Unit 2: Human Body

4 The Nervous System

Expected Learning Outcomes

Knowledge to be gained : • The nervous system • Types of nerves •Reflex ac ons
• Sense organs
A tude to be inculcated : • We should take care of our sense organs.

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

The nervous system is one of the most important organ systems of our body. It works
continuously to control all other body systems and sense organs. It also helps all our body
parts to communicate with each other. All the activities in the body and mind, like thinking,
feeling, memories, heartbeat, blood pressure, body temperature, breathing rate, etc., are
controlled by the nervous system.
Brain e nervous system is made up of three
parts— the brain, the spinal cord and the
nerves. Our whole body is covered by an inter-
connected network of nerves. ese can be
compared to a network of roads. e brain
Spinal
Cord receives and sends messages through these
nerves. So, this network of nerves allows the
brain to monitor and control every part of our
body.

BRAIN
Peripheral
Nerves e brain is like a master computer. All the
activities of our body are controlled by the
brain. It has memory to store information and
can recall the information when needed. e
brain is at the top of the spinal cord and is
protected by the skull.
It is made up of millions of nerve cells or
The nervous system neurons. Our brain weighs around 1½ kg.

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The brain is divided into three parts —the cerebrum, the cerebellum and the medulla.
Cerebrum: It is the longest part of our brain. Cerebrum Fluid - filled
spaces
It is also called the big brain. It has many folds.
It controls our sense organs and helps us to
think, learn, remember, speak, recall and feel. Skull
Cerebellum: It is called the small brain. It
helps us to keep our body balanced and
coordinate the movement of voluntar y
muscles. It works when we walk, sit, run, swim Brain Stem
Cerebellum (Medulla)
or move in any way. It works under the control
of the big brain.
Spinal Cord
Medulla: It is also called the brain stem. It
connects the brain to the spinal cord. It
controls all the involuntary muscles like that of Human Brain
heart, lungs and stomach. e medulla is
always at work because our heart and lungs The le side of the brain controls
Do
work day and night. You ? the right side of our body, and the
right side of the brain controls the
Know le side of our body.
SPINAL CORD
e spinal cord is a thick bundle of nerves that extends downwards from the brain stem to
the lower end of the backbone. It is enclosed and protected by the backbone. Nerves from
the head region are directly connected to the brain. Nerves from all other parts of the body
are connected to the spinal cord, and the spinal cord is connected to the brain. So, the
messages travel to and fro between the brain and the rest of the body through the spinal
cord. Also, all our re ex actions are controlled by the spinal cord. Re ex actions are the
actions that do not involve the brain. Neuron
Nerve Cell
NERVES Nerve
receptors
Nerves are like a complex system of telephone
wires that convey messages from the various body
parts to the brain and from the brain back to the
body parts.
Nerves are made up of nerve cells. Each nerve cell
is called a neuron. Neurons join together to form
nerves.
e nerve endings, called receptors, are located
under the layer of the skin. e receptors pick up
sensations of heat, touch, pain or pressure. Nerve cell

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 ere are three types of nerves:
1. Sensory Nerves
ey send signals from the sense organs to the brain or
the spinal cord. ey are mostly connected to the brain
through the spinal cord.
2. Motor Nerves
Touching hot things
ey send signals back from the brain to the
muscles and glands in the body. ese signals
make the muscles move and the glands secrete
juices, e.g., the watering of the mouth on smelling
tasty food.
3. Mixed Nerves
ey send signals from the sense organs to the brain as
well as carry messages from the brain to the sense Sudden splashing of water
organs. Reflex actions

REFLEX ACTIONS
As you know, a re ex action is an automatic reaction of the body to an event. For example,
when we accidentally touch something hot, our hand automatically pulls itself away. In this
type of actions, brain is not involved. ey are controlled by the spinal cord.
Re ex action happens when our body needs
to act quickly for its safety. In such cases, •The tongue, lips and finger ps are
Do
there is not enough time for a message to You
number
?
the most sensi ve parts, as a great
of receptor are located
reach the brain. So, as soon as the spinal cord Know
receives the message, it sends an order there.
directly to the sense organ without •The fastest nerve signal travels at a speed of
400 km/hr.
consulting the brain.

