NEURON

The basic unit of the nervous system is the neuron or nerve cell which carries impulses to the nervous
system. A neuron is composed of a cell body which contains the nucleus and is covered by myelin sheath
with an axon terminal at its end. The schwann cell is what produces the myelin sheath. A dendrite is
called the receptor site of neurons as signals originates at its end. The dendrites receive the impulses and
carry these toward the cell body while the axon carries impulses away from the cell body which passes
along the different parts of the neuron. The node of ranvier allow the generation of a fast electrical
impulse along the axons. Axons then pass the impulse to the dendrite of the other neuron cell body in the
muscle cells.

Classifications of Neurons

1. Sensory or Affective Neurons – carry impulses from the sense organs to the brain and spinal cord.

2. Motor or Effective Neurons – carry impulses from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles.

3. Interneuron or Associative Neurons – located in the Central Nervous System. They analyze & interpret
the impulses.
HOW IS MESSAGE TRANSMITTED?

Ever wondered how a message is passed from a stimulus to get a response? As we just have learned, the
nervous system is connected to the different organs of the body in the senses. These organs are
composed of different receptors.

 Photoreceptors – for the eye (seeing) A stimulus is anything that can

 Mechanoreceptors – for the ears (hearing) trigger a physical or behavioral
 Olfactoryreceptors – for the nose (smelling) change. The plural of stimulus
 Chemoreceptors – for the tongue (tasting) is stimuli. Stimuli can be
 Nociceptors – on the skin (for pain) external or internal.
 Thermal Receptors – for sensing temperature

With these receptors, the nervous system gets all the information on all things happening to and
around the body.

Once stimulus, like when you accidentally touch a pot of boiling water, is detected through a receptor or
a sensory organ like your skin, the sensory neuron carries the message to the central nervous system from
one nerve cell to another. When the message is received by the central nervous system, it processes the
information and sends an impulse through the motor neuron ordering the effector organ (which is a
muscle or gland) to respond to the message.

In this situation, the muscles is ordered to move the hand away as distinct as these functions are it is still
of high importance that these body parts function with balance and coordination with one another to
maintain homeostasis.
HOMEOSTASIS

Homeostasis is the condition wherein the human body system is maintained in balance despite the
changing external factors. It is responsible in the regulation and maintenance of the internal environment
of the body. It regulates the body temperature, fluids, salts, acids and gases, and nutrients that support
human life.

The internal control system of the body responds immediately to the change from the different conditions
or external environment. There are different control systems in the body namely sensor, control center,
and communicating system.

 SENSORS - Sensors are receptors that are responsible for gathering information about the conditions
inside and outside of the body. The human body is made up of sensory neurons that carry impulses
to the brain or spinal cord.
 COMMUNICATING SYSTEM - The nervous system and the endocrine system are the communicating
system of the body. They carry information to all parts of the body. Through nerve impulses and
hormones, they dictate to the target cell or organs in the body, how to respond with the internal and
external changes. (Targets are any organ tissue or cell responsible for the changes in the activity of
the body in response to the message received)
 CONTROL CENTER - The control center body is the brain which is a part of the nervous system. The
brain receives information from the sensors. It then examines the information, compared these to the
normal values in which the body function well. If the information is below or above the normal range,
it quickly responds by sending messages through the communicating systems; the nervous system
and the endocrine system.

NEGATIVE FEEDBACK MECHANISM

The negative feedback mechanism is a control system that reduces or minimize any internal or external
change of the body which helps the body system to be stable. It is also a mechanism that regulates
homeostasis. The term ‘negative’ is the deviation from ‘set point’ or ‘normal value’. The set point refers
to the ideal requirement of the body to maintain homeostasis.

Example:

Let’s take our body temperature as an example. The body’s core temperature is 37 degrees Celsius. When
it overheats like what happens when you are exercising, the sensor send a message to the brain to
regulate the heat and this is why you sweat afterwards. The sweat decreases the body temperature back
to its regular level.

Negative feedback loops can’t

control the body temperature
POSITIVE FEEDBACK MECHANISM

The positive feedback mechanism is a control system that uses

information from sensors to increase the rate or processes. It is
also the exact opposite of the negative feedback mechanism. This
type of feedback is important whenever a rapid change is
necessary. It deviates from a set point and it becomes greater,
which makes a bad situation worse. This type of feedback is
rarely found in healthy people.

For example, you accidentally cut your hand, the positive

feedback mechanism is used in the production of nerve impulses
and increases the rate of blood clotting until the wound is sealed.

When the body is not on homeostasis, organ failure or diseases could happen. The following are some
common illnesses pertaining to mental health.

 ANXIETY – the uncomfortable feeling of fear, uneasiness, or overthinking that something bad may
happen.
 PANIC DISORDER – repeated episodes of sudden fear of great danger and impending doom.
 DEPRESSION – is a state of being sad, the loss of happiness, a lack of interest on things, wanting to be
away from others, and loss of energy. It is not a normal sadness or grief that is manifested with low
energy.

HOW DO WE KEEP OUR BODIES AND NERVOUS SYSTEM HEALTHY?

1. Perform regular exercise

2. Refrain from smoking

3. Get plenty of rest

4. Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day

5. Eat a well-balanced diet