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Nervous System - WHS
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| action potential | reversal of charges across the cell membrane of a neuron; also called a nerve impulse |
| central nervous system | consists of the brain and spinal cord |
| peripheral nervous system | the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body |
| autonomic nervous system | division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and internal organs; sympathetic division arouses and parasympathetic division calms |
| somatic nervous system | division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles |
| neuron | a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system |
| neuroglia | cells that support, nourish, protect, insulate and organizes neurons |
| cerebellum | region of the brain that coordinates body movements and balance |
| cerebrospinal fluid | clear fluid in the space between the meninges that acts as a shock absorber that protects the central nervous system; made by choroid plexus |
| cerebrum | part of the brain that interprets input from the senses, controls the movement of skeletal muscles, and carries out complex mental processes |
| frontal lobe | anterior section of each cerebral hemisphere; responsible for voluntary muscle movement and personality |
| parietal lobe | posterior to the frontal lobe, responsible for sensations such as pain, temperature, and touch |
| temporal lobe | inferior to the parietal lobe, responsible for auditory processing |
| occipital lobe | posterior to the parietal and temporal lobes, responsible for visual processing |
| cranial nerves | 12 pairs of nerves originating from the brain, controlling sensory and motor information of the head |
| limbic system | neural structures in the brain that are involved in emotional behavior; includes the hippocampus and amygdala |
| midbrain | most superior portion of the brainstem |
| pons | central portion of the brainstem that is involved in respiration, movement, and sleep |
| medulla oblongata | most inferior portion of the brainstem that controls vital functions such as heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure, and digestion |
| myelin | fatty substance that helps insulate neurons and speeds the transmission of nerve impulses |
| neurotransmitter | chemical used by a neuron to transmit an impulse across a synapse to another cell |
| sympathetic nervous system | division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing in stressful situations |
| parasympathetic nervous system | division of the autonomic nervous system that maintains normal body functions; calms the body after sympathetic stimulation |
| reflex | automatic, instinctive, unlearned reaction to a stimulus |
| synapse | junction between two neurons (axon |
| thalamus | relay station for sensory impulses |
| corpus callosum | large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them |
| afferent | in neurons, another name for sensory; toward the CNS |
| efferent | in neurons, another name for motor; away from the CNS |
| astrocyte | type of glial cell that anchors neurons and capillaries, maintains synapse, controls neuron chemical environment |
| microglia | digest damaged cells and bacteria, act as the brains immune system |
| ependymal cells | produce and circulate cerebrospinal fluid |
| oligodendrocyte | a type of glial cell that forms myelin in the central nervous system |
| satellite cell | protects PNS neuron cell bodies |
| Schwann cell | forms myelin sheaths around the axons of neurons in the PNS |
| nuclei | clusters of cell bodies in the CNS |
| ganglia | clusters of cell bodies in the PNS |
| tract | bundle of axons in the CNS |
| graded potential | local voltage change in a neuron membrane induced by stimulation of a neuron; can summate to cause an action potential |
| dendrite | branchlike parts of a neuron that are specialized to receive information |
| axon | extension of a neuron that carries nerve impulses away from the cell body |
| axon terminal | endpoint of a neuron where neurotransmitters are stored and released from |
| white matter | myelinated axons |
| gray matter | unmyelinated neuron cell bodies and short, unmyelinated axons |
| interneuron (association neuron) | transmits impulse from sensory to motor neuron within central nervous system |
| effector | an organ or cell that acts in response to a stimulus |
| resting membrane potential | electrical charge of a neuron when it is not active; |
| leakage channels | channels that are always open, a.k.a. nongated |
| ligand | gated channel |
| sodium | potassium pump |
| depolarization | state in which the resting potential is reversed as sodium ions rush into the neuron making the membrane more positive |
| hyperpolarization | membrane potential becomes more negative than resting; neuron cannot fire |
| repolarization | return of the cell to resting state, caused by potassium rushing out of the cell |
| threshold | the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse |
| propagation | movement of an action potential along the length of an axon |
| saltatory conduction | rapid transmission of action potentials from node to node |
| multiple sclerosis | chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system marked by damage to the myelin sheath; causes weakness, paresthesia, vision issues |
| temporal summation | one or more presynaptic neurons transmit impulses in rapid |
| spatial summation | sum of multiple synapses firing at different locations at one time |
| synaptic potentiation | repeated use of synapse increases ability of presynaptic neuron to excite postsynaptic neuron |
