Summer SAVY 2016 (Session 4AM, Day 2) – Neuroscience of the Senses

Posted by hallep on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 in Grade 3, Grade 4, SAVY.

Today we approached understanding sensation by exploring the neural circuitry that supports it. We started with a tour through the nervous system and its different components. After getting a handle on the central and peripheral nervous systems, we talked about everyday situations and how they engage different divisions of the nervous system. We then moved to an even smaller scale and learned about the different types of cells that compose the neural tissue of the nervous system: neurons and glia. To put all of this knowledge into context, we did some hands-on neuroanatomy by dissecting a sheep brains! Students made sketches of their dissections and had a chance to observe how structure and function intersect in the brain. For example, they saw how compared to humans, sheep have pronounced olfactory bulbs to support their sense of smell. We also tied the dissection back in to our studies of the sensory systems by trying to find the lobes of the brain that help process sensory information. Tomorrow we will continue our exploration of the nervous system by discussing the electrochemical manner in which neurons communicate with each other!