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nervous system
vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| acetylcholine (ACh) | the acetic acid ester of choline, C 7 H 17 NO 3 , released and hydrolyzed during nerve conduction and causing muscle action by transmitting nerve impulses across synapses. |
| acetylcholinesterase (AChE) | an enzyme that hydrolyzes the neurotransmitter acetylcholine: its action is blocked by nerve gases and certain drugs |
| action potential | the change in electrical potential that occurs between the inside and outside of a nerve or muscle fiber when it is stimulated, serving to transmit nerve signals. |
| adrenal medulla | the medulla of the adrenal gland; secretes epinephrine |
| adrenalin | a hormone that is secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to stress and increases heart rate, pulse rate, and blood pressure, and raises the blood levels of glucose and lipids. |
| “all-or-none”response | a response by the body when you feel pain |
| autonomic nervous system | the system of nerves and ganglia that innervates the blood vessels, heart, smooth muscles, viscera, and glands and controls their involuntary functions, consisting of sympathetic and parasympathetic portions. |
| axon | Cell Biology . the appendage of the neuron that transmits impulses away from the cell body. |
| axoplasm | cytoplasm within an axon. |
| calcium ion | ion of calcium; a factor in the clotting of blood |
| cell body | the compact area of a nerve cell that constitutes the nucleus and surrounding cytoplasm, excluding the axons and dendrites. |
| central nervous system | the part of the nervous system comprising the brain and spinal cord. |
| cerebellum | a large portion of the brain, serving to coordinate voluntary movements, posture, and balance in humans, being in back of and below the cerebrum and consisting of two lateral lobes and a central lobe. |
| cerebrum | the anterior and largest part of the brain, consisting of two halves or hemispheres and serving to control voluntary movements and coordinate mental actions. |
| contractile protein | The cytoplasm of cells is a colloidal network of contractile proteins. |
| corpus callosum | a great band of deeply situated transverse white fibers uniting the two halves of the cerebrum in humans and other mammals. |
| dendrite | a branching figure or marking, resembling moss or a shrub or tree in form, found on or in certain stones or minerals due to the presence of a foreign material. |
| depolarization | a sharp division, as of a population or group, into opposing factions. |
| effector | a substance, as a hormone, that increases or decreases the activity of an enzyme. |
| excitatory neurotransmitter | a substance, as a hormone, that increases or decreases the activity of an enzyme. |
| hypothalamus | a region of the brain, between the thalamus and the midbrain, that functions as the main control center for the autonomic nervous system by regulating sleep cycles, body temperature, appetite, etc., |
| impulse | the influence of a particular feeling, mental state, etc.: to act under a generous impulse; to strike out at someone from an angry impulse. |
| inhibitory neurotransmitter | Inhibitory neurotransmitters balance mood and are easily depleted when the excitatory |
| medulla oblongata | he lowest or hindmost part of the brain, continuous with the spinal cord. |
| meninges | the three membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Compare arachnoid ( def 6 ) , dura mater, pia mater. |
| motor neuron, | A motor neuron (or motoneuron) is a nerve cell (neuron) that originates in the motor region of the cerebral cortex or the brain stem, |
| myelin sheath | a wrapping of myelin around certain nerve axons, serving as an electrical insulator that speeds nerve impulses to muscles and other effectors. |
| myelinated nerve fibre | In the central nervous system, nerve fibers differ in terms of size, conduction velocity, and presence or lack of myelin. |
| neuroendocrine control centre | The autonomic nervous system includes the motor neurons that control the internal organs |
| neuron | a specialized, impulse-conducting cell that is the functional unit of the nervous system, consisting of the cell body and its processes, the axon and dendrites. |
| neurotransmitters | any of several chemical substances, as epinephrine or acetylcholine, that transmit nerve impulses across a synapse to a postsynaptic element, as another nerve, muscle, or gland. |
| node of Ranvier | a gap occurring at regular intervals between segments of myelin sheath along a nerve axon. |
| norepinephrine | a neurotransmitter, released by adrenergic nerve terminals in the autonomic and possibly the central nervous system, that has such effects as constricting blood vessels, raising blood pressure, and dilating bronchi. |
| parasympathetic division | The parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) is one of three main divisions of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), the other two being the sympathetic |
| peripheral nervous system | the portion of the nervous system lying outside the brain and spinal cord. |
| pituitary gland | a small, somewhat cherry-shaped double structure attached by a stalk to the base of the brain and constituting the master endocrine gland affecting all hormonal functions in the body, consisting of an anterior region ((anterior pituitary) or (adenohypoph |
| polarity | the property or characteristic that produces unequal physical effects at different points in a body or system, as a magnet or storage battery. |
| postsynaptic membrane | The part of the cell membrane of a neuron or muscle fiber with which an axon terminal forms a synapse. |
| potassium gate | In the neuron, there are many such gates, including sodium gates and potassium gates. Both of these respond to positive-negative balance changes. |
| presynaptic membrane | The part of the cell membrane of an axon terminal that faces the cell membrane of the neuron or muscle fiber with which the axon terminal establishes a synapse. |
| receptor | any of various specific protein molecules in surface membranes of cells and organelles to which complementary molecules, as hormones, neurotransmitters, antigens, or antibodies, may become bound. |
| reflex arc | the nerve pathways followed by an impulse during a reflex. |
| refractory period | a short period after a nerve or muscle cell fires during which the cell cannot respond to additional stimulation. |
| repolarization | a state, or the production of a state, in which rays of light or similar radiation exhibit different properties in different directions. Compare circular polarization, elliptical polarization, plane polarization. |
| saltatory transmission | The nerve impulse transmission is specifically a biophysical process. Under a resting stage, the membrane is already polarised |
| Schwann cell | a cell of the peripheral nervous system that wraps around a nerve fiber, jelly-roll fashion, forming the myelin sheath. |
| sensory neuron | a nerve cell that conducts impulses from a sense organ to the central nervous system. |
| sodium gate | Sodium channels are integral membrane proteins that form ion channels, conducting sodium ions (Na) through a cell's plasma membrane. |
| sodium-potassium pump | The enzyme-based mechanism that maintains correct cellular concentrations of sodium and potassium ions by removing excess ions from inside a cell and replacing them with ions from outside the cell. |
| somatic nervous system | Compare autonomic nervous system the section of the nervous system responsible for sensation and control of the skeletal muscles |
| sympathetic division | Activity of the neurons that make up the sympathetic division of the visceral motor system ultimately prepares individuals for “flight or fight,” |
| synapse | a region where nerve impulses are transmitted and received, encompassing the axon terminal of a neuron that releases neurotransmitters in response to an impulse, an extremely small gap across which the neurotransmitters travel, and the adjacent membrane o |
| synaptic cleft | the small gap, measured in nanometers, between an axon terminal and any of the cell membranes in the immediate vicinity. |
| synaptic ending | The synapse is a small gap separating neurons. The synapse consists of: a presynaptic ending that contains neurotransmitters, mitochondria |
| synaptic vesicle | Any of several small, intracellular, membrane-bound vesicles at a synaptic junction of neurons that contain the neurotransmitter. |
| thalamus | the middle part of the diencephalon through which sensory impulses pass to reach the cerebral cortex. |
| threshold value | The threshold limit value (TLV) of a chemical substance is a level to which it is believed a worker can be exposed day after day for a working lifetime |
Created by:
davis avery
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