SCIENCE 1O BILOGY REVIEWER

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Your nervous system connects all your body

parts and transmits signals from one part to another. It
is a system of cells, tissues, and organs that regulates
the body’s response to internal and external stimuli.
Each part of the nervous system has a specific role as it
functions as an important part of a system.

MAJOR DIVISIONS AND PARTS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

1. Central Nervous System (CNS) – the CNS serves as the main processing center for the entire nervous
system. It consists of two main components, namely the:

a. Brain – This is an organ located within the skull that functions as organizer and distributer of
information for the body.
It has three main parts:

Cerebrum – large, upper part of the brain that controls activity and thoughts.

Cerebellum – the part under the cerebrum that controls posture, balance, and coordination.

Brain Stem – the part that connects the brain to the spinal cord and controls automatic functions
such as breathing, digestion, heart rate, and blood pressure.
b. Spinal Cord – this serves as a channel for signals between the brain nd the rest of the body, and
controls simple musculoskeletal reflexes without input from the brain.
2. Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) – the PNS connects the central nervous system to the organs and
limbs. It has two min divisions:

a. Somatic Nervous System – this system is associated with the voluntary control of body movements
and has two main parts.

Spinal Nerves – the nerves that carry motor or sensory signals between the spinal cord and the
body .
Cranial Nerves – the nerve fibers that carry information into and out of the brain stem.

b. Autonomic Nervous System –

this system is associated with the involuntary control of the body movements and has two
subdivisions :

Sympathetic – it is activated when the body is in dynamic role or stress. (e.g., increased heart rate
and breathing, dilation of pupil, sweating, etc. )
Parasympathetic – It maintains body functions and restores the body to normal or relaxed mode.

THE NERVE CELL

- The basic unit of the nervous system is the nerve cell. Nerve cells are called neurons. There are
billions of neurons in the body. Some exist alone. Other are joined together to form organs like
brain and spinal cord.
- There are twelve to fourteen billions of neurons in one part of the brain alone. A neuron has a
cell body containing nucleus. Projecting out from the cell body are root-like structures. These
are dendrites and axons. Dendrites carry impulses toward the cell body. A single dendrite can
be over one meter long. Axons carry impulses away from the cell body. Axons ass impulses to
the dendrites into cable-like bundles called nerves.

CONTROL OF BODY PROCESSES THOUGH THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

The Nerve Impulse

Neurons are cells with the special ability to carry signals or impulses. Thoughts, emotions,
learning, and many body functions are carried by nerve impulses in the neurons. A nerve
impulse is a combination of an electrical charge and a chemical reaction. A nerve impulse is not
a flow of electricity, but an electrochemical signal moving along a neuron.