Busy. Please wait.
Log in with Clever
or

show password
Forgot Password?

Don't have an account?  Sign up 
Sign up using Clever
or

Username is available taken
show password


Make sure to remember your password. If you forget it there is no way for StudyStack to send you a reset link. You would need to create a new account.
Your email address is only used to allow you to reset your password. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.


Already a StudyStack user? Log In

Reset Password
Enter the associated with your account, and we'll email you a link to reset your password.

CHAPTER 8: THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Quiz yourself by thinking what should be in each of the black spaces below before clicking on it to display the answer.
        Help!  

Question
Answer
Afferent Nerves   Transmitters of nerve impulses towards the CNS; also known as sensory nerves.  
🗑
Agraphia   The inability to convert one's thoughts into writing.  
🗑
Alexia   The inability to understand written words.  
🗑
Analgesia   without sensitivity to pain.  
🗑
Anesthesia   without feeling or sensation.  
🗑
Aneurysm   localized dilatation in the wall of an artery that expands with each pulsation of the artery; usually cause by hypertension or atherosclerosis.  
🗑
Aphasia   inability to communicate through speech, writing, or signs because of an injury to or disease in certain areas of the brain.  
🗑
Apraxia   inability to perform coordinated movements or use objects properly.  
🗑
Ataxia   without muscular coordination.  
🗑
Aura   the sensation of an individual experiences prop to the onset of a migraine headache or an epileptic seizure. May be a sensation to light or warmth and may precede the attack by hours or only a few seconds.  
🗑
Autonomic Nervous System   part of the nervous system that regulates the involuntary vital functions of the body, such as the activities involving the heart muscle, smooth muscles, and the glands. The autonomic nervous system has 2 divisions: SNS and the PNS.  
🗑
Axon   the part of the nerve cell that transports nerve impulses away from the nerve cell body.  
🗑
Blood-brain Barrier   protective characteristics of the capillary walls of the brain that prevents that passage of harmful substances from the bloodstream into the brain tissue or CSF.  
🗑
Bradykinesia   abnormally slow movement.  
🗑
Brain Stem   the stemlike portion of the brain that connects the cerebral hemisphere with the spinal cord. Contains the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata.  
🗑
Brudzinki's Sign   a positive sign of meningitis, in which there is an involuntary flexion of the arm, hip and knee when the patient's neck is passively flexed.  
🗑
Burr Hole   hole drilled into the skull using a form of drill.  
🗑
Cell Body   the part of the cell that contains the nucleus and the cytoplasm.  
🗑
Central Nervous System   1 of the 2 main divisions of the nervous system, consisting of the brain and spinal cord.  
🗑
cephalagia   pain in the head; headache.  
🗑
Cerebellum   the part of the brain responsible for coordinating voluntary muscular movement; located behind the brain stem.  
🗑
Cerebral Concussion   a breif interupption of the brain function, usually with the loss of conciousness lasting for a few seconds. This transient loss of consciousness is usually cause by a blow to the head.  
🗑
Cerebral Contusion   small scattered venous hemorrhages in the brain; better decribed as a "bruise" of the brain tissue occurring when the brain strikes the inner skull.  
🗑
Cerebrospinal Fluid   the fluid flowing through the brain and around the spinal cord that protects them from phsyical blow or impact.  
🗑
Cerebrum   the largest and uppermost part of the brain. it controls consciousness, memory, sensation, emotions, and voluntary movements.  
🗑
Coma   deep sleep in which the individual cannot be aroused and does not respond to external stimuli.  
🗑
Craniotomy   surgical incision into the cranium or skull  
🗑
Deficit   any deficiency or variation of the normal, as in a weakness deficit resulting from a cerebrovascular accident.  
🗑
Dementia   progressive irreversible mental disorder in which the person has deteriorating memory, judgement, and ability to think.  
🗑
Demyelination   destruction or removal of the myelin sheath that covers a nerve or nerve fiber.  
🗑
Dysphasia   difficult speech.  
🗑
Efferent nerves   transmitters of nerve impulses away from the CNS; also known as motor nerves.  
🗑
Hemiplegia   Paralysis of one half of the body. (right or left side)  
🗑
Herpes Zoster   acute infection caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, characterized by painful vesicular lesions along the path of a spinal nerve; also called shingles.  
🗑
Hyperesthesia   excessive sensitivity to sensory stimuli; such as pain or touch.  
🗑
Internuerons   connecting nureons that conduct impulses from afferent nerves to or toward motor nerves.  
🗑
Lethargy   a state of being sluggish  
🗑
Medulla Oblongata   1 of the 3 parts of the brain stem. the most essential part of the brain in taht it contains the cadiac, vascomotor, and respiratory centers of the brain.  
🗑
Meninges   the 3 layers of protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.  
🗑
Myelin Sheath   protective sheath that covers the axons on many nerves in the body. it acts as an electrical insulator and helps to speed the conduction of nerve impulses.  
