Brain

Right Brain Exercise: Counting Squares

Count the number of squares in the figure on the left.
Hint: Be sure to count the squares within the squares.

21
squares
Right Brain: Jigsaw Brain Break
Which piece fits in the puzzle?

B
Left Brain: Finding Colors

Rearrange all the letters to find the four colors

mixed up below. Hint: Only one is a primary color.

RAIGET
Green,
ENOLYL
Orange,
OVGOEN Violet,
Yellow
LEWRE
Left Brain: Proverb

All the vowels have been removed from the following

proverb, and the remaining letters have been clustered into groups
of three or four letters each. Replace the vowels and reveal the
proverb.

TWH

DSRB
Two heads are
TTRT better than
one.
HNN
Finicky Frank

Frank has very eccentric tastes. He’s a fan of football but hates
rugby; loves beer but hates ale; drives a Ferrari but wouldn’t be
caught dead in a Lamborghini. Based on Frank’s finicky tastes, would
he prefer skiing or cycling?

Skiing, since he only

likes words that contain
double letters.
Learning Objectives:
1. The learners demonstrate understanding of
organisms as having feedback mechanisms,
which are coordinated by the nervous and
endocrine systems
2. Describe how the nervous system coordinates
and regulates these feedback mechanisms to
maintain homeostasis
Nervous
System
Functions of the Nervous
System
1. Gathers information from both inside and
outside the body - Sensory Function
2. Transmits information to the processing
areas of the brain and spine
3. Processes the information in the brain
and spine – Integration Function
4. Sends information to the muscles, glands,
and organs so they can respond
appropriately – Motor Function
Cells of the
Nervous
System
 Neurons
• Basic functional cell of nervous
system
• conducting cells,
• Neurons receive stimuli and
transmit impulses to other
neurons or to other body organs
such as muscles.
 Parts of
Neurons
• Dendrite – receive stimulus and carries it impulses
toward the cell body
• Cell Body with nucleus – nucleus & most of cytoplasm
• Axon – fiber which carries impulses away from cell body
• Schwann Cells – cells which produce myelin or fat layer
in the Peripheral Nervous System
• Myelin sheath – dense lipid layer which insulates the
axon – makes the axon look gray
• Node of Ranvier – gaps or nodes in the myelin sheath
 Types of
Neurons
Neurons can be classified into three types
according to the direction in which an impulse
travels.
• Sensory neurons carry impulses from the
sense organs, such as the eyes and ears, to
the spinal cord and brain.
• Motor neurons carry impulses from the
brain and the spinal cord to muscles and
glands.
• Interneurons process information from
sensory neurons and then send commands
to other interneurons or motor neurons.
 Neuroglia
• Neuroglia also known as the glial
cells, is a supportive cell of the
nervous system that forms 40%
of the brain’s bulk.
 Types of
Neuroglia
• Astrocytes supply nutrients to neurons and
help maintain their ability to transmit
impulses.
• Ependymal cells produce the cerebrospinal
fluid (a protective cushion) and the bathe
brain and the spinal cord.
• Microglial cells help in removing debris and
bacteria from the central nervous system
(CNS).
• Oligodendrocytes in the CNS and Schwann
cell in the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
produce the protective myelin sheath for
 • Question:
Scenario 1: Stepping on a
Sharp Object a. Which type of neuron detects
You step on a sharp object the pain from your foot?
while walking barefoot.
b. Which type of neuron sends the
signal to move your foot away?
c. What role do interneurons play
in this situation?
 • Question:
Scenario 2: Smelling Freshly
Baked Cookies a. What type of neuron is
You walk into the kitchen responsible for detecting the
and smell freshly baked smell?
cookies.
b. Once your brain processes the
smell, which type of neuron helps
you decide to grab a cookie?
 • Questions
Scenario 3: Writing Notes in
Clas – a. Which type of neuron signals
You are taking notes in your hand muscles to move?
class, and your hand b. Describe how sensory neurons
moves to write the might also play a role in this
words. situation.
Parts of the

Nervous
 Nervous
System
The nervous system consists of two
divisions: the central nervous system
containing the brain and spinal cord,
and the peripheral nervous system
which is a network of nerves and
neural tissues branching out
throughout the body.
 Major Division of
Nervous System
• The CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM,
– controls intelligence, sensory,
and motor activities involving
muscle tone, balance, and
coordination.
 The Central Nervous
System
The Brain
• The major areas of the brain—Brain stem – medulla, pons, midbrain;
Diencephalon – thalamus & hypothalamus; Cerebellum; Cerebrum

