The brain and central nervous system

Cortex- the outer layer of the cerebrum (the cerebral cortex ), composed of folded grey matter and playing an important role in consciousness.

Cerebellum - the part of the brain at the back of the skull in vertebrates, which coordinates and regulates muscular activity.

Brain stem - the central trunk of the mammalian brain, consisting of the medulla oblongata, pons, and midbrain, and continuing downwards to form the spinal cord.

Medulla - the inner region of an organ or tissue, especially when it is distinct from the outer region or cortex (as in a kidney, an adrenal gland, or hair).

Pons, hypothalamus, pituitary, thalamus glands - an organ in the human or animal body which secretes particular chemical substances for use in the body or for discharge into the surroundings.

The right side of the brain controls muscles on the left side of the body and the left side of the brain controls muscles on the right side of the body. Also, in general, sensory information from the left side of the body crosses over to the right side of the brain and information from the right side of the body crosses over to the left side of the brain. Therefore, damage to one side of the brain will affect the opposite side of the body.

Left Hemisphere

Language Math Logic

Right Hemisphere

Spatial abilities

Face recognition Visual imagery Music

Once a memory is created, it must be stored (no matter how briefly). Many experts think there are three ways we store memories: first in the sensory stage; then in short-term memory; and ultimately, for some memories, in long-term memory. Because there is no need for us to maintain everything in our brain, the different stages of human memory function as a sort of filter that helps to protect us from the flood of information that we're confronted with on a daily basis

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You probably think of your nervous system as a kind of computer network, or some kind of electrical system that passes nerve impulses around. But in reality, the miraculous journey of a signal thorough your nervous system is a story that involves cell biology, chemistry and physics. Your brain contains 30 billion neurons, and each of them is a staggering achievement.

Nervous system

All body parts are kept working together through the nervous system. There are 2 main parts of this system: 1-the central nervous system: the control centre for the whole body, which consists of the brain and the spinal cord.

2- The peripheral nervous system: contains all the nerves that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body.

Nerves

The many parts of our body are connected by nerves. Thin, white cord- like nerves along high signals travels; consist of bundles of hundreds and thousands of long thin cells called neurones. These cells are organised into a clever system that is very fast indeed. They send along electrical impulses throughout the whole body.

Neurone

Long thin strands reach out from the cell body. One of these strands is usually longer than the other. This is called an axon. It conducts impulses away from the cell body. The shorter strands are called dendrites and accept signals from other neurones, carrying them toward the body.

There are billions of neurons in the body. This is important because we cannot grew new neurons in the body. Once destroyed they are gone forever.