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Neurophysiology
Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Central Nervous System (CNS) | The division of the nervous system consisting of the brain and the spinal cord |
| Brain | Organ of the central nervous system that performs multiple integrative functions. |
| Spinal Cord | The organ of the central nervous system that connects the brain with peripheral nervous system and performs certain integrative functions |
| Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) | The division of the nervous system consisting of the cranial and spinal nerves |
| Cranial Nerves | Nerves originating from or traveling to the brain |
| Spinal Nerves | Nerves originating from or traveling to the spinal cord |
| Sensory Input | Process where sensory signals are gathered from the environment and sent to the brain |
| Integration | Process where the brain receives and processes sensory input to determine an appropriate response |
| Motor Output | Process where the brain sends signals through the spinal cord to the muscles, causing them to contract and perform an action |
| Sensory (Afferent) Division | Responsible for detecting sensory stimuli and transmitting this information to the Central Nervous System (CNS) |
| Somatic Sensory Division | Detects sensory stimuli from the skin, muscles, bones, and joints |
| Visceral Sensory Division | Relays sensory stimuli from internal organs within the abdominopelvic and thoracic cavities |
| Motor (Efferent) Division | Responsible for transmitting motor commands from the CNS to the body's muscles and glands |
| Somatic Motor Division | Controls voluntary movements by transmitting signals to skeletal muscles |
| Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) (Visceral Motor Division) | Regulates involuntary functions by controlling smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands |
| Sensory (Afferent) Neuron | Neuron that carries sensory signals from sensory receptors towards the CNS |
| Interneuron | Neuron that primarily function within the CNS; responsible for relaying messages between sensory neurons and motor neurons |
| Motor (Efferent) Neuron | Carries stimuli away from their cell bodies in the CNS to muscles and glands |
| Nuclei | Clusters of cell bodies in the CNS |
| Ganglia | Clusters of cell bodies in the PNS |
| Tracts | Bundles of axons in the CNS |
| Nerves | Bundles of axons in the PNS |
| Neuroglia (Gila) | Retain their ability to undergo mitosis and divide, allowing them to fill in gaps left by dead neurons |
| Astrocyte | Anchor neurons and blood vessels Regulate the extracellular environment Facilitate the formation of the blood brain barrier Repair damaged tissue |
| Oligondendrocyte | Myelinate certain axons in the CNS |
| Microglia | Act as phagocytes |
| Ependymal Cell | Line cavities Cilia circulate fluid around brain and spinal cord Some secrete this fluid |
| Schwann Cell | Myelinate certain axons in the PNS |
| Satellite Cell | Surround and support cell bodies |
| Myelination | Process by which a myelin sheaths is formed around the axons of neuron |
| White Matter | Areas of myelinated axons (appear white due to myelin) |
| Gray Matter | Areas of cell bodies and dendrites |
| Voltage | Is a separation of charges |
| Electrical Gradient | Difference in electrical charge across a membrane |
| Membrane Potential | Refers to the voltage difference across a cell's plasma membrane due to the separation of charges |
| Resting Membrane Potential | There is a separation of charges across the plasma membrane: negative charges inside the cell and positive charges outside This separation creates a voltage, known as the membrane potential, which is a type of electrical gradient |
| Polarization (Polarized) | State of a cell's membrane potential when it is at rest |
| Ion Channel | Specialized proteins embedded in the plasma membrane of cells, allowing ions to move in and out of the cell |
| Leak Channel | Always open, allowing ions to pass through continuously without a specific stimulus |
| Ligand-Gated Channel | Open in response to the binding of a specific ligand (a molecule that triggers a response) to a receptor associated with the channel |
| Voltage-Gated Channel | Open or close in response to changes in the electrical voltage across the plasma membrane |
| Mechanically Gated Channel | Open in response to mechanical stimuli such as pressure or stretch |
| Depolarization (Membrane Potential) | Crucial process in the functioning of neurons and muscle cells |
| Hyperpolarization (Membrane Potential) | A process that makes the inside of a cell more negative than its resting membrane potential |
| Local (Graded) Potential | Small, localized changes in the membrane potential of a neuron |
| Trigger Zone | Crucial part of a neuron where action potentials are initiated |
| Depolarization (Action Potential) | Key phase in the generation of an action potential in neurons |
| Repolarization (Action Potential) | Ensures that neuron is ready to fire another action potential if needed, Essential for the Propagation of action potentials along the axon, allowing the neuron to transmit signals efficiently |
| Hyperpolarization (Action Potential) | Ensures that the neuron is less likely to fire another action potential immediately, contributing to the refractory period |
| Sodium-Potassium Pump | Membrane protein that maintains the concentration gradients of sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) ions across the cell membrane |
| Refractory Period | Understanding how neurons fire action potentials |
| Absolute Refractory Period | Time during which no additional stimulus (no matter how strong) can produce an additional action potential |
| Relative Refractory Period | Time during which only a strong stimulus will produce an action potential |
| Conduction (Propagation) | Process by which an action potential travels along the length of an axon; essential for long-distance signaling in neurons |
| Saltatory Conduction | Process by which action potentials "jump" from one node of Ranvier to the next along a myelinated axons, significantly speeding up the propagation of the signal |
| Synapse | The location where a neuron meets its target cell |
| Neuronal Synapse | A Synapse in which the target cells another neuron |
| Transmission | Transfer of chemical or electrical signals between neurons at a synpase |
| Electrical Synapse | Occur between cells that are electrically coupled via gap junctions |
| Gap Junction | Specialized structure s that connect adjacent cells, allowing small substances to pass directly between their cytosols through protein channels |
| Chemical Synapse | Allow an electrical signal to be turned into a chemical signal and then back into an electrical signal in the postsynaptic neuron |
| Neurotransmitter | Receive signal and allow the cell to turn the message back into an electrical signal |
| Postsynaptic Potential | Local potentials in the membrane of the postsynaptic neuron |
| Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential (EPSP) | Moves the membrane Potential of the postsynaptic neuron closer to the threshold (a depolarization), thus making an action potential more likely |
| Inhibitory Postsynaptic Potential (IPSP) | Moves the membrane potential of the postsynaptic neuron farther from threshold (a hyperpolarization), thus making an action potential less likely |
| Neural Integration | All input from presynaptic neurons combine to have one cumulative effect on the postsynaptic neuron |
| Summation | The input from several postsynaptic potentials is added in order to affect the membrane potential at the trigger zone |
| Temporal Summation | Occurs when neurotransmitters are released repeatedly from the axon terminal of a single presynaptic neuron |
| Spatial Summation | Occurs during the simultaneous release of neurotransmitters from the axon terminals of multiple presynaptic neurons |
| Diffusion | Some neurotransmitters diffuse away from the synaptic cleft and are absorbed by other neurons and astrocytes |
| Degradation | Some neurotransmitters are broken down by enzymes in the synaptic cleft |
| Reuptake | Some neurotransmitters are taken back into the presynaptic neuron to be reused |
| Acetylcholine | Utilized at the neuromuscular junction |
| Norepinephrine | Influences heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, the sleep/wake cycle, attention, and feeding behaviors |
| Epinephrine | Utilized similarly to norepinephrine |
| Serotonin | Modulates mood regulation, attention, and other cognitive functions |
| Dopamine | Modulates movement coordination, emotion, and motivation |
Created by:
bpotts92
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