Study guide · 5 units · 13 things to learn
GCSE Biology nervous system and brain revision guide
Covers the nervous system and the brain in AQA GCSE Biology, topic 4.5 Homeostasis and response. The brain, the eye and body temperature are in GCSE Biology only, not in Combined Science.
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Work through the units in order. Read each topic, open each part in 3D, then take the unit's quiz: everything you answer comes back in your daily review, right before you would forget it. Ticks show what you have done on this device.
1. The nervous system and reflexes (4.5.2.1)
Quiz this unit in 3DHow information travels from a stimulus to a response (receptor, coordinator, effector), and why reflex actions are automatic and fast.
2. The brain (4.5.2.2, Biology only)
Quiz this unit in 3DThe cerebral cortex, the cerebellum and the medulla, and what each does. Higher tier: how scientists mapped the brain (brain damage, electrical stimulation, MRI scans), and why the brain is so hard to study and treat.
- The big pictureLesson in 3D · Cerebrum, cerebellum and brainstem.
- Lobes of the brainTopic · The four lobes of each hemisphere, and what each one does.
- CerebellumBrain part · The "little brain" that holds most of your neurons and makes every move smooth.
- Medulla oblongataBrain part · Your life-support center: breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure and swallowing on autopilot.
- How scientists study the brainTopic · MRI, fMRI, EEG and ERPs, PET, lesions, case studies and post-mortems, compared.
3. The eye and seeing (4.5.2.3, Biology only)
Quiz this unit in 3DThe brain's side of seeing: how the optic nerve carries signals from the retina to the brain. Your course also covers the parts of the eye and how it focuses.
4. Control of body temperature (4.5.2.4, Biology only)
Quiz this unit in 3DThe thermoregulatory centre in the brain (in the hypothalamus), which senses the temperature of the blood, and how the body cools down or warms up.
5. The endocrine system (4.5.3.1)
Quiz this unit in 3DHormones compared with nerves, and the pituitary gland, the 'master gland' in the brain.
Tips for studying
- Learn the order stimulus, receptor, coordinator, effector, response. It explains every reflex question.
- For the brain, learn three parts and their jobs: the cerebral cortex (consciousness, thinking, memory and language), the cerebellum (coordinating movement) and the medulla (unconscious activities such as heartbeat and breathing).
- Higher tier questions ask why the brain is hard to study: it is delicate, complex, and many areas work together, so damage or a scan rarely shows one clear answer.
Built from the official outline
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