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Neuro Anatomy Terms
Section B
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Action Potential | A sequence of rapid electrical activity within a neuron in response to a stimulus. The action potential is transmitted along an axon. |
| Afferent | Toward the central nervous system. |
| Annulus | The outer layer of intervertebral discs. Sponge-like cushions between the vertebrae or bones, of the spine. |
| Anterior Horn | The anterior or ventral gray column of the spinal cord as appearing in cross section. |
| Arachnoid | A delicate fibrous membrane forming the middle of the three coverings of the central nervous system, between the dura matter and pia matter, separated from the pia matter by the subarachnoid space. |
| Articulating Process | The bony parts that join together to form a joint. |
| Autonomic Nervous System | Special group of peripheral nerves that automatically govern body functions, such as cardiovascular and respiratory activities and gland regulation. |
| Axon | A single long, thin process that extends from a neuron's cell body, which functions to transmit action potentials. |
| Axon Collateral | A branch of an axon. |
| Cauda Equina | Spinal nerve roots which descend from the end of the spinal cord into the vertebral canal. Named for its resemblance to a horse’s tail. |
| Cell Body | Is the main nutritional and metabolic center of the neuron. Its functions are to receive and integrate signals from other cells, and if the threshold for the cell is reached, an outgoing signal or action potential is generated. |
| Central Nervous System (CNS) | One of three divisions of the nervous system, consisting of the brain and spinal cord. |
| Cerebral Spinal Fluid | A fluid in the subarachnoid space that surrounds the spinal cord and brain, cushions them from shock, transports nutrients to the CNS, and removes waste products. |
| C-fiber | Slow conducting unmyelinated nerve. |
| Coccyx | Small bone at the end of the spinal column. |
| Collaterals | Small side branches of an axon. |
| Conduction Velocity | The speed that an action potential is propagated along an axon. |
| CSF | Cerebrospinal fluid. |
| Dendrite | A cytoplasmic process that extends from a neuron's cell body. Neurons typically have many dendrites, that are usually shorter and thicker than axons, and highly branched. Dendrites receive signals from other neurons. |
| Depolarization | The process by which the membrane potential of a cell changes to become more positive than its resting membrane potential. |
| Dermatome | The area of skin supplied by cutaneous branches from a single spinal nerve; neighboring dermatomes may overlap. |
| Disc | Fibrous cartilage separating on vertebra from another. |
| Dorsal Column | Posterior of the spinal cord where the sensory non-pain fibers run in tracts toward the brain. |
| Dorsal Horn | The posterior or dorsal gray column of the spinal cord as appearing in cross section. |
| Dorsal Root | One of the two sensory roots of a spinal nerve located in the vertebral column. The dorsal root originates and emerges from the spinal cord. Also see ventral root. |
| Dorsal Root Ganglion | Contains the cell bodies of the sensory neurons whose axons conduct impulses inward from the peripheral body parts. |
| Dura Mater | Outermost of the three membranes (meninges) covering the brain and spinal cord. |
| Efferent | Away from the central nervous system. |
| Epidural Space | Space between the walls of the vertebral canal and the dura mater of the spinal cord. |
| Fascicle | A funiculus is a bundle of axons also known as a nerve tract or bundle. |
| Ganglion | Originally, any group of nerve cell bodies in the central or peripheral nervous system; currently, an aggregation of nerve cell bodies located in the peripheral nervous system. |
| Glial Cells | Non-excitable cells that provide structural support, or that serve important physiological and immunological functions in the nervous system. (Also called support cells.) |
| Gray Matter | Regions of the brain and spinal cord that are made up primarily of the cell bodies and dendrites of nerve cells, rather than myelinated axons. |
| Innervate | The supply of nerves which functionally connects an area of the body to the nervous system. |
| Interneuron | Responsible for the coordination, modification, integration, facilitation, and inhibition that must occur between sensory and motor neurons. |
| Interspinous Ligament | Connects adjacent transverse processes of the spinal column. |
| Intrathecal Space | The subarachnoid space, filled with cerebrospinal fluid. |
| Ion Channels | Integral proteins containing watery pores, through which ions pass to cross the cell membrane. |
| Lamina | The flat, bony process on either side of a vertebra. |
| Ligament | Fibrous tissue that connects bone to each other. |
| Ligamentum Flavum | One of the paired ligaments of yellow elastic fibrous tissue, that bind together the laminae of adjoining vertebrae, forming the dorsal wall of the vertebral canal between the vertebra or laminae. |
