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Nervous System
Nervous tissue is made entirely of specialized cells called _____________. A neuron’s
job is to send and receive messages. Small branches in the neuron, called ____________,
receive messages, which then pass them on through the cell body to the axon. The
_______ then passes the messages on to neighboring dendrites at a synapse.
The nervous system consists of two main divisions:
1.) The ______________ nervous system, which is composed of the brain and the
spinal cord
The brain receives stimuli from the outside world through sensory organs in the body.
Internal stimuli are also received from inside the body. It reacts to all this stimuli and
responds appropriately.
The ________________ cord connects the brain to the peripheral nervous system. It
contains interneurons, which connect one neuron to another.
2.) The_______________ nervous system is made up of the cranial (head) and
spinal nerves, which travel to all parts of the body
_______________ neurons carry information from the body to the central nervous
system. ______________neurons carry information from the central nervous system
to the muscles and organs.
1. Describe the job of the nervous system.
2. Describe the similarities and differences between the central and peripheral
nervous systems.
3. Current brain research suggests that the more a particular set of neurons is used in
the brain, the more automatic the response becomes. Use this info. to explain
why practicing is so important when learning to play sports or playing a musical
instrument.
4. How does the structure of a neuron help it carry out its function?