The Nervous System
Questions to be answered…
• How are my senses connected to my
nervous system?
• Why is damage or injury to the nervous
system so serious?
• What can I do to protect my nervous
system?
Vocabulary
• Neuron: The specialized cells that make
up the nervous system
• Brain: The mass of neurons that controls
all actions, emotions, thoughts, and
memory
• Spinal Cord: The long bundle of neurons
that extends almost the entire length of the
body.
• Somatic System: Deals with the actions
that you control
• Walking, Talking, Skeletal Muscles
• Autonomic System: Deals with the actions
that you can not control
• Breathing, Heart Rate, Digestion
Neurons
• Two types:
• Sensory: Relay information from the
five senses to the brain
• Sight
• Hearing
• Taste
• Touch
• Smell
• Motor: Send messages from the brain
to the muscles
What happens when you touch a hot cup?
1. Hand touches hot cup
2. Sensory neurons get the message and send it to the
spinal cord and brain
3. Brain interprets the message as heat and sends a
response to muscles on a motor neuron
4. Muscles respond to the message and remove the
hand from the hot cup
The 5 senses and their nerves…
•
•
•
•
•
Sight
• Optic Nerve
Smell
• Olfactory Nerve
Hearing
• Auditory Nerve
Taste
• Facial Nerve
Touch
• Multiple sensory nerves
Test your optic
nerves… Say
the color of the
word not the
word itself.
Test 1
Test 2
Parts of your nervous system
• Central Nervous System (CNS):
• Your body’s main control center
• Controls your body’s actions
• Voluntary
• Involuntary
• Consists of your brain and spinal cord
• Peripheral Nervous System (PNS):
• Carries messages to and from the CNS
Parts of the brain
• Cerebrum: The largest part of the brain.
Controls the senses, movement, thinking,
and speech.
• Cerebellum: Controls balance, posture,
and coordination
• Brain Stem: Controls vital functions such
as heart beat, breathing, blood pressure,
and digestion
Problem
Problems of
Nervous
System
Polio
Meningitis
Description
Caused by a virus
and can result in
paralysis
Swelling of the
membranes that
cover the brain
and spinal cord
Treatment
Vaccination
Vaccine / Antibiotics
Brain Tumor
Uncontrolled cell
growth
Surgery
Concussion
Caused by a blow to
the head. Blood
collects in the
damaged area
causing pressure
Rest / surgery if
serious
Problem
Description
Treatment
Spinal Cord Injury
Damage to spinal cord
resulting in loss of
sensation or
paralysis
Physical Therapy
Epilepsy
Brain disorder that
causes
uncontrollable
muscle spasms
(seizures)
Medication
Cerebral Palsy
Caused by damage or
injury to the
cerebrum. Can
have motor and
speech delays
Therapy
Multiple Sclerosis
Caused by damage to
the outer coating
of the nerves.
Causes muscle
weakness and
inability to walk
Medication and
therapy