Have you ever wondered how your brain sends messages down to the rest of your body? Or how the rest of your body sends messages back up to your brain? Well, our inquiry topic for Term 4 is Mighty Me. A few weeks ago everybody in year 6 had to pick a system of the body, eg Immune System, Muscular System, or Skeletal System, and then pick a smaller problem to work on. I chose the Nervous System,and how your brain functions to send messages down to your body.
The nervous system helps all parts of the body to communicate with each other. The brain and the spinal cord are essential for the nervous system to work, so they are called the central nervous system. All of the other nerves in your body are called the peripheral nervous system.
Neurones are the basic block of the nervous system. They are nerve cells, and they are shaped differently depending on where they are in the body and what role they play. All neurones have finger-like projections called Dendrites and a long fiber called an axon. Neurones aren’t easily replaced if they die or a damaged, unlike other cells in the body.
The axon feathers have bumps on them. Each bump sits near a dendrite from another neuron. The space between an axon and a dendrite is called a synapse. Messages from the brain and the spinal cord (CNS) jump the synapse from one dendrite to the next, using special chemicals called neurotransmitters.
Here are some problems that can go wrong with the Nervous System:
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Here are some fun facts to get your brain working!
- Like fingerprints, every tongue has its unique print!
- When awake, the human body produces enough electricity to power a light bulb!
- The brain is the powerhouse of the human body, even though it only makes up two percent of the bodies weight!
- Your bones are composed of 31% water!
The Nervous System – Word Document
The Nervous System – Powerpoint Presentation