| dopamine | a neurotransmitter that regulates motor behavior, motivation, pleasure, and emotional arousal |
| norepinephrine (NE) | helps control alertness and arousal; used in fight or flight response |
| serotonin | neurotransmitter that affects mood, hunger, sleep and arousal; undersupply linked to depression. |
| histamine | a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in stimulating wakefulness and appetite |
| GABA | major inhibitory neurotransmitter |
| glutamate | major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in learning memory; excess can stimulate neurons to death |
| endorphins | opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure |
| acetylcholine | neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction |
| ventricle | chambers in the brain filled with cerebrospinal fluid |
| choroid plexus | found in the ventricles of the brain; makes and circulates cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) |
| gyrus (pl. gyri) | ridged or raised portion the brain surface |
| sulcus (pl. sulci) | depression or groove in the surface of the cerebral cortex, separating gyri |
| fissure | deep groove in the brain; longitudinal separates the two hemispheres, lateral separates the temporal lobe from the frontal and parietal lobes |
| primary motor cortex (precentral gyrus) | controls voluntary skeletal muscle activity |
| Broca's area | controls language expression |
| Wernicke's area | controls language reception |
| contralateral | on the opposite side of the body |
| ipsilateral | on the same side of the body |
| primary somatosensory cortex (post-central gyrus) | area on the parietal cortex involved with the processing of tactile and proprioceptive stimuli |
| proprioception | our sense of body position |
| vestibular | the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance |
| olfaction | the sense of smell |
| gustation | the sense of taste |
| prefrontal cortex | frontmost portion of the frontal lobes, especially prominent in humans; important for attention, working memory, decision making, appropriate social behavior, and personality |
| lateralization | specialization of function in one hemisphere of the cerebral cortex or the other |
| basal nuclei | controls muscle activity and posture; largely inhibits unintentional movement when at rest |
| hypothalamus | a neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs much of homeostasis; controls the pituitary gland |
| epithalamus (pineal gland) | secretes melatonin which regulates sleeping |
| cerebellum | large structure of the hindbrain that controls fine motor skills and balance |
| diencephalon | thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus |
| electroencephalogram (EEG) | recording of the electrical activity of the brain which can be used to localize brain injury or disease |
| consciousness | perception of sensation and a voluntary initiation of a response |
| syncope | temporary loss of consciousness or fainting |
| REM sleep | stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements and a high level of brain activity |
| meninx (pl. meninges) | set of connective tissue coverings which surround the brain and spinal cord; they provide protection and contain the cerebrospinal fluid |
| dura mater | thick, outermost layer of the meninges |
| arachnoid mater | weblike middle layer of the three meninges |
| pia mater | innermost layer of the meninges; contains blood vessels to nourish the brain |
| blood-brain barrier | specialized capillaries with tight junctions that selectively let certain substances enter the brain tissue and keep other substances out |
| ischemia | lack of blood supply resulting in tissue death |
| hemiplegia | paralysis of one side of the body |
| CVA (stroke) | clotting of a blood vessel in the brain |
| epidural space | cushion of fat and network of veins in space between vertebrae and spinal dura mater |
| cauda equina | collection of spinal nerves below the end of the spinal cord |
| central canal | CSF |
| paraplegia | paralysis from the waist down |
| quadriplegia | paralysis of all four limbs |
| paresthesia | abnormal sensation; loss of sensation |
| nociceptors | pain receptors |
| adaptation | change in sensitivity in the presence of a constant stimulus |
| referred pain | pain that is felt in a location other than where the pain originates |
| phantom limb pain | pain in a limb (or extremity) that has been amputated |
| endoneurium | delicate connective tissue around individual nerve fibers (axons) in nerve |
| perineurium | coarse connective tissue that bundles nerve fibers (axons) into fascicles |
| epineurium | dense connective tissue that surrounds the entire nerve |
| ventral root of spinal nerve | carries efferent (motor) information |
| dorsal root of spinal nerve | carries afferent (sensory) information |
| plexus | large, interlacing network of nerves |
| phrenic nerve | innervates the diaphragm |
| sciatic nerve | largest nerve in the body; innervates much of the posterior thigh, leg, and foot |
| dermatome | area of skin supplied by a single spinal nerve |
| reticular formation | nerve network that travels through the brainstem and thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal |
| refractory period | the time following an action potential during which a new action potential cannot be initiated |
| all-or-none principle | principle that when a neuron fires, it fires with the same potency each time; a neuron either fires or not - it cannot partially fire, but frequency of firing can vary |
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