5th Nov '25

Sensing and Reacting

We have 5 senses to detect changes in the environment around us. These changes are known as and we have in different organs to detect them:

Sense Stimuli Organ with
Receptors
Sight
(Vision)
Eye
Hearing
(Audition)
Sound

(Olfaction)
Chemical Nose
Taste
(Gustation)
Chemical

(Mechanoreception)
Pressure Skin
In addition we also sense:

(Equilibrioception)
Direction and speed of rotation of the head
(Vestibular system)

We can also detect changes inside our body for example (Thermoception) and level.

The nervous system is split into two parts called the periphal nervous system and the central nervous system.

The periphal nervous system (PNS) consists of:

The central nervous system (CNS) consists of:

  • The spinal cord - including Reflex neurons
  • The brain

Information from the is sent to the brain via the , along neurons (nerve cells). 'Messages' are sent along the neuron as impulses.

The commands are sent to via the , along neurons causing a . The effectors may either be or .

The will contract, to move the body. The secret (release) chemical into the blood called , which affect other organs.

When the sensations are intense, like pain or extreme heat, then our body reacts before our brain knows about it. This is known as a . A neurone in the 'short circuits' the gap between the neuron delivering the 'message' and the neuron connected approprate the muscle. The information is also sent to the brain so we 'know' what has happened.

The junction between neurones is called a . For the 'message' to cross the gap between neurons a chemical called a is released from one and absorbed by the next which triggers an impulse.