🗑
Narcolepsy   uncontrolled, sudden attacks of sleep.  
🗑
Nerve   cordlike bundle of nerve fibers that transmit impulses to and from the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body. it's macroscopic.  
🗑
Nerve Block   injection of a local anesthetic along the course of a nerve or nerves to eliminate sensation to the area supplied by the nerves; also called conduction anesthesia.  
🗑
Neuralgia   severe, sharp, spasmlike pain that extends along the course of one or more nerves.  
🗑
Neuritis   inflammation of a nerve.  
🗑
Neurolgia   the supporting tissue of the nervous system.  
🗑
Neurologist   physician who specializes in treating the diseases and disorders of the nervous system.  
🗑
Neurology   the study of the nervous system and it's disorders.  
🗑
Neuron   a nerve cell.  
🗑
Neurosurgeon   a physician who specializes in surgery of the nervous system.  
🗑
Neurosurgery   any surgery involving the nervous system.  
🗑
Neurotransmitter   a chemical substance within the body that activates or inhibits the transmission of nerve impulses at synapses.  
🗑
Nuchal Rigidity   rigidity of the neck. The neck is resistant to flexion. the condition is seen in patients with meningitis.  
🗑
Occlusion   blockage.  
🗑
Oligodendrocyte   type of neurogical cell found in the interstital tisue of the nervous system. it's dendrite projections coil around the axons of many neurons to form the myelin sheath.  
🗑
Palliative   soothing.  
🗑
Paraplegia   paralysis of the lower extremeties and trunk, usually due to spinal cord injuries.  
🗑
Parasympathethic Nerves   nerves of the ANS that regulate essential involuntary body functions such as slowing the heart rate, increasing peristalsis of the intestines, increasing glandular secretions, and relaxing sphincters.  
🗑
Paresthesia   a sensation of numbness or tingling.  
🗑
Peripheral Nervous System   the part of the nervous system outside the CNS, consisting of 12 pairs of cranial nerves and 31 pairs of spinal nerves.  
🗑
Phagocytes   to eat.  
🗑
Pineal Body   small cone-shaped structure (located in the diencephalon of the brain) thought to be involved in regulating the body's biological clock and that produces melatonin; also called the pineal gland.  
🗑
Plexus   a network of interwoven nerves.  
🗑
Quadriplegia   paralysis of all 4 extremities and the trunk of the body; cause by injury to the spinal cord at the level of the cervical vertebrae.  
🗑
Receptor   a sensory nerve ending.  
🗑
Sciatica   inflammation of the sciatic nerve. characterized by pain along the course of the nerve, radiating through the thigh and down the back of the leg.  
🗑
Sensory   Pertaining to sensation.  
🗑
Sensory Nerves   Transmitters of nerve impulses toward the CNS; also known as afferent nerves.  
🗑
Somatic Nervous System   the part of the PNS that provides voluntary control over skeletal muscle contractions.  
🗑
Stupor   a state of lethargy. the person is unresponsive and seems unaware of his or her surroundings.  
🗑
Subarachnoid Space   the space located just under the arachnoid membrane that contains CSF.  
🗑
Sympathetic Nerves   nerves of the ANS that regulate essential involuntary body functions such as increasing the heart rate, constricting blood vessels, and raising the blood pressure.  
🗑
Synapse   the space between the end of one nerve and the beginning of another, through which nerve impulses are transmitted.  
🗑
Syncope   fainting.  
🗑
Thalamus   the part of the brain located between the cerebral hemispheres and the midbrain. The thalamus receives all sensory stimuli, except those of smell, and relays them to the cerebral cortex.  
🗑
Thrombosis   an abnormal condition in which a clot develops in a blood vessel.  
🗑
Ventricle, Brain   a small hollow within the brain that is filled with cerebrospinal fluid.  
🗑
Whiplash   an injury to the cervical vertebrae and their supporting structures due to a sudden back-and-forth jerking movement of the head and neck. Whiplash may occur as a result of an automobile being struck suddenly from the rear.  
🗑
Alzheimer's Disease   deterioration of a person's intellectual functioning. progressive and extremely debilitating.  
🗑
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)   a severe weakening and wasting of the involved muscle groups, usually beginning with the hands and progressing to the shoulders, upper arms, and legs. Caused by decreased nerve innervation to the muscle groups.  
🗑
Anencephaly   an absence of the brain and spinal cord at birth, a congenital disorder.  
🗑
Bell's Palsy   temporary or permanent unilateral weakness or paralysis of the muscles in the face following trauma to the face, an unknown infection, or a tumor pressing on the facial nerve rendering it paralyzed.  
🗑
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome   a pinching or compression of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel due to inflammation and swelling of the tendons, causeing intermittent or continuous pain that is greatest at night.  
🗑
Cerebral Palsy   a collective term used to describe congenital (at birth) brain damage that is permanent but not progressive. Characterized by the child's lack of control of voluntary muscles.  
🗑
Cerebrovascular Accident, CVA   involves death of a specific portion of brain tissue, resulting from a decrease in blood flow (ischemia) to that area of the brain; also called a stroke.  
