The Nervous System

 Control and coordinate the body parts and

processes.
 It receives sensory stimuli from internal and
external environments.
 It responds in a coordinated manner.
Two Division Of The Nervous System

The central nervous system (CNS)

 Made up of the brain and spinal cord.
 The control center of the body.
 Receives and transmits messages
to all body parts.

The peripheral Nervous System

 Made up of cranial and spinal
nerves.
 Take messages to and from
CNS.
 Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

 regulates the functions of our internal organs

such as the heart, stomach and intestines.

 The ANS is part of the peripheral nervous system.

 also controls some of the muscles within the

body.
 We are often unaware of the ANS because it
functions involuntary and reflexively.

 For example, we do not notice when blood

vessels change size or when our heart beats
faster.
 Main Parts of The Brain
Cerebrum
 The bulk of the brain
 Responsible for voluntary actions.
 Control speech, thinking, emotions and
personality.
 Coordinates messages to and
from the brain.
Cerebellum
 Controls muscular coordination, balance,
posture and muscle tone.

Medulla Oblongata
Control involuntary activities of internal organs
such as heart beat, breathing, peristalsis,
temperature regulation.
 Hypothalamus
 Found at the base of the brain
 Helps to regulate human body temperature
 Control our appetite
 Controls our sexual behaviour
 Controlling how we response emotionally
Pituitary Glands

 It is found at the back of

the nose.

 Has an oval shape.

 Release hormone that

control the functioning
of other glands.

 The pituitary gland is refer to as the master

gland.
Neurone and Nerve

 Nerves in a dissection appear as white threads.

These threads consists of bundles of fiber
bound together in one sheath.

 Inside the fibres are the long

processes from the cell
bodies of nerve cells. A
whole nerve cell is called a
neurone.
Parts of a Neurone

Axon
Carries electrical impulses
Away from the cell body.

Dendrites
Carries impulses towards
Cell body.

Myelin Sheath
 Surrounds axon and
dendrons.
 It has an insulating
effects on the activities
that take place in a
Neurone.

Cell Body
 It has a spherical shape.
 It contains the nucleus.
 Types of Neurones
Sensory neurones
 Take electrical impulses from the sense organs
to the central nervous system.

Relay neurones
 Found in central nervous system.
 They transfer information between sensory and
motor neurones.
 Processing information.
Motor Neurones
 The collect information from the central nervous
system and take it to the different body organs
when responding to stimulus.
Synapses
 This is a small gap at the ends of neurones.

 This tiny gap prevent the joining of neurones.

 Impulses go across this gap from the end of one

neurone to the next one inline.

 Synapses are located between

the dendrites of two neurones
, or the dendrites and cell bodies
to which they are applied.
Neurotransmitter
 This is a chemical substance that is release
when nerve impulses arrive at the synapse.
 Types of Actions
Voluntary Actions
 These are actions that we consciously choose to
do.

 For example we see a ripe orange on the tree

and pick it. However before you pick it, you will
examine it carefully before making the decision
to pick it.
Involuntary Action
 An action that is not under the person’s control.

 It happens automatically, without

the person thinking about it.

 The simplest type of involuntary

action is a reflex action.

 This is an automatic response, over which you

have no conscious control.
Spinal Reflex Action

 This gives us a quick response to

stimulus.

 Impulses pass from sense organ to

the spinal cord and straight back to
the effectors muscles.

 This quickly moves the body parts away.

 This serves to protect the part of the body near the

dangerous external stimulus.
 When You touches Something Hot
 When the hand touches hot plate temperature
and pain receptors in skin are stimulated.

 Sensory neurons then conduct impulse along the

arm, to spinal cord.
 The sensory neurons enter the dorsal dorsal root
of spinal cord.

 Impulses passes across spinal cord to relay

neurons.

 After making a quick decision, relay then send

impulse to motor neurons.
 Motor neurons leave spinal cord at the ventral
root.

 Motor neurons take impulse to the effector

muscle of arm, telling them to contract .

 Arm is then removed from hot plate.

Knee- Jerk Reflex
 There is no relay neurone.

 The stimulus passes directly from sensory to

motor neurone.
 A doctor perform this to check that your nervous
system actions are working properly.
S
Conditioned Reflex

 Some reactions have to be learned

first.
 After that they can be done without
conscious thought.

 The child learning to walk and riding a

bicycle are examples.

 At first they are voluntary movements.

 Later they are performed without conscious

thought.
 They are called condition reflexes because they
have to be acquired through learning.

 Once learned they are controlled by part of the

brain which is not concerned with conscious
thoughts.
Protection of the Eye

 The eye ball is in a cavity

(socket) of the skull that
protects it from knocks.

 Eyebrows prevent sweat from entering the eye.

 The eyelids prevent the entry of substances such

as windblown grit.
 Tears lubricate the surface of the eye, when we
blink.
 Eyelashes help prevent the entry of dust and grit.
 The Human Eye
The Pupil Reflex

Pupil is smaller in bright light and larger in dim

light.

A reflex action which controls the amount of light

entering eyes.
In Bright Light
 In bright light, circular muscle in iris contracts.

 This enlarges the iris

 Hence reducing pupil’s size.

In Dim Light

 Radial muscles contract.

 Iris gets smaller which make pupil larger in size.

 Pigment Accustoms The Eye To Dim Light

 When in bright light the pigment is bleached

out.

 These pigments take time to regenerate in order

for you to see in the dark.

 It may take up to 30 minutes for all the rods

pigments to regenerate when you enter dim
light.
 This accounts for the difficulty in seeing at first
on entering a dark room.
 Accommodation

 The way the lens brings about fine focusing on the

retina.

 The lens is elastic and its focal

length can be change.

 Focal length of the lens is longer

for viewing distant objects as
the lens get thinner.

 Focal length of the lens is shorter

for viewing near objects as the
lens get fatter.
Eye Defects

Long Sight/ Hyperopia

 When near objects cannot be
focused on the retina.

 The diverging rays of light are not sufficiently

refracted.

 The image form behind the retina.

 Light rays from distant objects can be seen clearly, as

they need less refraction.
Cause of Long Sight
 By a short eyeball
 A weak lens

Correction
Can be corrected by
wearing glasses with a
a convex lens.
Short Sight / Myopia

 Can see near objects

clearly as the light rays
need more refraction.

 Distant objects appear

blurred.

 Parallel light rays are refracted too much and

focus in front of the retina.
Cause of Short sight

 A long eyeball

 Lens refracting the light

too much (Strong lens).

Short Sight Correction

Can be corrected by
wearing glasses with
Concave lens.
Astigmatism
 This is cause when the cornea become uneven.

 Vision becomes distorted.

 Parallel vertical or longitudinal

bars appear to bend.

 Light rays focus at different points

on the retina.
Glaucoma
 often associated with a buildup of pressure
inside the eye.

 The increased pressure can damage the optic

nerve, which transmits images to the brain.

 If damage to the optic nerve from high eye

pressure continues, glaucoma will cause
permanent loss of vision.
Why Does Pressure Rise in the Eye to Cause
Glaucoma?

 When eye fluid isn't circulating normally in the

front part of the eye.

 Normally, this fluid, called aqueous humor, flows

out of the eye through a mesh-like channel.

 If this channel becomes blocked, fluid builds up,

causing glaucoma.
Cataracts

 Occur when there is a buildup of protein in the

lens that makes it cloudy.

 This prevents light from passing clearly through

the lens, causing some loss of vision.