Receives & responds to information from inside and

outside of body; made up of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves

1. Stimulus: any change that brings about a response (reaction)

2. Maintains homeostasis

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Neuron: nervous system cell that carries nerve impulseinformation; has three parts:

1. Dendrites (#1): delivers impulse to cell body

2. Cell body (#2): contains nucleus & organelles

3. Axon (#3): carries impulse away from cell body

Label the neuron on your sheet according to the numbers above

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Nerve cells have a space between them

called a synapse. When a message

reaches the end of a cell, a chemical

moves across the synapse of one cell to

the next, delivering the “message”

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The Nervous System is divided into two sections:

1. Central Nervous System (CNS): includes the brain and spinal cord

a. Brain: control center of the body

1. Cerebrum: section that stores/interprets senses, thoughts, memories, and controls movement

2. Cerebellum: coordination and balance

3. Brain stem: controls involuntary muscles (heartbeat, breathing, & blood pressure, etc.)

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b. Spinal cord: links brain with body nerves, controls reflexes. Protected by vertebrae.

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2. Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): nerves branch from CNS(brain/spinal cord) to body

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Five Senses: The nervous system responds to stimuli such as light,

sound, heat, chemicals or pressure in your

environment

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1. Vision: light stimulates rods (dim light) and cones (colors) and sends impulse to brain.

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2. Hearing: outer ear gathers sound waves that vibrate tiny bones & fluid which sends the impulse to brain

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3. Smell & Taste: molecules in air stimulate nerve cells in the nasal passages (olfactory cells) & on the tongue (taste buds)

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4. Touch: receptors found in organs & skin detect changes in pressure, pain, and temperature

What do you notice about the distribution of nerve receptors for

each type of condition?

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