Nervous system

Working together of various integrated body systems in response to changes in the body for
maintenance of bodily functions is known as control and coordination
Nervous and muscular tissues provide control and coordination
Neurons -functional units of the nervous system, conduct messages in the form of impulses
Synapse- a small gap between the axon of one neuron and the dendrite of the next neuron
Three types of responses of the nervous system- reflex action, voluntary action, and involuntary
action
Reflex action
o Automated action in response to a stimulus
o Possible due to quick detection by sensory receptors and the resultant movement of muscles
o Reflex arc is situated in the spinal cord
o Reflex arc consists of spinal cord, sensory neuron, motor neuron and receptor.
Voluntary action
o Actions such as writing, talking etc. that are under the control of the body
Involuntary action
o Actions such as breathing, digestion etc. that are not under conscious control
Parts of the nervous system
Human nervous system divided into- central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system
(PNS)
CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord
PNS consists of the nerves that connects the CNS to different parts of the body
The Brain, spinal cord, and nerves are the important parts of the nervous system
Brain
o Human brain is classified into- forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain
o Forebrain- It consists of cerebrum, thalamus, and hypothalamus. It has following functions:
It is the thinking part of the brain.
The forebrain has sensory regions that receive sensory impulses from various receptors.
It has motor regions that control the movement of various muscles (such as the leg muscles).
Cerebrum controls intelligence, learning, memory, thinking, and speech.
Hypothalamus contains many areas that control things such as body temperature, urge for eating and
drinking, etc.
o Midbrain- It is mainly concerned with the sense of sight and hearing.
o Hindbrain- It consists of pons, medulla, and cerebellum. It has following functions:
Most of the involuntary actions such as heartbeat, blood pressure, movement of food in the
alimentary canal, salivation, etc., are controlled by the midbrain and medulla of the hindbrain.
Cerebellum is responsible for voluntary actions and maintaining the posture and equilibrium of the
body.
Tropic movement
Directional movement of a specific part of the plant in response to an external stimulus
Phototropism- response to light
Geotropism- response to gravity
Hydrotropism- response to water
Chemotropism- response to chemicals
Thigmotropism- response to touch
Chemical coordination in plants
Growth and development in plants is possible because of plants hormones or phytohormones
Auxin, Gibberellin, cytokinin, abscisic acid, and ethylene are examples of phytohormones
Chemical coordination in animals
Carried out with the help of hormones
Hormones are secreted by endocrine glands such as the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, adrenal gland,
pancreas etc.
Major endocrine glands in humans are
Pituitary
Hypothalamus
Pineal

Thyroid
Thymus
Pancreas
Adrenal
Testis in men /ovary in women
A feedback mechanism (positive and negative) regulates the action of the hormones.
**

Control and Coordination QA Test (1)

Question 1 ( 1.0 marks)
What is the function of an axon?
Solution:
An axon conducts messages away from the cell body.
Question 2 ( 1.0 marks)
What are motor neurons?
Solution:
Motor neurons transmit messages from the brain to the muscles and glands.
Question 3 ( 1.0 marks)
Which hormone is responsible for regulating blood sugar levels in the body?
Solution:
Insulin
Question 4 ( 1.0 marks)
Which mineral is essential for the synthesis of thyroxin?
Solution:
Iodine
Question 5 ( 2.0 marks)
Name the male and female sex hormones in human beings. Name the gland that secretes these
hormones.
Solution:
Male sex hormone: Testosterone
Female sex hormone: Oestrogen
These hormones are secreted by the pituitary gland.
Question 6 ( 2.0 marks)
What are growth promoters in plants? Write their main functions.
Solution:
In plants, growth and development is controlled by a special class of chemical substances known as
growth promoters. They are auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins and ethylene.
These hormones promote growth, elongation and cell division in plant cells.
Question 7 ( 2.0 marks)
What is phototropism? Give two examples.
Solution:

Phototropism is the growth movement of plants in response to light. The shoots of a plant show
positive phototropism and the roots of a plant show negative phototropism.
Examples
(i) The flower head of sunflower is positively phototropic. Hence, it moves east to west along with the
sun.
(ii) The ovary stalk of groundnut is positively phototropic before fertilisation and becomes negatively
phototropic after fertilisation. So, the fruit is formed underground.
Question 8 ( 3.0 marks)
What are the three different regions of the forebrain? Mention one activity controlled by each part.
Solution:
The three different regions of the forebrain are
(i) Cerebrum: It is associated with memory and communication.
(ii) Thalamus: It is the major coordinating centre for sensory and motor signals.
(iii) Hypothalamus: It controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, etc.
Question 9 ( 5.0 marks)
Write short notes on the human brain and its different regions.
Solution:
The human brain is the main coordinating centre of the body. It is a part of the central nervous system
and receives information from the other parts of the body and interprets them. The human brain can
be divided into three distinct regions.
(i) Forebrain: It consists of cerebrum, thalamus and hypothalamus. The forebrain is the main site of
learning, intelligence and thinking. It also has sensory and motor sites which control all the voluntary
movements. Hypothalamus is concerned with things like body temperature, urge to eat, drink, etc.
(ii) Midbrain: It consists of regions concerned with the sense of sight, hearing, etc. It also transmits
motor impulses to the limbs.
(iii) Hindbrain: It controls most of the involuntary actions like heartbeat, blood pressure, etc.
Cerebellum maintains the posture and equilibrium of the body.
Question 10 ( 5.0 marks)

Study the picture carefully and answer the following questions.

(i) Label the picture appropriately replacing the numbers.
(ii) Which gland coordinates the endocrine system?

(iii) The emergency hormone is secreted by the __________.

(iv) The deficiency of this hormone causes diabetes.
Solution:
(i)
(I) Testis
(II) Pancreas
(III) Ovary
(IV) Pituitary gland
(ii) Pituitary gland
(iii) Adrenal glands
(iv) Insulin