The Nervous System. Нервова система

I. Vocabulary.

1. Match the following English word combinations and the Ukrainian ones:

1. mental activity a) сіра речовина

2. impulse transmission b) спинномозкова рідина

3. gray matter c) розумова діяльність

4. voluntary control d) передача імпульсів

5. spinal fluid e) свідомий контроль

2. Fill in the blanks.

1. People with epilepsy may have violent muscle spasms or lose ....

2. Doctors use ... and other tests to diagnose epilepsy.

3. Encephalitis is an ... of the brain.

4. People with dementia may lose their ability to solve ... or control their ....

5. ... is a common symptom of dementia.

6. Alzheimer's disease begins ....

7. People with AD need total .. ..

8. Parkinson's disease is more common in men than in ... .

9. A variety of ... sometimes help symptoms of Parkinson's disease dramatically

10. No one knows the exact... of brain tumors.

a) memory loss; b) cause; c) emotions; d) medicines; e) consiousness;

f) slowly; g) brain scans; h) problems; i) women; j) inflammation; k) care

3. Read and memorize the English idioms containing the word brain. Make your own sentences with the idioms.

BRAIN

To beat/rack one's brain(s) (about smth) — to think very hard or for a long time to try to find a solution to a problem.

To have smth on the brain — to think repeatedly or constantly about it.

A brain-wave — a good thought, idea or suggestion which comes unexpectedly or suddenly.

To turn smb's brain — to disturb smb mentally.

III. Writing

1. Select the appropriate word from the list provided.

The nervous system is the__________________, regulatory, and communicating system in the body. It is the center of all mental activity including thought, learning, and memory. Through its receptors, the nervous system keeps us in touch with our environment, both external and internal. Like other system in the body, the nervous system is composed of organs, principally the brain, __________, _______, and_______. These, in turn, consist of various tissues, including nerve, blood, and connective tissue. Together these carry out the complex activities of the nervous system.

The system is composed of_______________, termed nerve cells or neurons, that

communicate with each other and with other cells in the body. A neuron has three parts:

1) the__________, containing the nucleus;

2) _________, hair-like structures surrounding the cell body, which conduct incoming signals;

3) the _____(or nerve fiber), varying in length from a millimeter to a meter, which

conduct outgoing signals emitted by the neuron. Axons are encased in a fatlike sheath, called________, which acts like an insulator and speeds impulse transmission.

Typically a given neuron is connected to many thousands of neurons. The specific point of contact between the axon of one cell and a dendrite of another is called a__________. Messages passed to and from the brain take the form of_______________, produced by a chemical change that progresses along the axon. At the synapse, the release of neurotransmitters and this, in turn, drives the impulse to the next neuron. These impulses travel very fast along these chain of neurons — up to 250 miles per hour. This contrasts with other system, such as the endocrine system, which may take many hours to respond with___________.

• hormones

• axon

• specialized cells

• myelin

• electrical impulses

• major controlling

• ganglia

• spinal cord

• nerves

• dendrites

• cell body

• synapse