| Question |
Answer |
| acetylcholine |
chemical neurotransmitter |
| afferent neuron |
neuron that carries impulses toward the central nervous system from the periphery |
| anesthesia |
loss of sensation |
| arachnoid mater |
delicate, weblike middle membrane covering the brain, the meninges |
| astrocytes |
a glial cell |
| axon |
nerve cell process that transmitts impulses away from the cell body |
| catecholamines |
norepinephrine and epinephrine |
| cerebrospinal fluid |
fluid that fills the subarachnoid space in the brain and spinal cord and in the cerebral ventricles |
| choroid plexus |
a network of brain capillaries that are involved with the production of cerebrospinal fluid |
| dendrite |
a nerve cell process that transmits impulses toward the body |
| dermatome |
skin surface areas supplied by a single spinal nerve |
| dopamine |
chemical neurotransmitter |
| dura mater |
outermost layer of meninges |
| effector neuron |
neuron that transmits impulses from the central nervous system to the periphery |
| endorphins |
chemical in neurtal nervous system that influences pain perception |
| enkephalins |
peptide chemical in the central nervous sytem that acts as a natural painkiller |
| fight-or-flight response |
the changes produced by increased sympathetic impulses allowing the body to deal with any type of stress |
| ganglia |
a region of gray nerve tissue |
| ganglion |
a group of nerve-cell bodies located in the PNS |
| glia |
supporting cells of nervous tissue |
| hydrocephalus |
abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid |
| interneuron |
nerves that conduct impulses from sensory neurons to motor neurons |
| limbic system |
a collection of various small regions of the brain that act together to produce emotion response |
| meninges |
fluid-containing membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord |
| microglia |
one type of connective tissue found in the brain and spinal cord |
| motor neuron |
transmits nerve impulses from the brain and spinal cord to muscles and glandular epithelial tissues |
| multiple sclerosis |
the most common primary disease of the central nervous system |
| myelin |
lipoid substance found in the myelin sheath around some nerve fibers |
| neurilemma |
nerve sheath |
| neurons |
nerve cell, including axons and dendrites |
| neurotransmitter |
chemicals by which neurons communicate |
| nodes of Ranvier |
indentations that are found between adjacent Schwann cells |
| norephinephrine |
hormone secreted by adrenal medulla, released by sympathetic nervous system |
| oligodendrocyte |
a cell that holds nerve fibers together and produces the myelin sheath around axons in the central nervous system |
| parasympathetic nervous system |
part of the autonomic nervous system, ganglia connected to the brainstem and the sacral segments of the spinal cord |
| pia mater |
the vascular innermost covering of the brain and spinal cord |
| postganglionic neuron |
autonomic neuron that conducts nerve impulses from a ganglion to cardiac or smooth muscle or glandular epithelial tissue |
| postsynaptic neuron |
a neuron situated distal to the synapse |
| preganglionic neuron |
autonomic neuron that conducts nerve impulses between the spinal cord and a ganglion |
| presynaptic neuron |
a neuron situated proximal to a synapse |
| receptors |
peripheral beginning of a sensory neuron's dendrite |
| reflex arc |
allows an impulse to travel in only one direction |
| saltatory conduction |
when a nerve impulse encounters myelin and "jumps" from one node of Ranvier to the next |
| Schwann cell |
(shwon) large nucleated cells that form myelin |
| sensory neuron |
neurons that transmit impulses to the spinal cord and brain from all parts of the body |
| serotonin |
a neurontransmitter that belongs to a group of compounds called catecholamines |
| sympathetic nervous system |
part of the autonomic nervous system, ganglia are connected to the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spinal cord |
| synapse |
junction between adjacent neurons |
| synaptic cleft |
the space between a synaptic knob and the plasma membrane of a postsynaptic neuron |
| synaptic knob |
a tiny bulge at the end of a terminal branch of a presynaptic neuron's axon that contains vesicles with neurotrasmitters |
| tract |
a single nerve pathway made up of several bundles of axons and extending through the central nervous system |
mr. charles11
