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Stack #43186
Ch 10; Nervous System; Vocabulary
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| acetylcholine | Neurotransmitter chemical released at the ends of some nerve cells. |
| arachnoid membrane | Middle layer of the three membranes (meninges) that surround the brain and spinal cord. |
| astrocyte (transport water and salt from the capillaries. | A type of glial (neuroglial) cell; connective, supporting cell of the nervous system. |
| autonomic nervous system | Nerves that control involuntary body functions of the muscles, glands, and internal organs. |
| axon | Microscopic fiber that carries the nervous impulse along a nerve cell. |
| blood-brain barrier | Blood vessels (capillaries) that selectively let certain substances enter the brain tissue and keep other substances out. |
| brainstem | Lower portion of the brain that connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord. |
| pons and medulla oblongata | Part of the brainstem. |
| cauda equina | Collection of spinal nerves below the end of the spinal cord. |
| cell body | Part of a nerve cell that contains the nucleus. |
| central nervous system (CNS) | Brain and the spinal cord. |
| cerebellum | Part of the brain that coordinates muscle movements and maintains balance. |
| cerebral cortex | Outer region of the cerebrum; containing sheets of nerve cells; gray matter of the brain. |
| cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) | Fluid that circulates throughout the brain and spinal cord. |
| cerebrum | Largest part of the brain; responsible for voluntary muscular activity, vision, speech, taste, hearing, thought, and memory. |
| dendrite | Microscopic branching fiber of a nerve cell that is the first part to receive the nervous impulse. |
| dura mater | Thick, outermost layer of the meninges surrounding and protecting the brain and spinal cord. |
| ependymal cell | A cell that lines the fluid-filled sacs of the brain and spinal cord. |
| ganglion (plural; ganglia) | A collection of nerve cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system. |
| glial cells (neuroglia) | Cells of the nervous sytem that do not carry impulses but are supportive and connective in function. |
| gyrus (plural; gyri) | Sheets of nerve cells that produce elevation in the surface of the cerebral cortex; convolution. |
| hypothalamus | Portion of the brain beneath the thalamus; controls sleep, appetite, body temperature, and secreations from the pituitary gland. |
| medulla oblongata | The part of the brain just above the spinal cord; controls breathing , heartbeat, and the size of blood vessels; nerve fibers cross over here. |
| meninges | Three protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. |
| microglial cell | One type of glial cell, It is a phagocyte. |
| motor nerves | Carry messages away from the brain and spinal cord to muscles and organs; efferent (ef=away) nerves. |
| myelin sheath | Fatty tissue that surrounds, protects, and insulates the axon of a nerve cell. These sheaths are white in color (white matter). |
| neuron | A nerve cell; carries impulses throughout the body. There are about 10 billion. |
| neurotransmitter | Chemical messenger, released at the end of a nerve cell. It stimulates or inhibits another cell, which can be a nerve cell, muscle cell, or gland cell. (Examples are acetylcholine, epinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin). |
| oligodendroglial cell | Glial cell that forms the myelin sheath covering axons. |
| nerve | Macroscopic structure consisting of axons and dendrites in bundles like strands of rope. |
| parasympathetic nerves | Involuntary, autonomic nerves that help regulate body functions like heart rate and respiration. |
| parenchyma | Essential, distinguishing cells of an organ. Neurons are the parenchymal tissue of the brain. |
| peripheral nervous system | Nerves outside the brain and spinal cord; cranial, spinal, and autonomic nerves. |
| pia mater | Thin, delicate inner membrane of the meninges. |
| plexus (plural; plexuses) | Large, interlacing network of nerves. Examples are lumbar-sacral and brachial (brachi/o means arm) plexuses. |
| pons | Part of the brain anterior to the cerebrum and between the medulla and rest of the brain. It is a bridge connecting various parts of the brain. |
| receptor | Organ that receives a nervous stimulation and passes it on to nerves within the body. The skin, ears, eyes, and taste buds are receptors. |
| sensory nerves | Carries messages to the brain and spinal cord from a receptor; afferent (af=toward) nerves. |
| stroma | Connective and supporting tissue of an organ. Glial cells are stromal tissue of the brain. |
| stimulus (plural; stimuli) | Change (light, sound, touch) in the internal or external environment that evokes a response. |
| sulcus (plural; sulci) | Depression or groove in the surface of the cerebral cortex; fissue. |
| sympathetic nerves | Autonomic nerves that influence body functions involuntarily in times of stress. |
| synapse | The space (juncture) through which a nervous impulse is transmitted from one neuron to another or from a neuron to another cell, such as muscle or gland cell. |
| thalamus | Main relay center of the brain. It conducts impulses between the spinal cord and the cerebrum; incoming sensory messages are relayed through the thalamus to appropiate centers in the cerebrum. |
| ventricles of the brain | Reservoirs (canals) in the interior of the brain that contain cerebrospinal fluid. |