Term II Class 8

The City School

Handout #: 2.5
Topic: Human Nervous System

By reading this handout, learners will be able to:

➢ Map the various steps in transmission of messages through the body and to the brain
➢ Describe the role and function of neurons in transmitting messages through the body
➢ Predict what could happen if a nerve connection broke

What is a Neuron?
Neurons are the building blocks of the nervous system. They receive and transmit signals to different
parts of the body. This is carried out in both physical and electrical forms. There are several different
types of neurons that facilitate the transmission of information.

• There are three main types of neurone: sensory, relay and motor
o Sensory neurones carry impulses from sense organs to the CNS (brain or spinal cord)
o Relay neurones are found inside the CNS and connect sensory and motor neurones
o Motor neurones carry impulses from the CNS to effectors (muscles or glands)

HOW DO NEURONS SEND AND RECEIVE MESSAGES?

All of the cells in our body communicate with each other. That is how we are able to do so many
things in our daily lives, like eating breakfast and studying for school. In our brain and
bodies, Neurons communicate with each other by sending messages using a form of electricity. In
neurons, this electricity is created by the flow of charged particles called ions that move across the
outer membrane of the cell. The movement of ions carries an electrical wave along the length of the
neuron. The neuron has branches (like a tree) called dendrites, which receive signals, and a longer,
simpler projection (like a tree trunk), called an axon, which sends signals. Synapses are found at the
end of axons. How does the electrical signal jump from one neuron to another? The nerve cell
releases chemical signals, called neurotransmitters which travel across the synapse to another
 Term II Class 8

neuron to create a new electrical wave in that cell.

What could happen if a nerve connection broke:

When a nerve is cut, both the nerve and the insulation are broken. Injury to a nerve can stop the
transmission of signals to and from the brain, preventing muscles from working and causing loss of
feeling in the area supplied by that nerve. Nerves can be damaged by too much pressure, by
stretching, or by a cut A cut to the nerve can cause it to no longer transmit signals, because the
signal cannot jump through a gap in the nerve. Stretch injuries to the nerve can range from mild,
temporary nerve injury to a more severe, permanent nerve injury. The extent of the injury
depends on the amount of stretch.

• Numbness: Some nerves only transmit sensation, so a nerve injury to these nerves would cause
some amount of numbness.
• Weakness: In addition to sensory nerves, some nerves give you the ability to move, and other
nerves do both of these things. Injury to nerves that carry motor signals causes some amount of
weakness.
• Pain: This is frequently a symptom after nerve injury. The pain present after a nerve injury can be
anywhere along the course of the nerve, but it is typically at the injury site.