Chapter 1
The Human Nervous System
1.1 The Human Nervous System
Definition
The human nervous system is the control system in the human body
The nervous system is divided into:
• Central nervous system
• Peripheral nervous system
The structure of the human nervous system:
The pathway of the human nervous system:
1. Stimuli
2. Sensory
3. Organs/receptors
4. Nerve impulses
5. The brain
6. Nerve impulses
7. Effector
8. Respond
Type of response:
• Controlled action
• Out-of-control actions
Definition
Controlled action Out-of-control actions
Actions that occur automatically, that is are
Actions that can be
unnoticed and cannot be controlled according to
controlled by one’s will
one’s will
Example
- Communication - Breathing
- Thinking - Digestion
- Eating - Eye reflex
Stimulus and Response in Humans
1.2 Stimulus and Response in Humans
Definition
Sensory organs are organs that can detect stimuli
Humans have five sensory organs:
• Skin (touch)
• Nose (smell)
• Tongue (taste)
• Ears (hearing)
• Eyes (Sight)
The function of eyes:
• Focusing on objects near and far
• Produces continuous images that are sent directly to the brain
• As a sense of sight
The structure of eyes:
The function of each eyes structure:
The mechanism of vision:
• Light from an object enters the eye through the pupil
• Light is refracted by the cornea, aqueous humor, eye lens, and vitreous humor
• Inverted and small images are formed on the retina
• The retina produces nerve impulses and the optic nerve transmits them to the
brain
• The brain translates impulses and produces upright images
The function of ears:
• To keep our balance and hearing
• As a sense of smell
The structure of ears:
The function of each ears structure:
The structure of ears Function
Ossicles Amplifies the vibration of sound and sends it to the oval window
Earlobe Receives sound waves
Ear canal Transmits sound waves to the eardrum
The eardrum Vibrates when sound waves hit it
Semicircular canal Controls body balance
The auditory nerve Sends impulses from the cochlea to the brain
Cochlea Converts sound vibrations into impulses
Oval window Transmits sound vibrations from the middle ear to the inner ear
Eustachian tube Balances the air pressure on both sides of the eardrum
The mechanism of hearing:
• Sound waves enter the ear canal
• The eardrum receives sound waves and vibrates
• The vibrations are amplified by the ossicle bone and transmitted to the oval
window
• The oval windows vibrated
• The cochlea converts vibrations into impulses
• Impulses are carried by the auditory nerve to the brain
• The brain interprets it as sound
The function of the nose:
• Provides air for breathing
• Filters and cleans foreign debris during respiration
• As a sense of smell
The structure and mechanism of the nose:
The function of the tongue:
• As a digestive organ with ease of movement of food during chewing and
swallowing
• As a sense of taste
The structure and mechanism of the tongue:
• The surface of the tongue is covered by taste buds that contain many taste
receptors and are scattered on the surface of the tongue
• Taste receptors are sensitive to chemicals in food
• The tongue has 5 types of taste receptors, namely sweet, sour, bitter, and umami
(savory taste).
The function of the skin:
• Protect us from microbes
• Allows sensations of touch, temperature, and pressure
• As a sense of touch
The structure of skin:
Skin sensitivity:
• The concentration of the skin depends on the number of receptors present and
the thickness of the epidermis
• The more receptors, the more sensitive that part of the skin is
• The thinner the epidermis, the more sensitive the skin is to stimuli
• Blind people read Braille using their fingertips
Very sensitive parts of the skin Part of the skin that is less sensitive
Fingertips, back of neck, lips, and earlobes Elbows and knees
• The sensory organs are interconnected with each other and can balance the
human body on a single daily basis
The limit of sensory:
• Limits our sensory ability to detect a stimulus
• Caused by sensory organ defects or the aging process
The visual sensory limitations:
• The eye cannot detect an image that falls on a blind spot
• Human vision can also be affected due to farsightedness, nearsightedness,
astigmatism, and presbyopia
The structure of the normal eye, farsightedness, and nearsightedness:
• Farsightedness cannot see distant objects clearly because light from the object is focused in
front of the retina
• Requires a concave lens
• Nearsightedness cannot see near objects clearly because light from the object focuses behind
the retina
• Requires a convex lens
The structure of the astigmatism eye:
• Images are blurred and unclear because light from objects is separated and
focused at different points on the retina
• Requires a cylindrical lens or undergoes surgery
The structure of the presbyopia eye:
• Not being able to see distant objects and close objects clearly is common among
the elderly
• Requires a dual focus lens to see near and far objects clearly
Hearing sensory limitations:
• Humans can only hear between 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Deafness is caused by the ossicle bones joining together due to infection, the
aging process or exposure to loud noise for a long period of time
• Only surgery or hearing aids can help deaf people
Technology to enhance the ability of sensory organs:
Technology Sensory organ capacity
Magnifying glass &
Can see art/small objects
Limitation of vision microscope
Binoculars & telescopes Can see distant objects
Amplifies the sound of the
Limitation of Stethoscope
heartbeat
hearing
Loudspeaker Amplifies the sound
