Human Nervous System

Human Nervous System
Structure & Role of the Human Nervous System

 The human nervous system consists of the:
o central nervous system (CNS) - the brain and the spinal cord
o peripheral nervous system (PNS) - all of the nerves in the body
 It allows us to
o Make sense of our surroundings and respond to them
o Coordinate and regulate body functions
 Information is sent through the nervous system as nerve impulses - electrical
signals that pass along nerve cells known as neurones
 A bundle of neurones is known as a nerve
dendrits
nodes of ranvier
Central Nervous System
Brain
How the brain controls your body?
The human brain controls everything in your body. It is made of about 86 billion
interconnected neurones. It has different regions that performdifferent functions.
The brain receives signals from each part of your body and sends signalsto each part.
You can control some of the signals that are sent by making a choice.
These processes are voluntary processes and they control conscious functions. Examples
include talking, walking, sitting down, chewing andso on.
Other processes are involuntary processes that control unconscious functions. Examples
include breathing, blinking, sweating, coughing andso on.
Different parts of the brain are responsible for the voluntary andinvoluntary processes.
The brain is made of three main parts: the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain.
Forebrain
The forebrain consists of the cerebrum, thalamus, and hypothalamus. The forebrain is the most
important part of brain, it distinguishes human from other animals. This part is responsible for
processing sensory information, collected by different sensory organs, such as eyes, nose, ears,
tongue and skin.
Cerebrum (Main part of forebrain)

The cerebrum is in the forebrain, which is the largestarea of your brain, and it controls your
voluntary and conscious thought processes, your intelligence, personality and your ability to
speak. The cerebrum is divided into two hemispheres, the left and the right. Each
hemisphere has physical control over the opposite side of the body. Your left hemisphere
(sometimes just called your left brain) controls your right leg, and vice versa. The left
hemisphere also receives nerve signals from your left side and vice versa. The
hemispheres also control different intellectual abilities. The left hemisphere controls your
language skills, your maths skills and your speech. The right hemisphere controls your
creative side, for example your musical and artistic ability.
Thalamus
The thalamus is a small part the forebrain. It has a lot of nerve connections to both the
midbrain and the cerebellum. The mainfunction of the thalamus is to pass on (relay)
sensory signals to thecerebellum.
The thalamus has different parts that each deal with a particular type of
sensory information.For example, one part will deal with the sense of touch and another
partwith sight.
Hypothalamus
The hypothalamus is a gland in the forebrain, situated just below thethalamus, that controls
your hormone system. It releases hormones tothe pituitary gland, which then sends
hormones out to your differentorgans.
Midbrain
The midbrain acts as a bridge to transmit signals from hindbrain and forebrain. The upper part of
the midbrain integrate visionary and auditory data.
Hindbrain
The hindbrain can be further divided into 3 parts: medulla oblongata, pons and cerebellum.
Cerebellum
The cerebellum is the area of the brain that controls your muscles, your
conscious movement and your balance. It is in an area of the brain
known as the hindbrain.
Medulla Oblongata
Medulla oblongata is the bottom-most part of your brain. Its location means it's where your
brain and spinal cord connect, making it a key conduit for nerve signals to and from your
body. It also helps control vital processes like your heartbeat, breathing and blood pressure.
Pons
pons is a structure that links your brain to your spinal cord. It handles unconscious
processes and jobs, such as your sleep-wake cycle and breathing.
Spinal Cord
What is the spinal cord?
Your spinal cord is a cylindrical structure that runs through the center of your spine, from
your brain to your low back. It's a delicate structure and encloses inside your vertebral
column. It contains nerve bundles and cells that carry messages from your brain to the rest
of your body. Your spinal cord is one of the main parts of your nervous system.
What is the purpose of the spinal cord?

Your spinal cord’s main purpose is to carry nerve signals throughout your body. These
nerve messages have three crucial functions. They:
 Control body movements and functions. Signals from your brain to other body
parts control your movements. They also direct autonomic (involuntary) functions like
your breathing rate and heartbeat, as well as bowel and bladder function.
 Report senses to your brain. Signals from other parts of your body help your brain
record and process sensations like pressure or pain.
 Manage your reflexes. Your spinal cord controls some reflexes (involuntary
movements) without involving your brain. For example, your spinal cord manages
your reflex (involuntarily moving your leg when someone taps your shin in a certain
spot).
Peripheral Nervous System

Types of Neurones
 There are three main types of neurone: sensory, relay and motor
o Sensory neurones carry impulses from sense organs to the CNS (brain or
spinal cord)
o Relay neurones are found inside the CNS and connect sensory and motor
neurones
o Motor neurones carry impulses from the CNS to effectors (muscles or
glands)
 Neurones have a long fibre (axon)
 This means that less time is wasted transferring the impulse from one cell to another
 The axon is insulated by a fatty sheath with small uninsulated sections along it
(called nodes)
 This means that the electrical impulse does not travel down the whole axon,
but jumps from one node to the next.
 Their cell body contains many extensions called dendrites
 This means they can connect to many other neurones and receive impulses from
them, forming a network for easy communication.
Structure of a neuron
Sense Organs as Receptors

 Receptors are groups of specialised cells
 They detect a change in the environment and stimulate electrical impulses in
response
 Sense organs contain groups of receptors that respond to specific stimuli.
 Once the receptor cell in the sense organ has been stimulated, it generates
an electrical impulse
 This is passed on to a sensory neurone which carries the impulse to the central
nervous system
 Here a response will be decided on and the impulse will be passed to a motor
neurone (via a relay neurone)
 The motor neurone carries the impulse to the effector (muscle or gland). The
effector carries out the response.
Synapses
 Where two neurons meet or join, they do so at a junction called a synapse

 Synapses allow junctions between neurones so are important in the nervous system
being a connected network of neurons.
 Nerve impulses can transmit across synapses and be directed along the appropriate
route by them e.g. to the correct part of the brain
o Think about the analogy of railway points that guide the trains onto the
appropriate tracks based on that train's destination.
Voluntary Responses
 A voluntary response is one where you make a conscious decision to carry out a
particular action therefore it starts with your brain
o An example is reaching out to pick up a cup of coffee
 An involuntary (or reflex) response does not involve the brain as the
coordinator of the reaction and you are not aware you have completed it
until after you have carried it out
 Involuntary actions are usually ones which are essential to basic survival and
are rapid, whereas voluntary responses often take longer as we consider what the
consequences might be before doing it
Reflex Responses
 An involuntary (or reflex) response does not involve the brain as the coordinator
of the reaction and you are not aware you have completed it until after you have
carried it out
 This is an automatic and rapid response to a stimulus such as touching something
sharp or hot
 As it does not involve the brain, a reflex response is quicker than any other type of
nervous response
 This helps to minimise the damage to the body
1. The pin (the stimulus) is detected by a pain/pressure/touch receptor in the skin
2. Sensory neurone sends electrical impulses to the spinal cord (the coordinator)
3. Electrical impulse is passed on to relay neurone in the spinal cord
4. Relay neurone connects to motor neurone and passes the impulse on
5. Motor neurone carries impulse to a muscle in the leg (the effector)
6. The muscle will contract and pull the foot up and away from the sharp object (the
response)

Human Nervous System

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Human Nervous System

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Human Nervous System

Structure & Role of the Human Nervous System

How the brain controls your body?

Cerebrum (Main part of forebrain)

What is the purpose of the spinal cord?

Peripheral Nervous System

Sense Organs as Receptors

 Where two neurons meet or join, they do so at a junction called a synapse

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