Nervous system

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/nervous-system

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How It Works?Utilizes electrochemical signaling, including action potentials and neurotransmitter release, for rapid communication
2. What is the key feature?Characterized by neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to adapt and reorganize throughout life
3. What is the nervous system and why is it important?It is the body's super-fast messenger system that lets us think, move, and feel. It has a command center in the brain and spinal cord, and nerves that travel all over the body.
4. How do neurons send messages so quickly?Neurons use tiny electrical impulses called action potentials that travel along their axons at up to 120 meters per second. When the impulse reaches the end, it releases chemical messengers called neurotransmitters to talk to the next neuron.

Action Potential: A rapid, transient change in the electrical potential across a neuron's membrane.
Synapse: The specialized junction where a neuron communicates with another cell, typically via neurotransmitters.
Neuroplasticity: The brain's ability to change and adapt its structure and function in response to experience.