Cambridge O Level Biology · Syllabus 5090 · Coordination and Control
Central Nervous System
What is Central Nervous System?
The brain and the spinal cord together. The central nervous system receives information from receptors by way of sensory neurones, processes it, and coordinates the response that is sent out along motor neurones. It is one of the two divisions of the mammalian nervous system, the other being the peripheral nervous system.
This definition is part of the Coordination and Control chapter in Cambridge O Level Biology.
Questions students ask about Central Nervous System
What is the order of a reflex arc?
Stimulus, receptor, sensory neurone, relay neurone in the central nervous system, motor neurone, effector, response. The effector is a muscle or a gland, and the impulse never travels backwards along this pathway.
Last reviewed Syllabus 2026-2028