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๐ฌ Think about it
Touch something hot and your hand pulls back before you even think. You can still hum a song from years ago. What carries these fast messages and stores memories? Let us meet the nervous tissue.
What is nervous tissue?
- It forms the body's control and coordination network.
- The brain is the control centre for activities, memory and responses.
- Muscles cannot work on their own; they take orders from nervous tissue.
- Its cells are called neurons or nerve cells.
What are the parts of a neuron?
- The cell body holds the nucleus and controls the cell.
- Dendrites receive signals from other neurons.
- The axon is a long fibre that carries messages away.
- Axon terminals pass the message on to other cells.
How a Signal Travels in a Neuron
Dendrites receive signal
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Cell body
Holds the nucleus and controls the cell.
↓
Axon
Carries the message away.
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Axon terminals pass it on
Important Points
- Nervous tissue controls and coordinates the body.
- Its cells, neurons, receive, process and transmit messages.
- A neuron has a cell body, dendrites, an axon and axon terminals.
โ Test Yourself
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What is the job of nervous tissue?
View Answer
Control and coordination — carrying messages around the body. -
What is a neuron?
View Answer
A nerve cell that receives, processes and transmits messages. -
Which part of a neuron receives signals?
View Answer
The dendrites. -
Which part carries the message away?
View Answer
The axon.
Important Definitions
- Nervous tissue — the tissue that controls and coordinates the body by carrying messages.
- Neuron — a nerve cell that receives, processes and transmits messages.
- Axon — the long fibre of a neuron that carries messages away from the cell body.
