Nervous System Study Guide

Front 1

Acetylcholine

Back 1

neurotransmitter that stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and the skeletal muscles. and is involved in memory

Front 2

Acute Pain

Back 2

usually temporary and results from something specific, such as surgery, and injury, or an infection.

Front 3

Afferent Nerves

Back 3

structures that link sensory receptor with the central nervous system and transmit sensory information - nerves that carry impulses from the receptors to the central nervous system.

Front 4

aging

Back 4

with age comes a steady loss of neurons in the brain and spinal cord

Front 5

ascending

Back 5

tracts that carry sensory information to the brain

Front 6

arachnoid mater

Back 6

second layer of meninges, cobweb like membrane containing many blood vessels

Front 7

aromatherapy

Back 7

uses the connection between scents and the limbic system.

Front 8

autonomic nervous system

Back 8

nerves that connect the central nervous system to the glands, heart, and smooth muscles - has two divisions, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic.

Front 9

axon

Back 9

a single elongated projection from the nerve cell body that transmits impulses away from the cell body

Front 10

bells palsy

Back 10

results from inflammation of the 7th cranial nerve

Front 11

bells palsy, polio, herpes

Back 11

all caused by viruses

Front 12

brachial plexus

Back 12

innervates muscles of the neck, armpit, arm, and hand. If a client has been diagnosed with impingement in this, and the source of the pressure on the nerve is muscular, massage would be applied to the neck.

Front 13

brain

Back 13

largest and most complex unit of the nervous system. composed of over 70 percent water.

Front 14

brain stem

Back 14

part of the brain that is divided into the medulla oblongata, the pons, and the midbrain and controls basic bodily functions. primitive portion of the brain that contains centers for vital functions and reflex actions such as vomiting, coughing, and sneezing, posture, and basic movement paterns.

Front 15

carpal tunnel syndrome

Back 15

caused by compression of the median nerve.

Front 16

catecholamines

Back 16

neurotransmitters involved in aleep, mood, pleasure, and motor functions.

Front 17

central canal

Back 17

part of the Grey matter of the spinal cord in which the cerebrospinal fluid flows.

Front 18

central nervous system

Back 18

brain and spinal cord and their coverings

Front 19

cerebral cortex

Back 19

Grey matter of the brain

Front 20

cerebellum

Back 20

second largest part of the brain

Front 21

cerebrum

Back 21

largest portion of the brain - part of the brain is divided into four lobes: temporal, occipital, parietal, and frontal. the part of the brain that receives, interprets, and associates incoming information with past memories and then transmits the appropriate motor response.

Front 22

circle of willis

Back 22

the structures that are a check-and-balance system that provides continual flow to the brain

Front 23

chronic pain

Back 23

pain that has lasted six months or longer

Front 24

collaterals

Back 24

branches from an axon that allow communication among neurons

Front 25

contralateral reflex

Back 25

restores or maintains balance

Front 26

cranial nerves

Back 26

twelves pairs of nerves that originate from the olfactory bulbs, thalamus, visual cortex and brainstem- identified by roman numerals according to their order from front to back, identified by names that refer to their function or distribution, identified as twelve pairs of sensory and/or motor nerves -- relay sensory imput from the head and neck to the brain

Front 27

dendrites

Back 27

branching projections from the nerve cell body that carry signals to the call body -- highly branched processes from the cell body that carry impulses TO the cell body

Front 28

dermatome

Back 28

term for a cutaneous section supplied by a single spinal nerve -- region of the body wall supplied by the cutaneous branches of a single pair of spinal nerves (left and right)

Front 29

descending tracts

Back 29

carry sensory information from the brain to the spinal cord

Front 30

diencephalon

Back 30

part of the brain that houses the thalamus and the hypothalamus

Front 31

dopamine

Back 31

the catecholamine, found in the brain and autonomic system, released by the nervous system and involved in emotions/moods and in regulating motor control and the executive functioning of the brain

Front 32

dorsal root

Back 32

carries sensory information into the spinal cord

Front 33

dura mater

Back 33

outermost layer of the meninges, white, tough, fiberouss connective tissue membrane. lines the cranial bones and covers the brain and spinal cord

Front 34

efferent nerves

Back 34

same as motor nerves - the nerves that carry impulses from the CNS to the muscles or glands

Front 35

epilepticus

Back 35

continuous seizure

Front 36

epinephrine

Back 36

a catecholamine released by the nervous system and involved in fight-or-flight responses such as diliation of blood vessels to the skeletal muscles

Front 37

essential

Back 37

chronic tumor that does not proceed from any other pathologic condition

Front 38

free nerve endings

Back 38

type of sensory receptors that detect itch and tickle sensations

Front 39

ganglia

Back 39

clusters of cell bodies of neurons

Front 40

gray matter

Back 40

unmyelinated nervous tissue found in the central nervous system

Front 41

hypothalamus

Back 41

feel-good neurotransmitters in the hypothalamus can be generated through the use of extremes of eaating, sex and gambling, pain, thrill seeking and crisis creating, massage, and substance abuse -- portion of the brainlinks the nervous and endocrine system

Front 42

mechanoreceptors

Back 42

detect changes in pressure, movement, temperature and other mechanical changes

Front 43

median nerve

Back 43

innervates the thumb and first two fingers and lateral half of the third finger

Front 44

meninges

Back 44

brain and spinal cord are protected by tough connective tissue sheathes

Front 45

mixed nerves

Back 45

contain sensory and motor axons

Front 46

monoplegia

Back 46

paralysis of a single limb or a single group of muscles

Front 47

motor nerve

Back 47

provides action

Front 48

myelin

Back 48

white, fatty insulating substance that surrounds some axons

Front 49

myotome

Back 49

skeletal muscle or group of skeletal muscles that recieve motor axons from a single particular spinal nerve

