Nervous System Basics
What is the control center of the nervous system?
Brain
What do we call something that causes a reaction?
A stimulus
What are the two (connected) parts of the Central Nervous System?
Brain and Spinal Cord
A student hears the bell ring and begins packing up their supplies. What is happening?
The nervous system hears the sound, processes the information, and tells the muscles to start packing up.
What system controls and coordinates the body's activities?
The Nervous System
A bright flashlight shining in your eyes would be a _____.
Stimulus
What is the difference between an automatic and a voluntary response?
Reflexes happen automatically; voluntary actions are chosen consciously.
You accidentally touch snow with your bare hand and immediately notice it feels cold. What is happening?
Nerves in the skin gather information about temperature and send messages to the brain.
What type of cell carries messages through the nervous system?
Neurons
Here is a scenario: You smell smoke and leave the room. Which portion of that scenario is the response?
Leaving the room
What are the THREE things the Nervous System helps us do with information?
Gather, process, and react to information.
A soccer player sees a ball coming toward them and kicks it into the goal. What is happening?
The nervous system gathers information through the eyes, processes it in the brain, and sends messages to the leg muscles.
Which structure carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body?
Spinal cord
A student touches an icy metal pole and immediately pulls their hand away. Identify the stimulus and the response.
Stimulus = cold metal pole; Response = pulling hand away
What is the scientific name for the specialist who Ms. Bortignon visits for updates about her epilepsy?
Neurologist
You smell smoke in your classroom and look toward the source. What is happening?
The nervous system gathers information using the nose, processes the smell in the brain, and causes you to turn and look.
What are neurons?
Nerve cells that send messages
Identify the stimulus and response: A loud alarm rings and a student covers their ears.
Stimulus = loud alarm; Response = covering ears
What is the name of a surgeon who operates on the brain?
Neurosurgeon
A student catches a falling water bottle before it hits the floor. What happened?
The eyes gather information, the brain processes what is happening, and nerves send messages to muscles in the arm and hand to catch the bottle.