Chapter 2 :

Body Coordination
Body coordination- is the adjustment of our
body’s reaction towards any stimulus around
us (like temperature change) and from inside
of our body (like digestion food)
 2.1 Body Coordination
Body coordination

Nervous coordination Hormonal coordination

-Controlled and coordinated by -controlled and coordinated by the
the nervous system endocrine system
-Coordinates body activities like: -coordinates body activities like
walking, looking, writing and body growth, reproduction, and
reading food digestion

Importance of body coordination:

-enables all body organs to function as a unit to
detect stimuli and respond towards them
-controls coordination between stimuli and body
responses
-helps us to avoid injuries or dangers
-Enables us to adapt to the changes around us
 2.2 Human Nervous System
Human nervous system

Central nervous system Peripheral nervous system

Brain: Spinal
Controls all cord: Somatic nervous Autonomic nervous
activities of Controls system (voluntary): system
the body reflex action Controls voluntary (involuntary):
actions Control involuntary
actions

Cranial nerves Spinal nerves

 Central nervous system (CNS):
This system is consist of:
– Brain
– Spinal cord
The brain control all activities like walking and
seeing.
The spinal cord control the reflex action like
pulling the hand away when the fingers touch a
hot object.
The CNS receives impulses from the sensory
organs or other parts of the body for
interpretation.
After an impulse interpreted, a new impulse is
transmitted to the muscle or gland to respond to
the stimuli.
Peripheral nervous system (PNS):
PNS consist of all nerves which connect the
CNS to the receptor and effectors located at
other parts of body.
Function of PNS: transmit impulses from
sensory organ/receptor through CNS to the
muscle for it to respond or gland to produce the
required secretion.
Spinal nerve- controls voluntary action like
walking, scratching and running.
Cranial nerve- control voluntary action like
talking, smelling and seeing.
The cranial nerve connects the brain to
sensory organs in the head and neck like
eyes, nose, ears, tongue and jaws.
The autonomic nervous system (ANS)
control involuntary actions like heartbeat
and contraction of blood vessels
ANS contains nerves which connect the
spinal cord to internal organs and glands
like liver, kidneys, heart and lungs
 Neurone:
The nervous system is
made up of nerve cells or
neurones.
Neurones are long and
thin.
Function of neurone is to
carry impulses (electrical
signals).
A neurone consist of cell
body (contains nucleus,
dendrons, dendrites) and a
single axon.
 Neurone part Function
Cell body Controls all activities of body

Dendrite Receives impulses from other neurone

and transmit them to cell body
Dendron Receives impulses and transmits them
to cell body
Axon Bring the impulses leave the cell body
 effector
Myelin sheath -insulator on axon prevents the leakage
of impulses.
-increases the speed of impulse
transmission
There are 3 types of neurone:
– Sensory neurone
– Relay neurone (interneurone)
– Motor neurone
 Comparison between sensory neurone, relay
neurone and motor neurone.
Characteristic Sensory Relay neurone Motor neurone
neurone

Position of In the middle of At the cente of At the end of the

the cell body neurone neurone neurone

Length of Short Changes Long

axon

Function Carries impulses Transmits Transmits

from sensory impulses from impulses from
organ/receptor-> sensory CNS -> effector
CNS neurone ->
motor neurone
 2.3 Nerve Coordination
Transmission of impulses from receptor to effector

Synapses:
Receptor: The gap that separates
Receives stimulus and Sensory neurone two neurones and
triggers impulses allows the impulses to
pass through it in one
direction only

Effector: Relay neurone

Reacts by the
contraction of the
muscles or glands
producing the Motor neurone
hormones.
 Reflex action:
START

Reflex action-are automatic and fast responses

of the body towards external stimuli, without the
involvement of thinking.
Reflex action take place in the spinal cord.
1. If the hand is pricked by a needle, the receptors or
sensory cells in the skin are stimulated. Nerve impulse
is triggered.
2. The impulse travels along the sensory neurones to the
spinal cord.
3. The impulses pass through synapses to the relay
neurone.
4. The impulse travel along the relay neurone.
5. It across the synapses to the motor neurone.
6. It travels along the motor neurone to the muscles.
7. The muscles contract and jerk the hand from the
needle.
Other examples of reflex action:
– Jerking away of hand when in contact with a hot
kettle.
– Lifting of leg when the foot accidentally steps on a
nail.
– Coughing when chocked on something
– Jerking of the knee is knocked
– Blinking the eyes to avoid the entry of small insects or
dust
– Immediately constriction of the pupils when a bright
light is directed to the eyes.
The path of reflex action is called a reflex arc.

