1. SMARTER UK – RESOURCES FOR SCHOOLS
Please feel free to use this PowerPoint presentation in the classroom. It is intended to support the KS3 & KS4 curriculum and the Scottish S3-S4 curriculum.
KEY LEARNING:
The structure of the brain and how the central nervous system works, including information about what happens at a synapse and information about how our brains adapt and change.
Specific curriculum areas include:
KS4 GCSE Biology Syllabuses
OCR
3.3 Fundamental Scientific Processes. Module B1d – The nervous system
Foundation tier only: low demand
Name and locate the main parts of the nervous system, to include:
the central nervous system (CNS) (brain and spinal cord)
the peripheral nervous system
Both tiers: standard demand
Name and locate the parts of a motor neurone: cell body, axon and sheath.
Recall that the nerve impulse passes along the axon of a neurone.
Higher tier only: high demand
Recall that the gap between neurones is called a synapse.
Describe how an impulse triggers the release of a transmitter substance in a synapse and how it diffuses across to bind with receptor molecules in the membrane of the next neurone causing the impulse to continue.
OCR 21st Century Science
MODULE B6: BRAIN AND MIND – OVERVIEW
B6.2 How is information passed through the nervous system? Structure of motor neurons; transmission of electrical impulses, including synapses.
AQA
11.1 How do human bodies respond to changes inside them and their environment?
The nervous system enables humans to react to their surroundings
and coordinate their behaviour.
Information from receptors passes along cells (neurones) in nerves to the brain. The brain coordinates the response.
The role of receptors, sensory neurones, motor neurones, relay neurones, synapses and effectors in simple reflex actions.
Edexcel
Topic 2: Responses to a changing environment
2.19) Recall that the central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord and is linked to sense organs by nerves
2.20) Explain the structure and function of dendrons and axons in the nervous system
2.21) Describe how stimulation of receptors in the sense organs sends electrical impulses along neurones
2.23) Describe the structure and function of sensory, relay and motor neurones and synapses
Scottish S3-S4 science
Biological Systems - Body systems and Cells
SCN 2-12a I have explored the structure and function of organs and organ systems and can relate this to the basic biological processes to sustain life.
Scottish Certificate in Education, Standard Grade Biology. Topic 5: The body in action. Subtopic c: Coordination
18) Examine the gross structure of the nervous system of a mammal.
19) Obtain and present information on the flow of information in the nervous system.
State that the nerves carry information from the senses to the central nervous system and from the central nervous system to the muscles.
20) Obtain and present information on the three main parts of the brain. Identify the cerebrum, cerebellum and the medulla and state their functions in simple terms.

2. Your brain and nervous system
How does it work?

3. peripheral nervous system (PNS)
your nervous system
is divided into the central nervous system (CNS)
which is the brain and spinal cord
Medical Art Service, Munich /, Wellcome Images
and the
peripheral nervous system (PNS)
Credit Medical Art Service, Munich /, Wellcome Images
which connects everything to the brain and spinal cord
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4. your brain Different parts of your brain have different functions…
interprets the information it gets though your senses in order to monitor and regulate your body
as well as being responsible for
thinking, learning, memory and emotion
Different parts of your brain have different functions…
 Credit: Heidi Cartwright, Wellcome Images 
Smarter UK B

5. Cerebral cortex Corpus callosum Brain stem Cerebellum
different regions have different functions
Cerebral cortex
Functions include: planning; reasoning; language; recognising sounds and images; memory.
Corpus callosum
connects the brain’s right and left hemispheres
Cerebellum
important for coordination, precision and timing of movement
Brain stem
regulates heart rate, breathing, sleep cycles
and emotions
Credit: Mark Lythgoe & Chloe Hutton, Wellcome Images
Smarter UK

6. axon structure of a neurone nerve endings dendrites myelin sheath
the cells of the nervous system are called neurones
nerve endings
dendrites
myelin sheath
cell body
nucleus
axon
structure of a neurone
Smarter UK

7. there are different types of neurone
sense organ
direction of electrical signal
dendrites
cell body
myelin sheath
axon
muscle
nerve endings
motor neurone
sensory neurone
relay neurone
sends signals from your sense organs
connects neurones to other neurones
sends signals to your muscles to tell them to move
Smarter UK

8. But what happens when the signal reaches the end of the axon?
neurones communicate with each other using a mixture of electrical & chemical signals
nerve endings
dendrites
But what happens when the signal reaches the end of the axon?
myelin sheath
cell body
an electrical signal is transmitted along the axon
nucleus
axon
Smarter UK

9. signals cross between neurones at the synapse
nerve endings
dendrites
neurotransmitter
vesicle
synaptic cleft
receptor
myelin sheath
cell body
the signal
is transmitted to another neurone across a junction called a synapse by chemicals called neurotransmitters.
nucleus
axon
Smarter UK

10. signals cross between neurones at the synapse
electrical impulse triggers vesicles to move to the synapse membrane 1
synapse
vesicles fuse with the membrane and release neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft 2
nerve endings
dendrites
neurotransmitter diffuses across the cleft and binds to receptors on the other side 3
neurotransmitter
vesicle
synaptic cleft
receptor
myelin sheath
cell body
the signal
is transmitted to another neurone across a junction called a synapse by chemicals called neurotransmitters.
nucleus
Once enough receptors have neurotransmitters bound to them, the signal is transmitted… 4
axon
Smarter UK

11. The point where your muscles and nervous system meet is called the neuromuscular junction (NMJ)
Signals sent from your central nervous system to the NMJ tell muscles to move
The synapses at the NMJ use a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine
Smarter UK

12. Your brain changes and adapts
What happens as our brains mature?

13. your brain changes and adapts all the time and all through your life
your brain learns and forms memories by strengthening synapses that are used a lot and weakening those that are used less often
Credit Marina Caruso, Wellcome Images
Smarter UK

14. Between birth and age 3 your brain makes lots of new synapses
What happens as you grow?
Between birth and age 3 your brain makes lots of new synapses
A toddler has 2-3 times more synapses than an adult
As your brain matures, it prunes synapses to make it more efficient
During adolescence your brain has a major tidy-up and gets rid of lots of connections it isn’t using
This is a critical and delicate process. It is thought that conditions such as schizophrenia could be the result of it going wrong
Some evidence suggests that using drugs can disrupt this process