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what is the nervous system
communication system, controls all parts of your body
structure of CNS
made up of brain and spinal cord
CNS purpose
receives info from all over body, processes it and sends out msgs that tell body how to respond
structure and purpose of PNS
made up of nerves that carry out nerve impulses to & from CNS
brain purpose
control centre of body
tells diff parts of body what to do through NS nerve impulses
cerebrum
largest part of brain, made of 4 lobes
frontal lobe
higher thought (critical thinking, emotions)
occipital lobe
vision (colour, spatial awareness, movement)
parietal lobe
processes sensory info (4 other senses, body position)
cerebellum location + purpose
near rear, lower part of brain
responsible for balance, coordination + fine & gross motor movement
brainstem location
connects brain to spinal cord, located at base of brain
brainstem purpose
responsible for many involuntary processes (heartbeat, movement of stomach and intestines
midbrain location
top part of brainstem
pons location
below midbrain
medulla location
bottom-most part of brain
hypothalamus location
directly above brainstem, below thalamus + above pituitary gland
hypothalamus purpose
responsible for keeping body in a stable state: homeostasis
white matter
parts of CNS that contain neurons covered in myelin
where axons are connecting diff parts of grey matter to eachother
grey matter
parts w/ mainly cell bodies, dendrites + synaptic terminals
where the “thinking” occurs
motor neurons
carry signals from CNS to effectors
effectors
muscle cells/glands
put messages into effect
sensory neurons
carry signals from cells in sense organs to CNS
e.g. pain receptors in neck
interneurons
link sensory neurons directly to motor neurons
only make connections with other neurons
axon
carries signal away from cell body to axon terminals
dendrite location
attached to cell body
dendrite
sensitive branches that receive info as electrical signals from nerves near it
myelin sheath
fatty layer covering axon
helps speed up nerve impulse
protects impulse from “crossing wires”
cell body
contains a nucleus
axon terminal
bulb at end of axon
where electrical msg is passed across synapse to next dendrite
synapse
small gap between neurons
role of sense receptor
detects change in environment
e.g. photoreceptors detecting light
stimuli
change in environment
positive feedback loop
enhances or amplifies changes
negative feedback loop
dampens or buffers changes
components of feedback loops
receptor (sensor), the control centre, and effectors.
importance of spinal reflex
helps prevent damage and injuries to the body
spinal reflex (reflex arc) sequence
stimulus
sensory receptor detect change
sensory neuron carries signal from receptor to spinal cord
interneuron relays signal from sensory neuron to motor neuron
motor neuron carries signal to effector cells
effector cell causes response
reaction sequence
stimulus
sensory receptor detects change
sensory neuron carries signal from receptor to CNS
CNS processes info, makes decision
motor neuron carries response signal to effector cells
effector cells cause response
reactions
slower, more complex reactions to stimuli
involves brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves
reflexes
fast, simple, automatic, involuntary responses to stimuli
involves peripheral nerves, often spinal cord (not brain)
alzheimers
caused by gradual dmg to neurons in brain
affects ability to remember + carry out normal activities
increase in blood sugar
pancreas receptors detect inc. blood sugar lvl
pancreas stimulates, secretes insulin in blood
insulin travels to insulin receptors on muscle + liver cells
muscle + liver cells remove excess glucose from blood, stored as glucagon
blood sugar lvls dec.
decrease in blood sugar
pancreas receptors detect dec. blood sugar lvl
pancreas stimulated to secrete glucagon into blood
glucagon travels to glucagon receptors on muscle + liver cells (target cells)
these cells release glucose into blood
blood sugar lvls inc.
hormones
chemical messengers used to carry info
endocrine system glands purpose
glands secrete hormones
endocrine system purpose
responsible for growth, repair, digestion, sexual reproduction, homeostasis
what is the hypothalamus made of
nerve tissues
hypothalamus target + main effect
pituitary gland
links nervous system to endocrine
pituitary gland hormones
thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
growth hormone
thyroid stimulating hormone purpose
controls rate of thyroxin released
growth hormone purpose
stimulates muscle growth + bone size
adrenaline purpose
prepares body for “flight or fight” response
causes immediate release of energy
estrogen + progesterone functions
female sexual development, maintenance of pregnancy
testosterone functions
male sexual development + activity (sperm)
thyroid gland hormone
thyroxine
thyroxine purpose
regulation of chemical reactions in cells e.g. respiration (metabolism)
pancreas hormones
insulin
glucagon
insulin + glucagon functions
control blood sugar levels
relationship between hypothalamus and pituitary gland
hypothal. constantly checks internal environment. if the conditions change, it responds by secreting hormones to the pituitary gland, which then responds to the information by secreting other hormones or producing fewer.
internal environment
conditions within tissues, organs and systems
type 1 diabetes
pancreas progressively decreases insulin produced until there’s none at all
type 2 diabetes
pancreas makes insulin but cells don’t respond to it as they should (insulin resistance)
1st line of defence + purpose
physical barriers
prevents pathogens from entering body
physical barriers
skin, saliva, eyes (tears), mucus membrane (trap), acid (stomach), reflexes
second line of defence
innate immune response
innate immune response
broad response
wbc get involved
broad response
blood clotting, inflammation, fever
blood clotting
prevents pathogens entering through damaged skin
inflammation
increased no. of wbc reaching infected area (becomes red, hot)
fever
destroys weaker pathogens that can’t handle the heat
wbc get involved
neutrophils
macrophages
phagocytosis
wbc arrive in blood, eat any foreign substances
neutrophils
phagocytosis, die, become pus
macrophages
phagocytosis, present particles to next defence line
3rd line of defence
adaptive immune response
adaptive immune response purpose
wbc in this line are made to target specific pathogens
wbc in adaptive immune response
b-cells
t-cells
b-cells
produce antibodies
antibodies fit exactly on specific ptg to prevent spreading + help t-cells
t-cells
attack + destroy specific, recognised pathogens
main pathogens that cause disease
bacteria
virus
parasites
fungi
bacteria
single celled, living organisms
some killable w/ antibiotics
e.g. necrotising faciitis (flesh eating disease)
virus
much smaller than bacteria, non-living
insert selves into cells, use body’s DNA to replicate + spread
e.g. ebola, covid
parasite
organism, lives on another host organism
benefits from nutrients causing harm to host organism
e.g. malaria
fungi
caused by fungus
feed off a protein in skin, nails, hair etc
red + itchy skin
most harmless, easily treated
e.g. ringworm
how are vaccinations made?
made with killed/weakened versions of the disease-causing germs/parts of germs (antigens)
how do vaccinations work?
each pathogen has a specific antibody that acts on it
1st time we’re exposed, our body is slow to make antibodies to fight it
2nd time, antibodies are made much faster + pathogen destroyed because you’re immune
memory cells
adaptive defence has memory b&t-cells made especially for the disease
cells remember disease if it enters our body again + kills it very quickly
pathogens
disease causing micro-organisms
disease
anything that causes your body to stop working properly
infectious diseases
diseases that can be spread
contagious diseases
diseases easily spread
→ passed by touching infected person/items touched by them