Chapter 10-Vervous System Vocab

Front 1

acetylcholine

Back 1

Neurotransmitter chemical released at the ends of some nerve cells.

Front 2

arachnoid membrane

Back 2

Middle layer of the three membranes (meninges) that surround the brain and spinal cord.

Front 3

astrocyte

Back 3

A type of glial (neuroglial) cell; connective, supporting cell of the nervous system. Astrocytes transport water and salts from capillaries.

Front 4

autonomic nervous system

Back 4

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

Front 5

axon

Back 5

Microscopic fiber that carries the nervous impulse along a nerve cell.

Front 6

blood-brain barrier

Back 6

blood vessels (capillaries) that selectively let certain substances enter the brain tissue and keep other substances out.

Front 7

brainstem

Back 7

Lower portion of the brain that connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord. The pons and medulla oblongata are part of the brainstem

Front 8

cauda equina

Back 8

Collection of spinal nerves below the end of the spinal cord.

Front 9

cell body

Back 9

Part of a nerve cell that contains the nucleus.

Front 10

central nervous system (CNS)

Back 10

brain and spinal cord

Front 11

cerebellum

Back 11

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

Front 12

cerebral cortex

Back 12

outer region of the cerebrum; containing sheets of nerve cells; gray matter of the brain.

Front 13

cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

Back 13

Fluid that circulates throughout the brain and spinal cord.

Front 14

cerebrum

Back 14

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

Front 15

dendrite

Back 15

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

Front 16

dura mater

Back 16

Thick, outermost layer of the meninges surrounding and protecting the brain and spinal cord.

Front 17

ependymal cell

Back 17

A cell that lines the fluid-filled sacs of the brain and spinal cord

Front 18

ganglion

Back 18

a collection of nerve cell bodies in the peripheral nbervous system

Front 19

glial cells (neuroglia)

Back 19

cells in the nervous system that do not carry impulses but are supportive and connective in function.

Front 20

gyrus (plural: gyri)

Back 20

sheets of nerve cells that produce elevation in the surface of the cerebral cortex; convolution

Front 21

Hypothalamus

Back 21

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

Front 22

medulla oblongata

Back 22

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

Front 23

meninges

Back 23

three protective layers that surround the brain and spinal cord

Front 24

micorglial cell

Back 24

one type of glial cell. It is a phagocyte

Front 25

motor nerves

Back 25

carry messages away from the brain and spinal cord to muscles and organs; efferent (ef=away) nerves

Front 26

myelin sheath

Back 26

fatty tissue that surrounds, protects, and insulates the axon of a nerve cell. These sheaths are white in color (white matter)

Front 27

nerve

Back 27

macroscopic structure consisting of axons and dendrites in bundles like strands of rope.

Front 28

neuron

Back 28

a nerve cell; carries impulses throughout the body. There are about 10 billion neurons

Front 29

neurotransmitter

Back 29

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.

Front 30

oligodendroglial cell

Back 30

glial cell that forms the myelin sheath covering axons.

Front 31

parasympathetic nerves

Back 31

involuntary, autonomic nerves that help regulate body functions like heart rate and respiration

Front 32

parenchyma

Back 32

essential, distinguishing cells of an organ. Neurons are the parenchymal tissur of the brain.

Front 33

Pia mater

Back 33

thin, delicate inner membrane of the meninges

Front 34

plexus (plural: plexuses)

Back 34

large, interlacing network of nerves.

Front 35

pons

Back 35

part of the brain anterior to the cerebellum and between the medulla and the rest of the brain. It is a bridge connecting various parts of the brain

Front 36

receptor

Back 36

Organ that receives a nervous stimulation and passes it on to nerves within the body. The dkin, ears, eyes, and taste buds are receptors.

Front 37

Sensory nerves

Back 37

Carry messages to the brain and spinal cord from a receptor; afferent (af=toward) nerves.

Front 38

stimulus (plural: stimuli)

Back 38

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

Front 39

stroma

Back 39

connective and supporting tissue of an organ. Glial cells are the stromal tissue of the brain

Front 40

sulcus (plural: sulci)

Back 40

Depression or groove in the surface of the cerebral cortex; fissure.

Front 41

sympathetic nerves

Back 41

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

Front 42

synapse

Back 42

the space (juncture) through which a nervous impulse is transmitted fron one neuron to another or from a neuron to another cell, such as a muscle or gland cell

Front 43

thalamus

Back 43

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 appropriate centers in the cerebrum.

Front 44

ventricle of the brain

Back 44

reservoirs (canals) in the interior of the brain that contain cerebrospinal fluid.