Nervous Coordination

The body system that collects, processes, and responds to information using electrical signals
 Neuron forms the fundamental unit of the system of nervous coordination.

Nervous System (Human)

•   Central Nervous System(CNS) – Consists of brain and spinal cord.
      Brain – Controls various voluntary (walking, riding, running, etc.) and involuntary
actions (sneezing, coughing, etc). Also controls thinking, reasoning, and intelligence.
      Spinal Cord – Controls reflex action.
• Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) – Consists of cranial nerves (12 pairs) and spinal nerves
(31 pairs).
•   Autonomic nervous System (ANS) 
Human Brain
The brain has two hemispheres; The left hemisphere and the right hemisphere. The two
hemispheres are in contact with each other through tracts of neurons present in the corpus
callosum.
Brain is divided into forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain.
● Forebrain consists of cerebrum and olfactory lobes. Cerebrum is specialized in receiving
sensory inputs from the sense organs. It also controls all our conscious functions like
thinking, reasoning, logic, likes and dislikes, calculations, emotions, language etc.
● Midbrain is located between the forebrain and hindbrain. It controls certain involuntary
actions in the body such as:

● Eye Movement
● Pupil Dilation
● Regulate Muscle Movement

● Hindbrain consists of pons, medulla and cerebellum.

● Pons controls respiration

● Medulla controls salivation, blood pressure, breathing, heart and blood vessel
function, digestion, sneezing, swallowing. and vomiting.
● Cerebellum controls certain important functions such as riding a bicycle, picking up
a pencil. It also maintains posture and balance of the body.
Protection of the brain and spinal cord:
● Brain is protected in a bony case known as cranium. Cranium is also called the brain
box. It has an outer bony covering of the skull that protects it.
● The brain is enclosed within a set of three membranes called meninges. These are
protective in nature.
● A fluid fills the space between the membranes. This is called cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)
that protects the brain from mechanical shock and injury.
● The spinal cord is protected by vertebral column, the meninges and the cerebrospinal
fluid.
Five types of Sensory Receptors:
● Auditory receptors/Phonoreceptors
● Olfactory receptors/olfactoreceptors
● Photoreceptors
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 ● Thermo/tactile receptors
● Gustatory receptors

NEURON

The nervous system is composed of millions of excitable cells called neurons. A neuron is the
structural and functional unit of the nervous sytem.

A neuron has following components:

● A cell body or cyton

● Short wire like extensions from the cyton called dendrites
● A long wire like extension from the cyton called the axon.

The dendrites receive signals and transmit them to the cyton from where they travel
through the length of the axon in the form of electrical impulses. The axonal end relays
the impulse from one neuron to another.

Neurons are specialized, depending on their required functions:

● Sensory neurons carry impulses from sense organs, such as the eyes or ears.
● Motor neurons carry impulses to muscles and glands.
● Interneurons transfer signals between sensory and motor neurons, as well as in between other
interneurons.
SYNAPSE
● Neurons communicate with one another at junctions called synapses. At a synapse, one
neuron sends a message to a target neuron—another cell.

● Most synapses are chemical; these synapses communicate using chemical messengers.

● At a chemical synapse, an action potential triggers the pre-synaptic neuron to

release neurotransmitters. These molecules bind to receptors on the postsynaptic cell.

The synapse at which signals travel from the axonal end to a muscle is called as a neuro-
muscular junction.

Reflex Action:

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Reflex action is a sudden and involuntary response to stimuli.It is handled by the spinal cord.
It helps organisms to quickly adapt to an adverse circumstance that may have the potential to
cause injury to the body. Pulling our hands away immediately after touching a hot object is a
classic example of a reflex action.
Events or steps of a reflex action:

1. The first event begins with the receptor organ detecting a stimulus. The stimulus
could be in the form of pressure, temperature or chemicals.
2. The sensory neuron carries the stimulus in the form of an electrical signal called the
impulse to the spinal cord.
3. Within the spinal cord, the relay neuron picks up the impulse from the sensory neuron
and relays the signal to the motor neuron.
4. The motor neuron carries the impulse to a muscle or gland. Such organ or gland is
called as the effector organ.
5. Finally, the effector produces an instantaneous response, such as immediately
removing the hand from the hot object..

A reflex arc is a pathway of reflex action.

The brain is not directly involved in reflex action. But when reflex action is taking place, the
impulses also travel to the brain making us understand the reason behind our immediate
response.

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