Left Side Brainstorm Essential Questions

1. How does the brain communicate with the rest of the body?

2. What might cause the brain not to communicate well with the rest of
the body?

3. Are there different parts of the brain? Does each part control
something different in the body?

4. Can we control our brain like we can control our body?

5. What do you think the following statement means: “When you go to
a restaurant you can pick anything you want from the menu, but you
can’t pick what you want”?
Neurons and Neuroglia
The nervous system: monitors
the internal and external
environments, integrates sensory
information and coordinates
voluntary and involuntary
responses. The central nervous
system (CNS) consists of the
brain and spinal cord and
processes sensory data and
transmits motor commands. All
communication with the rest of
the body occurs over the
peripheral nervous system (PNS)
which consists of all neural tissue
outside the CNS.
Neurons are the individual pieces of the nervous system. Neurons are composed
of: a cell body, several branching, sensitive dendrites, which receive incoming
signals, an elongate axon, which carries outgoing signals toward one or more
synaptic terminals, which communicates with other cells.
Neurons are classified into
three types. A multipolar
neuron has 2 or more
dendrites and 1 axon, they are
the most common neuron and
control all skeletal muscles. In a
unipolar neuron the dendrites
and axon are continuous and
the cell body lies off to one
side. Most sensory neurons of
the PNS are unipolar. Bipolar
neurons have 1 dendrite and 1
axon with the cell body
between them. These are rare
but relay information about
sight, smell and hearing.
Neurons are also classified into
3 functional groups. Sensory
neurons (approx. 10 million)
monitor the external and
internal environments and
relay this information to the
CNS. There are 2 types of
somatic sensory receptors.
External receptors sense
information from the
environment using touch,
temperature, pressure, sight,
smell and hearing.
Proprioceptors monitor the
position and movement of
skeletal muscles and joints.
Proprioceptors monitor the
position and movement of skeletal
muscles and joints. Visceral
(internal) receptors monitor
activities of the internal organs,
taste and pain. Motor neuron
(approx. half a million) carry
instructions from the CNS to other
tissues. Somatic motor neurons
innervate skeletal muscles where
as visceral motor neurons of the
(ANS) innervate cardiac and
smooth muscle, glands and
adipose tissue. Interneurons
(approx. 20 billion) exist entirely in
the CNS and interconnect neurons.
1st Left Side Activity Create a cluster map with the words “Functional Classification of
Neurons” at the center. Then working out give the name and information about each
neuron type (Example below). Color the cluster map 4 different colors as below.
2nd Left Side Activity
External Create an Acrostic
Receptors
Function and Organizer for what
Information Sensory Functional Interneurons Neurons are
Neurons Classification Function and
Function and of Neurons Information composed of: 4
Proprioceptors Information things
Function and
Information
Motor 3rd Left Side Activity
Neurons
Visceral Function and Create an Acrostic
Receptors Information Organizer for how
Function and
Information
Neurons are
Somatic Visceral classified into three
Neurons Neurons types
Function and Function and
Information Information