Organs of the Nervous System

The nervous system is an incredibly important system to the body​. It has a variety of responsibilites that will be covered later in the lesson.

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There are a variety of parts to the Nervous system that work to make sure we stay alive, some of those parts include:

Brain (The main organ of the NS)

​Spinal Cord (The connection between the brain and your sensory system)

​Sensory Organs

​ALL of the nerves found in your body

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Fun fact: Laid end to end, the nerves in one average adult can wrap around the Earth two and a half times​

Role of the Nervous System

The nervous system transmits signals between the brain and the rest of the body, including internal organs. In this way, the nervous system's activity controls the ability to move, breathe, see, think, and more.

The basic unit of the nervous system is a nerve cell, or neuron.​ This will be covered more in detail later in the lesson.

Your body relies on electricity as much as any machine; without it then your brain would not be able to "talk" to the rest of the body. ​

While the nervous system itself is only the

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Brain

Spinal Cord

Sensory Organs

Nerves​

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​It is split up into different categories called the Central Nervous System and the Peripheral Nervous System, which you can see pictured to the right.

​Different Parts of the NS and how they are categorized

​The Brains of the Operation

A common way to understand the role of the NS is to assign it the role of "CEO" or manager of a company; it oversees all operations and makes calls on what to do.

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The thing that interprets this information and sends signals to the "workers" of the body is the brain.

The brain itself takes up about 20% of your total energy intake, equaling about 400-500 calories on average. ​

​To do all this work, the brain cannot process this information all at once, no it partitions the information into different "lobes" or parts of the brain. 4 Lobes per hemisphere gives a total of 8 lobes per brain. All of which are pictured here.

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The brains of the Operation P2

While your brain is split into 4 lobes, a further splitting occurs between the 2 hemispheres of the brain: Classically referred to as the Left and Right Hemisphere (or sides). They each serve specific functions that are outlined in the diagram to the left.

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Despite any popular science myths, no one is truly left brain or right brain dominant; it all depends on how your brain processes information.

The brains of the Operation p3

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The frontal lobe is generally where higher executive functions including emotional regulation, planning, reasoning and problem solving occur.​

​​Frontal Lobe

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​Areas in the parietal lobe are responsible for integrating sensory information, including touch, temperature, pressure and pain. 

​​Parietal Lobe

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​The temporal lobe contains regions dedicated to processing sensory information, particularly important for hearing, recognising language, and forming memories.  

​​Temporal Lobe

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The occipital lobe is the major visual processing center in the brain.​

​​Occipital Lobe

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The cerebellum is the area at the back and bottom of the brain, behind the brainstem. The cerebellum has several functions relating to movement and coordination, including:

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• Maintaining balance: The cerebellum has special sensors that detect shifts in balance and movement. It sends signals for the body to adjust and move.

• Coordinating movement: Most body movements require the coordination of multiple muscle groups. The cerebellum times muscle actions so that the body can move smoothly.

• Vision: The cerebellum coordinates eye movements.

• Motor learning: The cerebellum helps the body to learn movements that require practice and fine-tuning. For example, the cerebellum plays a role in learning to ride a bicycle or play a musical instrument.

• Other functions: Researchers believe the cerebellum has some role in thinking, including processing language and mood. However, findings on these functions are yet to recieve full exploration.

​The Cerebellum