Term | Definition |
Blood vessels (capillaries) that selectively let certain substances enter brain tissue and keep others out | blood-brain barrier |
Type of glial (neuroglial) cell that transports water and salts from capillaries | astrocyte |
Collection of spinal nerves below the end of the spinal cord | cauda equina |
Neurotransmitter chemical released at the ends of nerve cells | acetylcholine |
Microscopic fiber that carries the nervous impulse along a nerve cell | brainstem |
Carries messages toward the brain and spinal cord from receptors | axon |
Lower portion of the brain that connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord | afferent nerve |
Part of a nerve cell that contains the nucleus | cell body |
Middle layer of the meninges surrounding the brain and spinal cord | arachnoid membrane |
Contains nerves that control involuntary body functions or muscles, glands, and internal organs | autonomic nervous system |
Motor nerve that carries messages away from the brain and spinal cord | efferent nerve |
Largest part of the brain | cerebrum |
Includes the brain and spinal cord | central nervous system |
Microscopic branching fiber of a nerve cell that is the first to receive a nervous impulse | dendrite |
Posterior part of the brain; coordinates muscle movements and maintains balance | cerebellum |
Glial (neuroglial) cell that lines membranes within the brain and spinal cord; helps form cerebrospinal fluid | ependymal cell |
Outer region of the cerebrum; contains sheets of nerves | cerebral cortex |
Circulates throughout the brain and spinal cord | cerebrospinal fluid |
Thick, outermost layer of the meninges | dura mater |
Twelve pairs of nerves that carry messages to and from the brain | cranial nerves |