Nervous System

Grade 10 Biology
The Nervous System Tree
 The nervous system has two major
divisions:

EXPLAIN • The Central Nervous System (CNS)

- “Central” means center
• The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS).
- “peripheral” means the edge or outer
areas

The brain and the spinal cord are parts of the

CNS while a lot of the nerves on the sides are
parts of the PNS.
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 CNS is composed mainly of the
brain and the spinal cord working

EXPLAIN
together to perform its various
functions.
PNS is further divided into Sensory
Pathways and Motor Pathways. These
are the sections of the brain that are
responsible for sensations (sensory)
and movements (motor).
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 The Motor Pathways are further divided

EXPLAIN
into two:
• Somatic Nervous System – responsible
for voluntary body movements.
“Voluntary movement” means body
actions you can control.
• Autonomic Nervous System –
responsible for involuntary body
movements. “Involuntary movement”
means body actions you cannot control.
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 Autonomic Nervous System is still further

EXPLAIN
divided into two:

• Sympathetic Nervous System – is

responsible for the “rest and digest”
functions of the body. This system
generally is at work when you are resting
and eating.

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 Autonomic Nervous System is still further

EXPLAIN
divided into two:

• Parasympathetic Nervous System – is

responsible for the “fight or flight”
functions of the body. This system
generally is at work when you are under a
particular threat.

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 The
Brain
The cerebrum is the reason why you can learn,
remember, and perceive. It has two hemispheres:
the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere.
In anatomy, we should
observe a body in the
anatomical position – that is,
the left side of the body is on
the observer’s right, and the
right side of the body is on
the observer’s left.
The right hemisphere is
responsible for sensations
and movements of the left
side of the body.
The left hemisphere is
responsible for sensations
and movements on the right
side of the body.
The two hemispheres
communicate through the
corpus callosum. This
part connects the hemispheres.
The cerebellum regulates your balance, posture,
and movement. Therefore, if this part is damaged,
you may not be able to walk properly.
 Parts of the Brain and Their Functions

EXPLAIN
• Midbrain - relays auditory and
visual information to the cerebral
cortex

• Pons - stimulating breathing and

controlling sleep cycles.

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 Parts of the Brain and Their Functions

EXPLAIN
• Medulla- heart rate, breathing,
blood pressure

• Thalamus- relays sensory

information to the appropriate
parts of the cerebral cortex

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 Parts of the Brain and Their Functions

EXPLAIN
• Hypothalamus- breathing, heart
rate, feeling of hunger and thirst,
controlling secretions of many
hormones

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 Parts of the Brain and Their Functions

EXPLAIN
• Cerebrum- is the reason why you
can learn, remember, and
perceive. It has two hemispheres:
the right hemisphere and the left
hemisphere

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 Parts of the Brain and Their Functions

EXPLAIN
• Cerebellum- regulates your
balance, posture, and movement.
Therefore, if this part is damaged,
you may not be able to walk
properly.
• Spinal Cord- is the link between
the CNS and the PNS.
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Location of parts of the brain:
Anterior to the cerebellum is the brainstem. It is
divided into the upper and the lower brainstem.
• The upper brainstem is
composed of the thalamus
and the hypothalamus.
Mostly, these two are
collectively called the
diencephalon.

• The lower brainstem is

• The lower brainstem is
composed of the
midbrain, pons, and
medulla.
Inferior to the brainstem
is the spinal cord. This
is the longest part of the
CNS. The spinal cord,
which is made up of
spinal nerves, is
protected by bones
called vertebra.
Sensory Systems
These sensory receptors receive information from the
environment and then transmit the information to the
thalamus. The thalamus then further sends the
information to the appropriate lobes of the brain.
Nerve Cell and Nerve
Impulse
Grade 10 Biology
EXPLAIN

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 Neuron - the basic structural unit of the

EXPLAIN
nervous system.

A nerve - is a group of axons. This word

is commonly used when describing
impulse transmission.

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 Dendrites - transmit impulse to the cell

EXPLAIN
body while axons transmit impulse from
the cell body.

Impulse - travels between myelin

sheaths, in the spaces. This movement
happens only when the axon is
myelinated.

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Structure and Function of
Neuron
 Dendrites Axons
TheTransmits
Nervous System
impulse to the
Tree
Transmits impulse from
cell body the cell body
Branched Long, with terminal
branches
All don’t have myelin Some have myelin
sheath sheath; some don’t
 Transmission through the
Axon

Information is transmitted at a very fast rate by a lot of nerves, all

lined up from your brain to your spinal cord, down to your arms,
hands, and fingers.
 Neural Communication
Neurons communicate through signal molecules that they
produce. These molecules are called neurotransmitters.
Communication occurs between two neurons. That means
action potential is transmitted from one to another.
The neuron that passes the transmission through its axon is
called the presynaptic neuron. On the other hand, the
neuron that receives the transmission through its dendrites is
called the postsynaptic neuron.
Here’s the axon terminal of the presynaptic neuron and the
dendrite of the postsynaptic neuron. As you can see, there is a
tiny space between the two. They do not really touch. This
junction at which a neuron meets another neuron is called a
synapse.
The white ones are called synaptic
vesicles while the black ones are the neurotransmitters.
The junction at which a neuron
meets another neuron is called a
synapse.
Synaptic Vesicles- Carry and release
neurotransmitters at the axon
terminal.
Receptor Proteins- When the vesicles
release the neurotransmitters, the molecules travel
through the synapse until they reach the
receptors.
 Types and Examples of
Neurotransmitters
• Excitatory neurotransmitters – it excites the
postsynaptic neuron and increases the likelihood
of a response.
• Inhibitory neurotransmitters – it suppresses the
action potential and decreases the likelihood of a
response.
 Here are a few examples of neurotransmitters.

Serotonin Endorphins Dopamine

Adrenaline

Responsible for
Produced in stressful
Contributes to the Body's natural pain feelings of pleasure;
and exciting
feeling of happiness killers; released also involved in the
situations.
and well-being. during exercise. movement.
 Endocrine
System
Grade 10 Biology
There are two types of glands: endocrine glands
and exocrine glands. The main difference
between the two is the presence or absence of a
duct.
A duct is a tube-like structure that transports
secreted materials to other body parts.
 A. Data

EXPLAIN
Part Function
pituitary The pituitary gland releases different
gland hormones commanding other endocrine
glands to release the hormones they
produce.

pancrea The pancreas is an amazing gland. When

s there is much sugar in the blood, it
regulates the amount. When there isn’t
enough sugar in the blood, it regulates the
amount as well.

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 A. Data

EXPLAIN
Part Function
parath Increases blood calcium level when
yroid needed
gland

adrenal Stimulates response to stress (controls

glands blood
pressure, heart rate, breathing, and
others)

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 A. Data

EXPLAIN
Part Function
thyroid Regulates metabolism, temperature,
gland and heart
Rate, also lowers blood calcium level
when needed
thymus Stimulates development of disease-
fighting cells

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 A. Data

EXPLAIN
Part Function
hypoth The hypothalamus sends a signal to
alamus the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus
is a busy part of the brain. Apart from
its nervous system duties, it also has
endocrine system tasks. The
hypothalamus is the boss of all the
endocrine glands.

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 A. Data

EXPLAIN
Part Function
testes Responsible for development of male
characteristics and production of
sperm

ovaries Responsible for development of female

Characteristics and prepares female
body for menstruation and pregnancy.

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The hypothalamus sends a signal to the pituitary
gland, and this gland in turn releases different
hormones commanding other endocrine glands to
release the hormones they produce.