The Spinal Cord

• The main communication link between the brain and the rest of the
body
 Meninges
Meninges are the three coverings around the
brain & spine and help cushion, protect, and nourish
the brain and spinal cord.
• dura mater is the most outer layer, very tough
• arachnoid mater is the middle layer and
adheres to the dura mater and has web like
attachments to the innermost layer
• pia mater is very thin, transparent, but tough,
and covers the entire brain, following it into all
its crevices (sulci) and spinal cord
 Brain
• The brain is the control center of the
human body;
• it is encased by the bone of the head
called the skull.
• The brain is divided into parts
according to position:
– forebrain in front,
– midbrain in the middle, and
– hindbrain at the back.
 Forebrain
The forebrain (prosencephalon) controls
body temperature, reproductive functions, eating,
sleeping, and the display of emotions.
• Cerebrum – conscious activity including
perception, emotion, thought, and planning
• Thalamus – Brain’s switchboard – filters and
then relays information to various brain regions
• Hypothalamus – involved in regulating activities
internal organs, monitoring information from
the autonomic nervous system, controlling the
pituitary gland and its hormones, and regulating
sleep and appetite
 Cerebrum
It consists of two hemispheres divided by a
fissure – corpus callosum
It includes the
• Cerebral cortex – is the layer of the
brain often referred to as gray matter
because it has cell bodies and synapses
but no myelin
• Medullary body – is the white matter of
the cerebrum and consists of
myelinated axons
• Basal ganglia – masses of gray matter in
each hemisphere which are involved in
the control of voluntary muscle
 Lobes of the Brain
• Frontal – motor area involved in
movement and in planning &
coordinating behavior
• Parietal – sensory processing, attention,
and language
• Temporal – auditory perception, speech,
and complex visual perceptions
• Occipital – visual center – plays a role in
processing visual information
 Midbrain
The midbrain or
mesencephalon is the forward-
most portion of the brainstem
and is associated with vision,
hearing, motor control, sleep
and wakefulness, arousal
(alertness), and temperature
regulation.
 Hindbrain
Hindbrain, also called
rhombencephalon, region of the
developing vertebrate brain that is
composed of the medulla
oblongata, the pons, and the
cerebellum.
The hindbrain coordinates
functions that are fundamental to
survival, including respiratory
rhythm, motor activity, sleep, and
wakefulness.
 Brainstem
• acts as a relay center connecting the
cerebrum and cerebellum to the spinal
cord.
• It performs many automatic functions
such as breathing, heart rate, body
temperature, wake and sleep cycles,
digestion, sneezing, coughing, vomiting,
and swallowing.
 Structures in
Brainstem
• the gray matter of the midbrain control
visual reflexes and sense of hearing.
• the white matter of the pons plays a role
in regulating visceral (internal organ)
control.
• the medulla oblongata connects the rest
of the brain to the spinal cord. It
regulates breathing, swallowing,
coughing, sneezing, vomiting, heartbeat,
and blood pressure.
 Cerebellum
• The cerebellum is the second largest part
of the brain.
• It contains nerve fibers that connect it to
every part of the central nervous system.

• It coordinates voluntary and involuntary

patterns of movements.
• It also adjusts muscles to automatically
maintain posture.
 Pons
• The pons, while involved in the
regulation of functions carried out
by the cranial nerves it houses,
works together with the medulla
oblongata to serve an especially
critical role in generating the
respiratory rhythm of breathing.
• Active functioning of the pons may
also be fundamental to Rapid Eye
Movement (REM) sleep.
 Spinal Cord
• The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular
structure made up of nervous tissue,
which extends from the medulla
oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar
region of the vertebral column.
• It encloses the central canal of the spinal
cord, which contains cerebrospinal fluid.
• The spinal cord is a column of nerves that
connects your brain with the rest of your
body, allowing you to control your
movements.
Cerebrospinal
Fluid
• A colorless fluid produced in the
ventricles of the brain.
• Protect brain and spinal cord from
trauma.
• Supply nutrients to nervous system
tissue.
• Remove waste products from cerebral
metabolism.
 Major Division of
Nervous System
• The PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
– consists of nerves and supporting cells,
– The peripheral system allows the brain
and spinal cord to receive and send
information to other areas of the body,
which allows us to react to stimuli in
our environment.
 Division of
Peripheral Nervous
System
• The SOMATIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
– The somatic system is the part of the peripheral nervous system
responsible for carrying sensory and motor information to and
from the central nervous system.
Motor neurons: Also called efferent neurons, motor neurons carry
information from the brain and spinal cord to muscle fibers
throughout the body.
Sensory neurons: Also called afferent neurons, sensory neurons
carry information from the nerves to the central nervous system.
 Division of
Peripheral Nervous
System
• The AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
– The autonomic system is the part of the peripheral nervous system that's
responsible for regulating involuntary body functions, such as blood flow,
heartbeat, digestion, and breathing.
Parasympathetic system: This helps maintain normal body functions and
conserve physical resources.
Sympathetic system: the sympathetic system triggers a response by
accelerating heart rate, increasing breathing rate, boosting blood flow to
muscles, activating sweat secretion, and dilating the pupils.