Chapter: CONTROL AND COORDINATION
Control and Coordination
Nervous System Endocrine System
(Associated with Neurons) (Associated with Hormones)
Human Nervous System
Central Nervous System Peripheral Nervous System
Brain Spinal Cord Nerves
Cranial nerves (12 pairs) Spinal nerves (31 pairs)
(Nerves directly associated with brain) (Nerves associated with spinal cord)
Some important terms:
• Stimulus: Any change, factor or agent which causes a change in activity or behaviour of
an organism.
• Receptor: Receptors are the cells, tissue or organs that receive the stimulus.
• Effector: Effector are the tissues, glands or muscles which act in response to stimulus
received.
• Response: Response is the reaction towards a stimulus by an organism.
Neuron / Nerve cell
• Neuron is a highly specialized cell.
• Responsible for the transmission of signals to and from the different parts of the
body.
• Structural and functional unit of nervous system.
• Longest cell in human body
Structure of a Neuron
A neuron has three parts: the cell body, dendrites and axons.
How does the signal pass through and between neurons?
• What is a nerve impulse?
Nerve impulses are a wave of electrical and chemical signals carried along nerves or
neurons.
Types of Neurons
1. Sensory neurons / Afferent neuron: They help in transmitting nerve impulse
from receptor to central nervous system.
2. Motor neurons / Efferent neuron: They help in transmitting nerve impulse from
central nervous system to a muscle or gland.
3. Interneuron/ Relay neuron: They connect sensory neuron and motor neuron, and
carry information from sensory neuron to motor neuron.
Types of nervous action
Voluntary action/movements Involuntary Reflex actions/movements
action/movements
• These actions can be • These actions cannot be • These actions cannot
controlled by our own controlled by our own be controlled by our
will will own will
• Thinking is involved • Thinking is not involved • Thinking is not
involved
• Brain is involved • Brain is involved • Brain is not directly
involved.
• Spinal cord is
involved
Ex. Walking, writing, dancing, Ex. Pumping of blood, Ex. Withdrawal of hand
jumping peristaltic movements, when we touch a hot object.
contraction and relaxation of
blood vessels
• Reflex actions/movements:
Reflex actions can be defined as rapid, unconscious, immediate automatic and
involuntary response of our body to a stimulus.
• Significance of Reflex actions:
As it is a fast action, it enables the animal to respond immediately to the harmful
stimuliso that no harm is caused to it.
• Reflex arc:
The path travelled by a nerve impulse during a reflex action is called reflex arc.
How does the process of reflex action take place in the human body?
The stimuli is sensed by the sensory receptors and sensory neurons generate impulses.
These impulses reach the spinal cord.
The relay neuron in the spinal cord passes signals between neurons.
The motor neurons pass the signals for response to the organ that needs to respond to
stimulus.
The information input also goes on to reach the brain. But it is not involved in reflex
action.
What is the role of the brain in reflex action?
There is no direct involvement of brain in reflex action.
When reflex action are generated in spinal cord, the information also reaches brain. This
helps the brain to record this event and remember it for future use.
Brain helps the person to get awareness of the stimulus and prevent himself from that
situation again in the future use.
HUMAN BRAIN
• Corpus callosum joins the right and left lobe of brain
FOREBRAIN
Cerebrum Thalamus Hypothalamus
(Largest part of forebrain)
Thalamus and Hypothalamus together are known as Diencephalon.
Cerebrum
• Seat of mental abilities, control thinking, memory, reasoning, perception, emotion
and speech.
• Interprets sensation and responds to pain, cold, heat and pressure.
Thalamus
• Relay station between spinal cord (Hind brain) and cerebrum.
Hypothalamaus
• Controls human appetite, temperature, thirst, sleep.
MIDBRAIN
• It acts a bridge and transmits signals from forebrain and hindbrain.
• It is mainly concerned with sense of sight and hearing.
HINDBRAIN
Cerebellum Pons Medulla Oblongata
• Hind brain is responsible for all the involuntary actions in our body.
Cerebellum
• Coordinates the movements, balance of the body and maintains posture.
Pons
• Concerned with regulation of breathing rate, sleep cycle.
Medulla oblongata
• Regulates heartbeat, blood pressure, coughing, sneezing, salivation, vomiting and
rate of respiration.
ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
What are hormones?
Hormones are chemical substances that act like messenger molecule in the body.
Hormones are secreted in small quantities by Endocrine gland (ductless gland) and
Exocrine gland (glands with ducts)
Endocrine Glands
1. Hypothalamus:
It includes number of body function, including-
• Temperature regulation
• Food intake
• Sleep and wakefulness
• Thirst
• Memory
• Emotional behavior
• It controls the pituitary gland by secreting releasing hormones which
reaches the pituitary gland and stimulates pituitary gland to release its
hormones. When secretion from pituitary gland exceeds the normal range,
hypothalamus secretes inhibiting hormones which reaches the pituitary
gland and inhibits the secretion of the hormone from pituitary gland.
2. Pituitary Gland (master gland)
• Present in mid-brain.
• It secretes Growth hormone(GH): Helps in normal growth and
development.
• If the secretion from Pituitary gland is more i.e., hypersecretion of growth
hormone results in Gigantism.
• If the secretion from Pituitary gland is low i.e., hyposecretion of growth
hormone results in Dwarfism.
3. Thyroid Gland (butterfly shaped)
• Present in neck/throat region.
• Secretes thyroxin which is responsible for regulating the metabolism of
carbohydrate, fats and proteins in order to provide the best balance for
growth.
• Iodine is necessary for the thyroid gland to secrete thyroxin hormones.
• Deficiency of iodine causes Goitre (symptom includes swollen neck).
4. Parathyroid Gland
• Secretes parathormone, which is responsible of controlling calcium and
phosphorous levels in blood.
5. Thymus Gland
• Secrete thymosin, which helps in the maturation of T-lymphocytes (WBCs)
which in turn helps in providing immunity to the body.
6. Pancreas (Dual gland/heterocrine gland/mixed gland)
• Present below stomach.
• It can act as both exocrine (secretes certain enzymes in pancreatic juices
such as lipase, amylase) as well as endocrine gland.
• Pancreas consist of 2 types of cells:
1. Alpha cells secrete glucagon hormone increases blood glucose (sugar) level
2. Beta cells secrete insulin hormone decreases blood glucose level
• Deficiency of insulin results in condition known as Diabetes mellitus.
FEEDBACK MECHANISM
The feedback mechanism is the mechanism of the body to maintain the levels of
hormones in the body within the desired limits. An increase or decrease in the
levels of the hormones triggers the feedback mechanism.
7. Adrenal gland
• Present above the kidney
• Secretes adrenaline hormone (fight or flight hormone/ emergency hormone)
which helps to cope up in emergency and panic situation.
8. Gonads (reproductive organs)
• Present in lower abdomen area.
• In males (♂), gonads are known as testis (pair of testes).
• Testis releases a hormone known as testosterone which helps in sexual
maturation or development of secondary sexual characters in males.
• In females (♀), gonads are known as ovary (pair of ovaries).
• Ovary releases oestrogen and progesterone hormones which helps in sexual
maturation or development of secondary sexual characters in females.
