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Nervous System
1.0Master the Nervous System in Minutes
Unlock the secrets of how your body senses, processes, and reacts to the world around it. Learn the structure of a neuron, the transmission of nerve impulses, reflex actions, and the anatomy of the human brain through clear structural classifications and exam-focused explanations.
2.0Learning Outcomes
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
- Identify the structural and functional unit of the nervous system (Neuron).
- Trace the pathway of an electrical impulse through a neuron and across a synapse.
- Differentiate between the Central Nervous System (CNS) and Peripheral Nervous System (PNS).
- Sketch and explain a reflex arc pathway during an involuntary action.
- Label the major parts of the human brain and describe their primary functions.
- Solve diagram-based and analytical board exam questions confidently.
3.0Introduction
Biology explains how living organisms control and coordinate different body activities. One of the most important topics in Class 10 Biology chapter – Control and Coordination is the Nervous System. The nervous system is responsible for controlling, coordinating, and regulating all activities of the body. It helps the body respond quickly to changes inside and outside the environment.
The nervous system is made up of specialized cells called neurons that carry messages in the form of nerve impulses. Activities such as movement, thinking, speaking, breathing, memory, and reflex actions are controlled by this system.
Understanding the nervous system is important not only for Class 10 board examinations but also for understanding how the human body functions in daily life.
4.0What is Nervous System
Nervous System is a complex network of nerves and specialized cells that carry messages between the brain, spinal cord, and different body parts.
In simple words: “The nervous system is the body’s communication and control system that helps coordinate all body activities and responses.” The nervous system receives information from the surroundings, processes it, and produces appropriate responses.
5.0What does the nervous system do?
Your nervous system’s main function is to send messages from various parts of your body to your brain, and from your brain back out to your body to tell your body what to do. These messages regulate your:
- Thoughts, memory, learning and feelings.
- Movements (balance and coordination).
- Senses (how your brain interprets what you see, hear, taste, touch and feel).
- Wound healing.
- Sleep.
- Heartbeat and breathing patterns.
- Response to stressful situations, including sweat production.
- Digestion.
- Body processes, such as puberty and aging..
6.0Classification of Nervous System
7.0How does the nervous system work?
Nerve cells called neurons are used by your nervous system to transmit signals, otherwise known as messages throughout your body. Electrical signals can be transmitted from your brain, to your skin, to your organs, to glands, or to muscle and vice versa.
By doing this, messages are sent to direct your limb movement and feelings(such as discomfort). Your eyes, ears, tongue, nose and every other nerve in your body collect environmental data and send it back to your brain through through your nerve pathways.
There are different types of neurons. Each type of neuron has a different job:
- Motor neurons carry messages from your brain & spinal cord to your muscles. These neurons help you get around and also assist in breathing, swallowing, and speaking.
- Sensory Neurons take sensory information (what you see, feel, taste, etc.), and give that information to your brain.
- Interneurons help communicate between motor neurons and sensory neurons. These neurons allow you to move according to what you feel from the external environment (moving away from something hot. etc.) & also help with the learning process along with how you think & remember things.
8.0Brain
Brain is the most important, the largest and most central organ of human nervous system. Brain is the body's nerve control center, the instrument that enables us to discover new things, to recall and understand things, to make decisions, etc.; it is contained in a cavity called the skull and protected both in front, side and behind the head. Three (3) main parts comprise the human brain:
- Forebrain: The anterior part of the brain, consists of Cerebrum, Hypothalamus and Thalamus.
- Midbrain: The smaller and central part of the brainstem, consists of Tectum and Tegmentum.
- Hindbrain: The central region of the brain, composed of Cerebellum, Medulla and Pons.
9.0Spinal Cord
The spinal cord is a long, cylindrical collection of nerve fibers and other associated tissues that spans from brain to body; it begins where the brainstem (medulla) ends at its lower edge (known as the foramen magnum) and subsequently runs through the vertebral column (bony cage surrounding the spinal cord) enclosed inside three layers of membranes called meninges.
This mess of nerves is primarily responsible for producing voluntary movements in response to environmental stimuli (spinal reflex action) and transmitting messages between the brain and body (to/from).
10.0Peripheral Nervous System
The lateral part of the nervous system is called the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) and originates from the Central Nervous System (CNS) It connects all parts of the body to the CNS. Peripheral nerves allow us to perform all voluntary and involuntary activities.
PNS includes two types of nerve fibers:
- Afferent nerve fibers – These are responsible for transmitting messages from tissues and organs to the CNS.
- Efferent nerve-fibers – These are responsible for conveying messages from CNS to the corresponding peripheral organ.
Classification of the peripheral nervous system:
Somatic neural system (SNS): It is the neural system that controls the voluntary actions in the body by transmitting impulses from CNS to skeletal muscle cells. It consists of the somatic nerves.
Autonomic neural system (ANS): The autonomic neural system is involved in involuntary actions like regulation of physiological functions (digestion, respiration, salivation, etc.). It is a self-regulating system which conveys the impulses from the CNS to the smooth muscles and involuntary organs (heart, bladder and pupil). The autonomic neural system can be further divided into:
- Sympathetic nervous system
- Parasympathetic nervous system
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12.0Supporting Study Materials
This study material, including CBSE Notes and NCERT Solutions for the Chapter "Control and Coordination" focusing on the Nervous System, is designed according to the latest CBSE Class 10 Science syllabus and NCERT guidelines. It delivers highly accurate physiological diagrams, sequence-of-impulse flowcharts, and high-yield question banks to ensure perfect board examination scores.
13.0Previous Year Questions (PYQs) on Nervous System
Q1. (a) Name the parts of a neuron where: (i) information is acquired, (ii) through which information travels as an electrical impulse. (b) What is a synapse? What happens at the synapse between two neurons? (CBSE Board)
Answer: * (a) Neuron Components:
* (i) Information is acquired at the Dendrite tip.
* (ii) Information travels as an electrical impulse along the Axon.
- (b) Synapse Function: A synapse is the microscopic gap between the axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrite of the next neuron. When an electrical impulse reaches the end of an axon, it triggers the release of chemical substances called neurotransmitters. These chemicals diffuse across the gap and start a similar electrical impulse in the dendrite of the next neuron.
14.030-Second Review: Nervous System
- Structure of a Neuron: Consists of three core parts: Dendrites (receive signals), Cell Body/Cyton (processes info), and Axon (conducts impulse away from the cell body to the nerve ending).
- Impulse Flow Pathway: Dendrite ->Cell Body-> Axon ->Axon Terminal -> Synapse (Chemical Signal) ->Next Dendrite.
- Reflex Action & Reflex Arc: An involuntary, sudden, and instantaneous response to a stimulus (like pulling your hand away from a hot object). The pathway bypasses the conscious thinking parts of the brain to save time:
- The Human Brain: Divided into three major functional regions:
- Forebrain (Cerebrum): The main thinking, reasoning, memory, and voluntary control center.
- Midbrain: Controls involuntary movements and reflex responses to visual and auditory stimuli.
- Hindbrain: Comprises the Cerebellum (maintains posture and body balance), Medulla (controls involuntary actions like blood pressure, salivation, vomiting), and Pons (regulates respiration).