axons and dendrites
that entend from the
brain and spinal cord to
all other parts of the
body
-Responsibilities:
- Sensory nerves -
carry messages from
body to brain (pain,
pressure, temperature)
- Motor nerves – carry
messages from brain
to body to respond
Brain Teaser
There is a town where 5% of all the people
living there have unlisted phone numbers.
If you selected 100 names at random from
the town’s phone directory, on average,
how many of these people would have
unlisted phone numbers?
0 They would not be in the phone book if
their number was unlisted
Problems of the Nervous System
Concussion
A temporary disturbance
of the brain’s ability to
function due to a hard
blow to the head
Paralysis
A loss of sensation and
movement of part of
the body due to an
injury of the spinal
cord or brain
Parkinson’s Disease
The brain does not produce enough of the
neurotransmitter that transmits messages from the
brain to the muscles
Symptoms: tremors, rigid muscles, shuffling walk,
and loss of facial expression
Red areas
show where
chemical is
stored
Alzheimer’s Disease
A gradual shrinking of the neurons in the cerebrum
Symptoms: memory loss, emotional disturbances,
inability to function on own, death
Epilepsy
Abnormal transmission of messages between the
neurons in the brain
Symptoms: seizures
