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The Language of Medicine Ch. #10
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Acetylcholine | Neurotrasmitter chemical released at the ends of the nerve cells. |
Afferent Nerve | Carries messages toward the brain and spinal cord(sensory nerve). |
Arachnoid Membrane | Middle layer of the three membranes(meninges) that surround the brain and spinal cord. |
Astrocyte | Type of glial(neuroglial) cell that transports water and salts from capillaries. |
Autonomic Nervous System | Nerves that control involuntary body functions of 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; includes the pons and medulla oblongata. |
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 | Posterior 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) | Circulates throughout the brain and the spinal cord. |
Cerebrum | Largest part of the brain; responsible for voluntary muscular activity, vision, speech, taste, hearing, thought, and memory. |
Cranial Nerves | Twelve pairs of nerves that carry messages to and from the brain with regard to the head and neck (except the vagus nerve). |
Dendrites | 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. |
Efferent Nerve | Carries messages away from the brain and spinal cord; motor nerve. |
Ependymal Cell | Glial cell that lines membranes within the brain and spinal cord and helps form cerebrospinal fluid. |
Ganglion (plural:ganglia) | Collection of nerve cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system. |
Glial Cell (Neuroglial Cell) | Supportive and connective nerve cell that does not carry nervous impulses. Examples are astrocytes, microglial cells, ependymal cells, and oligodendrocytes. |
Gyrus (plural:Gyri) | Sheet of nerve cells that produces a rounded ridge on the surface of the cerebral cortex; convolution. |
Hypothalamus | Portion of the brain beneath the thalamus; controls sleep, appetite, body temperature, and secretions from the pituitary gland. |
Medulla Oblongata | 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 | Phagocytic glial cell that removes waste products from the central nervous system. |
Motor Nerve | Carries messages away from the brain and spinal cord to muscles and organs; efferent nerve. |
Myelin Sheath | Covering of white fatty tissue that surrounds and insulates the axon of a nerve cell. Myelin speeds impulse conduction along axons. |
Nerve | Macroscopic cord-like collection of fibers (axons and dendrites) that carry electrical impulses. |
Neuron | Nerve cell that carries impulses throughout the body. |
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 of neurotransmitters are acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. |
Oligodendroglial Cell | Glial cell that forms the myelin sheath covering axons. Also called oligodendrocyte. |
Parasympathetic Nerves | Involuntary, autonomic nerves that regulate normal body functions such as heart rate, breathing, and muscles of the gastrointestinal tract. |
Parenchyma | Essential, distinguishing tissue of any organ or system. The parenchyma of the nervous system includes the brain, spinal cord, and neurons. |
Peripheral Nervous System | Nerves outside the brain and spinal cord; crainial, spinal, autonomic nerves. |
Pia Mater | Thin, delicate inner membrane of the meninges. |
Plexus (plural:Plexuses) | Large, interlacing network of nerves. Examples are lumbosacral, cervical, and branchial plexuses. |
Pons | Part of the brain anterior to the cerebellum and between the medulla and the rest of the midbrain. It is a bridge connecting various parts of the brain. |
Receptor | Organ that receives a nervous stimulus and passes it on to afferent nerves. The skin, ears, eyes, and taste buds are receptors. |
Sciatic Nerve | Nerve extending from the base of the spine down the thigh, lower leg, and foot. Sciatica is pain or inflammation along the course of the nerve. |
Sensory Nerve | Carries messages toward the brain and spinal cord from a receptor; Afferent Nerve. |
Spinal Nerves | Thirty-one pairs of nerves arising from the spinal cord. |
Stimulus (plural:stimuli) | Agent of change (light,sound,touch) in the internal or external environment that evokes a response. |
Stroma | Connective and supporting tissue of an organ. Glial cells are the stromal tissue of the brain. |
Sulcus (plural:sulci) | Depression or groove in the surface of the cerebral cortex; fissure. |
Sympathetic Nerves | Autonomic nerves that influence bodily functions involuntarily in times of stress. |
Synapse | Space through which a nervous impulse travels between nerve cells or between nerve nad muscle or glandular cells. |
Thalamus | Main relay center of the brain. It conducts impulses between the spinal cordand the cerebrum; incoming sensory messages are relayed through the thalamus to appropriate centers in the cerebrum. |
Vagus Nerve | Tenth cranial nerve (cranial nerve X); its brancehes reach to the laryn, trachea, bronchi, lungs, aorta, esophagus, and stomach. |
Ventricles of the Brain | Canals in the brain that contain cerebrospinal fluid. |