Receptor/ Sensory
neurones Synapses
sensory organs

Relay
neurones

Muscles/ Motor
Synapses
effector neurones
2.4 The role of proprioceptors in maintaining
balance and coordination
Kinaesthetic senses enable us to be aware of movement
and position of limbs to maintain balance.
Kinaesthetis senses are important to maintain balance
and coordination of body.
Kinaesthetis sensory receptors are found in muscles,
tendons, ligaments and joints. Such receptors are called
proprioceptors.
Proprioceptors act as sensory organ because their
sensitivity towards the tension of muscles.
Examples of activities which are helped by kinaesthetic
senses are:
– Playing the piano
– Combing hair without looking at the mirror
– Button our t-shirt with closed eyes
2.5 the human brain and its
complexity
Part of brain Specific feature Function
Cerebrum -largest region of the brain
-control mental
-Many folded surface that increase activities:thinking, memory
the surface area to place more and emotions.
neurone
Control senses:sight,
-consist of left hemisphere and right hearing, smelling and
hemisphere touching
Left hemisphere-receive impulses Controls muscles
from right side of body movement:
Right hemisphere-receive impulses wakling,writing,running
from left side of body
Cerebellum -situated at lower part of the -control body balance
cerebrum and at the back of -coordinates muscle
medulla oblongata movement
-has folded surface -control activities like riding
bicycle
Medulla -connects the brain with spinal cord -control involuntary actions
-it is the control centre of such as breathing, blood
oblongata pressure, heartbeat, food
involuntary actions
digestion, peristalsis
 The differences between Voluntary Action and Involuntary Action
Voluntary action Differences Involuntary action
Actions we are aware Type of response Automatic
Begins in brain Stimuli of actions No stimuli
Cerebrum Region in brain Medulla oblongata
Receptor->spinal Impulses Receptor->spinal
cord->cerebrum- transmission cord->Medulla
>spinal cord->muscles oblongata->spinal
cord->internal organs
Skeletal muscles Parts that respond Internal organs (heart,
(biceps) kidneys)
Somatic nervous Type of nerve Autonomic nervous
system involve system
Writing, speaking, Example of action Heartbeat,peristalsis,
walking,hearing, breathing,reflex
dancing action, constriction of
pupils
 Effect of injury to the brain:
1. Injury to the region 4. Injury to the senses of
controlling movement: hearing region:
Results in certain parts of the Results in deafness.
body to be paralysis
Example: limbs

5. Injury to the senses of

2. Injury to the senses of
sight region:
smell and taste:
Results in blindness
Results in the loss of
senses of smell and taste
6. Injury to the cerebrum:
3. Injury to the medulla Results in the loss of body
oblongata: balance
All involuntary actions cease
and this cause death.
 Comparison between nervous system and endocrine system

Differences Nervous system Endocrine system

Coordination Consist of nerves Consist of ductless glands

Way of impulse Goes through the Goes to bloodstream in the

transmission nerves form of chemical substances
electrochemically. (hormones)
Speed of impulse Very fast Slow
transmission
Duration of effect A short while Long
Target areas Specific Wide
Responses Fast and immediate Slow and continuous
Examples of body Writing, dancing Growth, body metabolism
coordination
Similarities Control and coordinates body function and activities
Respond to a stimulus
Possess target organ
 Importance of coordination
between N.S and E.S
Both of them coordinates the appropriate
body responds towards on stimulus.
Example, when fear strikes during a fire,
adrenal glands secretes hormones that
changes glycogenglucose for muscles’
usage.
Then muscles will gain more energy to
enable the person to running away from
the fire.
Adverse effects of drug abuse on
body coordination and health:
Stimulating body response
Hallucination
Slowing down body response
Infection of diseases
Factors that cause drug abuse and
steps to overcome it
Factor Steps to overcome
Peer influence Anti-drug campaign
Desire to try Death penalty for drug
Pleasure-seeking trafficking
Lack of religious Parental love for the young
education Parental supervision of daily
To overcome Emphasis on religious and
daily pressure moral education
2.9 the effect of excessive consumption of
alcohol on body coordination and health
Alcoholic drinks contain ethanol
Ethanol is produced from fermentation of
glucose by yeast
Examples: beer, whisky, vodka, rum and
brandy.
They are categorised as hard drinks
because of their high alcohol content
 •Alcohol slow down the
rate of nerve impulse •Alcohol can damage
transmission and affects liver cells, reduce the
the central nervous production of bile,
system cause cirrhosis of the
liver (scar tissue) and
hepatitis.
Effects of excessive •In severe case,
consumption of continuous
alcoholic drinks consumption of alcohol
can cause death

•Response of drinker in
emergency is slow
•Cannot drive safely because his
sight is blurred and his hearing is
poor.
•A drinker uses longer time to stop
his vehicles
 2.10 importance of sound and healthy mind

The mind is the ability of brain to think and judge.

A healthy mind enables a person to make logical
judgment before he acts
People Characteristics
Healthy mind -positive thinking, independent,
caring and responsible.

Unhealthy mind -short-tempered, feels worry, not

have self esteem and difficult to
control emotions
 The mind of an individual is affected by external and
internal factors
Factors that affect the mind

External factors Internal factors

•Social factor-family and

•Brain injury-caused by
peer
•Environment conditions- disease or accident
•Disease-gastritis or joint
weather and temperature
•Mental stress pain
•Hormones imbalances
•Drug abuse-hallucination
•Excessive consumption of
alcohol-cannot think logically
 concepts  concepts
spinal nerve and cranial nerve are spinal nerve and cranial nerve are
not involve in reflex action involved in reflex action
knee-jerking involves relay neurone knee-jerking does not involve relay
neurone
left hemisphere control left side of left hemisphere control right side of
body while right hemisphere control body while right hemisphere control
right side of body left side of body
deficiency of iodine in blood can deficiency of iodine in blood goitre
cause mumps
alcohol is not a type of drug alcohol is a type of drug because it
affects body function
all drugs can adverse effects only to drugs can cause adverse effects to
a person’s health the body if they are misused. Some
drugs can be used for medical
purpose.
(cerebrum/cerebellum) control voluntary
actions.
When your (cerebrum/cerebellum) is
injured, you’ll lose your body balance
Excessive of hormone produce by pituitary
gland will cause (gigantism/dwarfism)
Master gland of endocrine system is
(adrenal/pituitary) gland
4types of drugs:
– depressants
–
–