Biology 1225 Chapter Notes - Chapter 24: Resting Potential, Peripheral Nervous System, Passive Transport
Document Summary
Chapter 24- neural control and the senses (25) Neurons are the basic units of communication in the nervous system. Neurons detect and integrate information about external and internal conditions. Thus neurons act on muscles and glands in ways that produce appropriate responses. Action potentials are the means by which messages travel along neurons through the nervous system, but chemical signals are required to bridge the gaps between neurons. The nervous system includes the brain, spinal cord, and many nerves. The brain and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system. Paired nerves that thread through the rest of the body make up the peripheral nervous system. The brain is complex in both structure and function. In its three main regions - the forebrain, the midbrain, and the hindbrain - are the centers that receive, integrate, store, and respond to information.