Agu Lom Chapter 10 Vocabulary

Front 1

autonomic nervous system

Back 1

nerves that control involuntary body functions of muscles, glands, and internal organs

Front 2

axon

Back 2

microscopic fiber that carries the nervous impulse along a nerve cell

Front 3

brainstem

Back 3

Posterior portion of the brain that connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord; includes the pons and medulla oblongata.

Front 4

cerebellum

Back 4

posterior part of the brain that coordinates muscle movements and maintains balance

Front 5

cerebrum

Back 5

Largest part of the brain; responsible for voluntary muscular activity, vision, speech, taste, hearing, thought, and memory.

Front 6

dendrite

Back 6

Microscopic branching fiber of a nerve cell that is the first part to receive the nervous impulse.

Front 7

hypothalamus

Back 7

Portion of the brain beneath the thalamus; controls sleep, appetite, body temperature, and secretions from the pituitary gland.

Front 8

medulla oblongata

Back 8

Part of the brain just above the spinal cord; controls breathing, heartbeat, and the size of blood vessels; nerve fibers cross over here.

Front 9

meninges

Back 9

Three protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.

Front 10

parasympathetic nerves

Back 10

Involuntary, autonomic nerves that regulate normal body functions such as heart rate, breathing, and muscles of the gastrointestinal tract.

Front 11

peripheral nervous system

Back 11

Nerves outside the brain and spinal cord: cranial, spinal, and autonomic nerves.

Front 12

pons

Back 12

Part of the brain anterior to the cerebellum and between the medulla and the rest of the midbrain (Latin pons means bridge). It is a bridge
connecting various parts of the brain.

Front 13

stimulus

Back 13

Agent of change (light, sound, touch) in the internal or external environment that evokes a response.

Front 14

sympathetic nerves

Back 14

Autonomic nerves that influence bodily functions involuntarily in times of stress.

Front 15

synapse

Back 15

Space through which a nervous impulse travels between nerve cells or between nerve and muscle or glandular cells. From the Greek synapsis, a point of contact.