| Membrane Potential | The electrical potential or voltage, across a cell membrane that results from the separation of charged particles across the membrane. |
| Meninges | The three membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord consisting of the dura mater, arachnoid, and pia mater. |
| Motor Impulse | Nerve impulse that produces or cause movement. |
| Motor Neuron | An efferent neuron that conducts impulses from the spinal cord to muscles and glands, resulting in the contraction of muscle fibers or the secretion of gland cells. |
| Multipolar Neuron | A neuron with a central cell body that gives rise to multiple dendrites and a single axon. The most common type of neuron in humans. |
| Myelination | The covering or insulation of an axon with myelin. |
| Nerve | A whitish, cordlike structure, composed of one or more bundles (tracts) of nerve fibers, coursing outside of the central nervous system, by which stimuli are transmitted from the central nervous system to a part of the body or the reverse. |
| Nerve Cell | The functional unit of the nervous system, consisting of the nerve cell body, the dendrites, and the axon. (Also called a neuron.) |
| Nerve Fiber | Elongated extensions of the cell body that vary between a fraction of an inch to several feet in length. (Also known as an axon.) |
| Nerve Impulse | Another term for action potential. |
| Neuron | The functional unit of the nervous system, consisting of the nerve cell body, the dendrites, and the axon. (Also called known as a nerve cell.) |
| Neuronal | Pertaining to a neuron. |
| Neurotransmitter | A chemical that is released at synapses. |
| Pedicle | One of the bony components of the vertebras that connects the lamina to the vertebral body. |
| Peripheral Nervous System | That portion of the nervous system that lies outside the brain and spinal cord, includes nerves and ganglia. |
| Peripheral Nerve | Nerve located outside of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). |
| Permeability | The characteristic of a cell membrane that permits particles, such as ions to pass from one side of the membrane to the other. |
| Pia Mater | Innermost membrane of the meninges that cover the brain and spinal cord. The pia mater is a delicate vascular membrane that carries blood vessels into the cord and protects it from injury. |
| Propagated | Transmitted or conducted. |
| Receptors | Specialized endings of sensory neurons through which stimuli is sensed. |
| Relative Refractory Period | The period of time following an action potential when an excitable cell can generate another action potential only if it receives a stimulus stronger than normal, i.e., more positive than its normal threshold. |
| Repolarization | The process whereby the membrane potential of a cell moves back toward its resting value. |
| Resting Membrane Potential | The membrane potential when a cell is at rest. |
| Sacrum | The segment of the vertebral column forming part of the pelvis; a broad, slightly curved, spade-shaped bone, thick above, thinner below, closing in the pelvic girdle posteriorly. It is formed by the fusion of five originally separate sacral vertebrae. It |
| Sensory Neuron | Afferent neurons that conduct impulses from external stimuli to the brain and spinal cord. These impulses carry information from the internal and external environment such as vision, sound, touch, pain, and temperature. |
| Soma | Another word for body. In the nervous system, the soma refers to the cell body of a neuron. |
| Spinal Nerve | Nerves that emerge from the spinal cord and innervate the organs and tissues. There are 31 pairs, each attached to the cord by two roots, ventral and dorsal. |
| Spine | Another name for vertebral column or spinal column. |
| Spinous Process | The dorsal projection from the center of the vertebral arch. |
| Stimulus | Action or substance that evokes a response. |
| Supraspinous Ligament | Ligaments that interconnect the tips of the spinous processes from the sacrum to the seventh cervical vertebra. |
| Synapse | A junction between a neuron and its target cell (another neuron, muscle, or gland). Signals between neurons and other cells are communicated across synapses. |
| Terminals | Nerve cell branches that are responsible for transmitting the signal received from the axon to the cell innervated by the axon. |
| Tract | A bundle or group of nerve fibers in the brain or spinal cord. Also known as a nerve fascicle. |
| Ventral Root | One of the two sensory roots of a spinal nerve, located in the vertebral column. The dorsal root originates and emerges from the spinal cord. (Also see dorsal root.) |
| Vertebra | One of the bony segments of the spinal column. |
| Vertebral Body | The main bone of the spinal column. An individual segment. |
| Voltage-gated Channels | Ion channels with gates that are opened or closed by changes in membrane voltage. |
| White Mater | Nervous system tissue comprised predominately of nerve fibers (axons). |
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