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Your Wires are Really Crossed: Communication in the Nervous System Introduction: Student Pages Activity 1E Have you ever wondered how your body knows how to move? How does your body know to move one foot in front of the other to walk? What tells your foot to kick a soccer ball? How do your fingers push the buttons to text your friend? All of these things happen because of communication in your body via neural pathways. In this activity, you will simulate how neural pathways transfer information through the body. Background: Brain and Spinal Cord) PNS Branched Motor and Sensory Nerves Neurons relay messages about what you’re thinking, feeling, or doing. Neurons are designed to send and receive messages in the nervous system. There are three main types of neurons: motor, sensory, and interneurons (also called association neurons). Motor neurons carry impulses from the brain to the body. Sensory neurons carry impulses from the body to the central nervous system (CNS). Figure 1 Central and Peripheral Nervous System Interneurons are also involved in sending messages but only in the CNS. Anatomy of a basic neuron: Neurons are comprised of three major parts – Dendrites, Cell Body, and Axon. See Figure 2 Neuron, next page. Most neurons have a series of branching extensions called dendrites. They look something like small tree branches. Dendrites extend out from the cell body. These dendrites come very close to other neurons, but never actually touch them, forming synapses. At the synapses, dendrites receive messages from other Teacher Enrichment Initiatives/CAINE 2009©The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio The Brain: It’s All In Your Mind Your central nervous system (CNS) is made up of the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is made up of nerves outside the CNS. Nerves of the PNS connect the CNS to sense organs (skin, nose, eyes, etc.), organs in the body, muscles, blood vessels, and glands. See Figure 1 Central Nervous System & Peripheral Nervous System. Communication between the CNS and PNS is essential to allow us to detect, interpret, and respond to stimuli. Stimuli are changes in our environment and can be internal or external. CNS LESSON 1 ACTIVITY 1E 9 neurons. The synapse (which is the space between neurons) contains chemicals called neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters help in sending messages from one neuron to another neuron across synapses. Dendrites The neurons conduct signals away from the cell body by axons. Some axons are short and are only about a millimeter in length. Other axons in the spinal cord can range up to a meter or more in length. Dendrites Axons Figure 2 Neuron Materials: Neurons have two signaling mechanisms; electrical and chemical. Electrical signals are sent rapidly through the neurons. Chemical messages travel between the axons of one neuron and the dendrites of another at the synapses. Neurons send messages at different speeds ranging from as slow as 0.5 meters/second to as fast as 120 meters/ second (equivalent to 268 miles/hour.) Student Task Cards 1 class set of the Student Pages from this activity 1 copy of Processing Out Pages per student Instructions: The simulation will be a whole-class activity guided by your teacher. Teacher Enrichment Initiatives/CAINE 2009©The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio The Brain: It’s All In Your Mind Cell body t t t All neurons have a cell body. The cell body is the central part of the neuron and contains the cell nucleus, but does not include the axon or dendrite. Cell bodies range from about 5 to 100 µm in diameter. LESSON 1 ACTIVITY 1E 10