PSYA01H3 Chapter 4: Chapter 4 Notes
Document Summary
The human brain is the only object capable of studying itself. The brain consists of anywhere between 10 billion and 100 billion nerve cells. The nerve cells of the brain are indeed organized in modules-clusters of nerve cells that communicate with each other. The brain has three major functions: controlling behaviour, processing and retaining the information we receive from the environment, and regulating the body"s physiological processes. The brain and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system. The spinal cord is a long, thin collection of nerve cells attached to the base of the brain and running the length of the spinal column. The spinal cord contains circuits or nerve cells that control some simple reflexes, such as automatically pulling away from a painfully hot object. The central nervous system communicates with the rest of the body through nerves bundles of fibres that transmit information in and out of the central nervous system.