Front 50

nerve

Back 50

a bundle of axons, dendrites, or both

Front 51

nerve impulses

Back 51

sensory message transmitted from one neuron to another

Front 52

nerve plexus

Back 52

small group of nerves that form an intersecting network -- complex interwoven network of nerves

Front 53

nervous system functions

Back 53

gathering information about the internal and external environment

initiating voluntary muscle movement

Front 54

neurolemma

Back 54

the term for the outer cell membrane of a schwann cell that is essential in the regeneration of injured axons

Front 55

neurons and neuroglia

Back 55

the two types of cells found at the end of an axon in the central nervous system

Front 56

neuroglia

Back 56

specialized connective tissue cells that support, protect, and hold neurons together -- supporting cells to neurons

Front 57

neurons

Back 57

nerve cells that conduct impulses -- functional unit of the nervous system

Front 58

neurotransmitters

Back 58

chemical compounds that are found at the end of an axon in the presynaptic neurons, chemical compounds that generate action potentials when released in the synapses from presynaptic cells

Front 59

nissl bodies

Back 59

prominent rough endoplasmic reticulum

Front 60

nociceptors

Back 60

sensory receptors that detect painful or intense stimuli

Front 61

olfactory cranial nerve

Back 61

first cranial nerve, responsible for smell

Front 62

parasympathetic nervous system

Back 62

function is rest and restore after emergency responses - energy conservation and restoration

Front 63

peripheral nervous system

Back 63

comprised of afferent and efferent divisions - divided into the sensory, the somatic, and the autonomic nervous system

Front 64

pia mater

Back 64

innermost later of the meninges

Front 65

pineal body

Back 65

internal biologic clock

Front 66

plexus

Back 66

network of intertwinnig nerves that innervates a particular region of the body

Front 67

poliomyelitis

Back 67

viral infection that affects the nerves that control skeletal muscle movement

Front 68

proprioceptors

Back 68

sensory and mechanical receptors that provide the body with information about position, movement, and muscle tension, joint activity, and eqilibrium

Front 69

quadriplegia

Back 69

paralysis or loss of movement of all four limbs

Front 70

reflex

Back 70

automatic, involuntary reaction to stimulus -- rapid automatic response to a specific sensory signal

Front 71

restorative sleep

Back 71

the great healer

Front 72

resting membrane potential

Back 72

describes the neuron's membrane as positively charged outside and negatively charges inside

Front 73

reticular activating system

Back 73

the part of the brain that wake a person up and keeps him or her awake

Front 74

schwann cell

Back 74

specialized call that forms myelin

Front 75

sensory and motor area

Back 75

sensory and motor area representation in the brain is the largest for face, lips, and fingers

Front 76

serotonin

Back 76

a neurotransmitter that works primarily as an inhibitor in the central nervous system and is synthesized into melatonin which affects sleep and mood

Front 77

smell

Back 77

the sense that is the most primitive and not easily described

Front 78

somatic nervous system

Back 78

keeps the body in balance with its external environment by transmitting impulses between the brain and the skeletal muscles and skin

Front 79

spinal nerves

Back 79

31 pairs emerging from the vertebral column -- originate in the spinal cord and separate into sensory and motor fibers in the same nerve -- 31 pairs of spinal nerves branch off from the spinal cord to the rest of the body

Front 80

spinal cord

Back 80

function is conduction of nerve impulses and center for spinal reflexes, the portion of the central nervous system that exits the skull into the vertebral column

Front 81

stretch, tendon, flexor and cross extensor reflexes

Back 81

often stimulated by touch and movement modalities

Front 82

stretch reflex

Back 82

is a protective contraction

Front 83

sweet, salty, sour

Back 83

tastes that can be detected by the tongue without the sense of smell

Front 84

sympathetic nervous system

Back 84

responses that predominate when body is under stress, fight or flight responses, stimulate energy expenditure activities, especially during emergency responses, increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and dilated pupils are examples

Front 85

synapses

Back 85

spaces between neurons or between a neuron and a effector organ

Front 86

synaptic junction

Back 86

the part of the nervous system where behavior is affected by the type and amount of neurotransmitters released

Front 87

temporal lobe

Back 87

where long term memory takes place

Front 88

thalamus

Back 88

the portion of the brain that is the relay station from the sense organs to the cerebrum for all sensory input except smell

Front 89

thermal receptors

Back 89

structures that detect changes in temperature

Front 90

tracts

Back 90

collections of nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord with a common function

Front 91

trigeminal nerve

Back 91

carries sensations of touch and pressure -- largest and innervates the muscles of chewing -- responsible for relaying sensations of smell and taste to the brain

Front 92

vagal function

Back 92

general full-body massage has been shown to stimulate this in a client with digestive disturbances

Front 93

ventral root

Back 93

carries motor information into the spinal cord

Front 94

ventricles

Back 94

filled with cerebrospinal fluid

Front 95

vagus nerve

Back 95

cranial nerve number X

Front 96

whiplash

Back 96

an injury to the soft tissues of the neck cause by sudden hyperextension and/or flexion of the neck

Front 97

white matter

Back 97

myelinated nerve fibers, particularly those found in brain and spinal tissue