🗑
Degenerative Disk   the deterioration of the intervertebral disk, usually due to constant motion or wear on the disk.  
🗑
Encephalitis   the inflammation of the brain or spinal cord tissue largely cuase by a virus that enters the CNS when the person experiences a viral disease such as measles or mumps or through the bite of a mosquito or tick.  
🗑
Epilepsy   syndrome of recurring episodes of excessive irregular electrical activity of the brain resulting in involuntary muscle movements called seizures.  
🗑
Grand Mal Seizure   epileptic seizure characterized by a sudden loss of consciousness and by generalized involuntary muscular contractions, vascillating between rigid body extension and an alternating contracting and relaxing of muscles.  
🗑
Petit Mal Seizure   small seizures in which there is a sudden temporary loss of consciousness lasting only a few seconds; also known as absence seizures.  
🗑
Guillain-Barre Syndrome   acute polyneuritis ("inflammation of many nerves") Of the PNS in which the myelin sheaths on the axons are destroyed, resulting in decreased nerve impulses, loss of reflex response, and sudden muscle weakness.  
🗑
Migraine Headache   recurring, pulsating, vascular headache usually developing on one side of the head.  
🗑
Cluster Headache   occurs typically 2 or 3 hours after falling asleep; described as extreme pain around 1 eye that wakens the person from sleep.  
🗑
Tension Headache   occurs from long, endured contraction of the skeletal muscles around the face, scalp, upper back, and neck.  
🗑
Hematoma, Subdural   collection of blood below the dura mater and above the arachnoid layer of meninges.  
🗑
Herniated Disk   rupture or herniation of the disk center through the disk wall and into the spinal canal, causing pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots.  
🗑
Huntington's Chorea   inherited neurological disease characterized by rapid, jerky, involunatry movements and increasing dementia due to the effects of the basal ganglia on the neurons.  
🗑
Hydrocephalus   abnormal increase of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain that causes the ventricles of the brain to dilate, resulting in an increased head circumference in the infant with open fontanel(s); a congenital disorder.  
🗑
Meningitis (acute bacterial)   serious bacterial infections of the meninges- the covering of the brain and spinal cord.  
🗑
Multiple Sclerosis   degenerative inflammatory disease of the CNS attacking the myelin sheath in the spinal cord and brain, leaving it sclerosed (hardened) of scarred and interrupting the flow of nerve impulses  
🗑
Neuroblastoma   highly malignant tumor of the sympathetic nervous system.  
🗑
Parkinson's Disease   degenerative, slowly progressive deteriorating of nerves in the brain stem's motor system.  
🗑
Reye's Syndrome   acute brain encephalopathy along with fatty infiltration of the internal organs that may follow acute viral infections; occures in children (ages 5-11) often with fatal result.  
🗑
Cerebral Angiography   visualization of the cerebral vascular system via X-Ray after the injection of a radiopaque contrast medium into an arterial blood vessel (carotoid, femoral, or brachial).  
🗑
CT Scan Of The Brain   the analysis of a 3-dimensional view of brain tissue obtained as X-ray beams pass through successive horizontal layers of the brain; also called computerized axial tomography (CAT scan).  
🗑
Electroencephalography, EEG   measurement of electrical activity produced by the brain and recorded through electrodes placed on the scalp is termed electroencephalography.  
🗑
Lumbar Puncture   involves the insertion of a hollow needle and stylet into the subarachnoid space, generally between the third and fourth lumbar vertebrae below the level of the spinal cord under strict aseptic technique.  
🗑
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)   noninvasive scanning procedure that provides visualization of fluid, soft tissue, and bony structures without the use of radiation.  
🗑
Neurectomy   neosurgical procedure to relieve pain in a localized or small area by incision of cranial or peripheral nerves.  
🗑
PET Scan   produces computerized radiographic images of various body structures when radioactive substances are inhaled or injected. (Positron Emission Tomography)  
🗑
Romberg Test   used to evaluate cerebellar function and balance.  
🗑
TENS   form of cutaneous stimulation for pain relief that supplies electrical impulses to the nerve endings of a nerve close to the pain site. (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation)  
🗑


   

Review the information in the table. When you are ready to quiz yourself you can hide individual columns or the entire table. Then you can click on the empty cells to reveal the answer. Try to recall what will be displayed before clicking the empty cell.
 
To hide a column, click on the column name.
 
To hide the entire table, click on the "Hide All" button.
 
You may also shuffle the rows of the table by clicking on the "Shuffle" button.
 
Or sort by any of the columns using the down arrow next to any column heading.
If you know all the data on any row, you can temporarily remove it by tapping the trash can to the right of the row.

 
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.

  Normal Size     Small Size show me how
Created by: kmariemurray
Popular Medical sets