Sensory
Spinal Cord Nerve
Hand pulls the
finger away Motor
Nerve
Finger feels
the heat

Action
Muscle
(Effector)
Spinal cord Finger
(Receiver)
Candle (Hot object)
Source of heat
How reflex action takes place
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CHECK YOURSELF
Tick (3) the correct option:
1. Nerves that carry messages back from the brain to different body parts are called:
(a) sensory nerves (b) motor nerves (c) mixed nerves

2. All movements of our body are controlled by the:

(a) brain (b) spinal cord (c) muscles

3. The largest part of the brain is the:

(a) cerebellum (b) cerebrum (c) medulla

SENSE ORGANS
The organs which connect us to the outside world are called sense organs. Eyes, nose, ears,
tongue and skin are the five sense organs of our body. They help us to see, smell, hear, taste
and touch respectively.
1. Eyes
Eyes are the sense organs of sight. We see Eye
various things with the help of our eyes. Eye-
brows and eye-lashes protect our eyes from
sweat and dirt.
2. Ears
Ears are the sense organs of hearing. We are Ear
able to hear various sounds with the help of our
ears. ey also help us to maintain our body's
balance.
3. Nose
Nose is the sense organ of smell. It helps us to Nose
smell various things. We also breathe through it.
4. Tongue
Tongue is the sense organ of taste. We can taste
various food items with the help of our tongue.
ere are four kinds of taste buds in different Tongue
areas of the tongue. ey help us to taste sweet,
sour, salty and bitter food items.
5. Skin
Skin is the sense organ of touch and feeling. It
Skin
has nerve endings that help us to feel heat, cold
and pain.
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 New words
Brain : an organ of so nervous ssues contained in the skull
Spinal cord : it is a thick bundle of nerves that extend downwards from the base of the brain
Reflex ac on : an ac on performed without conscious thought as a response to a s mulus

SUMMARY
v The nervous system is made up of three parts—brain, spinal cord and nerves.
v The brain is like a master computer.
v A brain is divided into three parts—the cerebrum, the cerebellum and the medulla.
v Nerves from the head region are directly connected to the brain.
v Nerves are made up of nerve cells.
v The organs which connect us to the outside world are called sense organs.
v The five sense organs are—Eyes, Ears, Nose, Tongue, and Skin.

Exercise
A. Name the following:
1. e longest part of the brain. __________
2. It is also called the brain stem. __________
3. Nerve endings located under the layer of the skin. __________
4. Part of the brain that works even while we are sleeping. __________
B. Give one word for each of the following:
1. e part of the brain which controls thinking, learning and talking. __________
2. e part of the brain which helps us to keep our body in balance. __________
3. Nerves which carry messages from a body part to the brain. __________
4. e organ which is called the master organ of the body. __________
C. Answer the following questions:
1. Which part of the body protects our brain?
2. What are the nerve endings called?
3. What protects the spinal cord?
D. Select the best alternative for each of the following:
1. e biggest part of the brain is the:
(i) medulla (ii) cerebellum
(iii) cerebrum (iv) nerves
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 2. e small brain is the:
(i) cerebrum (ii) medulla
(iii) cerebellum (iv) bulb
3. Spinal cord is formed by:
(i) a large group of nerves (ii) blood vessels
(iii) neurons (iv) nerve cells
E. Fill in the blanks:
1. ________________ are the nerve cells.
2. e top and the largest part of the brain is called ________________.
3. Playing, running, riding, etc. are controlled by ________________.
4. e damage of medulla causes ________________ of a person.
5. Moving your hand away from the hot pan is a ________________ action.
F. Match the following:
1. Brain (a) Receptors

2. Nerve cells (b) Protected by the backbone

3. Spinal cord (c) Involves only nerves and spine

4. Nerve endings (d) Centre of the nervous system

G. Write the functions of the following brie y:

1. Cerebellum : ___________________________________________________

2. Medulla : ___________________________________________________

3. Cerebrum : ___________________________________________________

4. Brain : ___________________________________________________
H. Differentiate between:
1. Sensory nerves and Motor nerves
2. Cerebrum and Cerebellum
3. Medulla and Spinal cord
I. Answer the following questions in your own words:
1. Name the organs that form the nervous system.
2. With a neat diagram, write a short note on the cerebrum.

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 3. What is a re ex action? Which part of the nervous system controls a re ex
action?
4. How do our eyes help us to see?

Activity Time
Make a list of at least ve re ex actions. Represent them with the help of a simple diagram
on a chart paper. Also write in brief about each action.

Subject Link : English

In this Chapter, you have read that cerebrum is also known as the big brain and
cerebellum is known as the small brain. See the words big and small. There are also
other words with the same meanings as big and small.
From the words given below, write them under the headings Big and Small.
1. Giant
2. Enormous Big Small
3. Humongous
4. Microscopic
5. Mammoth
6. Paltry
7. Himalayan
8. Minute
9. Meagre
10. Pygmy
11. Miniature
12. Miniscule
13. Tiny
14. Huge

FOOTNOTE
The objective of the lesson is to give the students some basic knowledge about the nervous system in terms of its
structure, functions and classification.

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