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WHAT IS THE NERVOUS SYSTEM?

A system made up of nerve cells and fibers, where your brain sends signals to specific parts of the body, and receives information about what is happening in the body.

Controls all involuntary movement. Heart pumping Breathing Digestion of food

Controls all voluntary (by choice) movement. Running Talking Grabbing an object

ORGANS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Central Nervous System

Brain Spinal Cord

Peripheral Nervous System

NervesSomatic and Autonomic

Nervous System

Cerebrum: controls all voluntary muscles; analytical thinking (left); abstract thinking (right).

Cerebellum: balance, movement, and coordination.

Brain stem: controls involuntary muscles; in charge of functions needed to stay alive; connects brain to spinal cord; sorts messages between brain and body.

Pituitary Gland: all hormones produced/released through this gland (puberty, growth, etc); helps keep metabolism going.

Hypothalamus: controls body temperature (98.6 degrees).

CNS- BRAIN

Cerebellum

Cerebrum

Brain Stem

Pituitary Gland

Hypothalamus

• Long bundle of nerves protected by spinal column and vertebraes.

• Lets messages travel between the brain and the body.

Nerves assembled into tractsAscending Tracts: carries sensory info from body to

brain Touch, skin temp, pain, etc. Sensory Neurons

Descending Tracts: carry info downwards from brain to body Movement Motor Neurons

Spinal nerves carry to and from different levels of spinal cord

Cervical ThoracicLumbar & Sacral

CNS- SPINAL CORD

Nerves branch out from brain and spinal cord.

PNS connections with organs and structures of the body are made through cranial and spinal nerves.

Cranial Nerves 12 pairs from bottom of brain

Smell, vision, hearing, balance (3) Motor functions (5) Assist with movement (4)

Head, neck, and facial area

Spinal Nerves 31 pairs from side of spinal cord

8 cervical 12 thoracic 5 lumbar 5 sacral 1 coccygeal (tailbone)

PNS- NERVES

SomaticSends sensory info to Central Nervous System

Sends messages to motor nerve fibers (muscles moving body)

Voluntary

Autonomic• Regulates heart, stomach, and intestines• Involuntary

1. Sympathetic “Fight or Flight” Uses energy (blood pressure, heart beat,

etc.) Thoratic & Lumbar

2. Parasympathetic “Rest and Digest” Saves energy (blood pressure, heart beat,

etc.) Sacral

3. Enteric Controls normal digestive activity Body reacting to nervousness, etc.

PNS- SOMATIC & AUTONOMIC

PARASYMPATHETIC VS. SYMPATHETIC

Multiple SclerosisDegenerative disease that affects

myelin sheath and conduction pathways between brain and spinal cord.

Causes of MS:• Abnormal response of body’s immune

system to myelin • Environmental factors such as viral

infection• Inflammation

Symptoms of MS: • Damage to neurons• Muscle symptoms• Eye symptoms• Etc.

DISEASES

DISEASES Alzheimer's The loss of brain functions that

allows the subject’s brain to deteriorate over time.

Causes:• Dementia

• Genetic lineage

• Previous head trauma

• Early life experiences

• Dietary habits (high cholesterol, etc.) Progressive &

irreversible

Symptoms:• Memory loss• Atrophy of brain• Language• Emotional behavior

• If all the neurons in a person’s body were lined up, it would stretch 600 miles long.

• There are 100 billion neurons in human brain.

• Eating seafood at least once a week lowers your chance of dementia by at least 30%.

• The brain is the fattest organ in human body; contains 60% fat.

• Right side of brain controls left side of body & left side of brain controls right side of body.

• You can’t tickle yourself.

FUN HEALTH FACTS

SOURCES CITED

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/nsdivide.html

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/kinser/Structure1.html

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/spinal.html

http://

www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=

335&np=152&id=2612

http://www.sci.uidaho.edu/med532/alzheimer.htm

http://www.sci.uidaho.edu/med532/multiple_sclerosis.htm