The Nervous SYstem

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Functions
The nervous system has many functions that help it preform its needs. The functions include receiving information, responding to information, and maintaining homeostasis. Without the nervous system we wouldn’t be able to move our hand away when we are touching something hot. The nervous system sends signals to our brain to help us react. Now for the explanation of all the functions!
1. Receiving Information- Have you ever touched something that hurt and then quickly pulled your hand away? That is the nervous system working throughout your body to get your hand off as quick as possible. It all starts off when you touch that prickly bush and it sends a nerve impulse through your nerves. The nerve impulse moves from the neurons dendrites. It then travels to the end of the neuron which is called the axon tips. There is a gap between one neuron to another. This gap is called the synapse junction. You can think of the synapse junction as a river. The nerve impulse then travels from neuron to neuron. It does this until it reaches your brain. Your brain then receives the information and finds a solution. Your body does this same process for internal conditions and the external environment conditions.
2. Responding to Information- If we couldn’t respond to our environment then we would have a lot of injuries. Some people think it would be nice to not feel pain. But what if you had a broken bone and couldn’t feel it so you kept playing and then you ended up breaking it again and having to have major surgery. Luckily, most of us can feel pain thanks to how the nervous system works. The nerve impulse goes to your cerebrum. The cerebrum is the part of the brain that controls your movement. There is also the help of the spinal cord which connects your brain and runs through the middle of your body. The spinal cord sends the response to the part of your body it needs to be sent. When your body reacts it sends a signal to your brain called a stimulus. An organism’s response to the stimulus is called a reaction. When your body responds it can also have involuntary or voluntary reactions. Involuntary responses are things that you can’t control like your breathing or heart rate. Voluntary responses are things under your control like snapping your finger or biting your nails. Now you know that actually having pain is a good thing.

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