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53 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is a neuron?
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a nerve cell, the basic building block of the nervous system
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What is a dendrite and what does it do?
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the branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and send impulses toward the cell body
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What is an axon and what does it do?
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the extension of a neuron, ending in branching
terminal fibers, through which messages are sent to other neurons or to muscles or glands |
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What is the myelin sheath and what does it do?
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a layer of fatty cells segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; makes possible greater transmission speed of neutral impulses
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What is a threshold
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the level of stimulation required to trigger a
neural impulse |
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What is Action Potential?
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a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon;
generated by the movement of positively charges atoms in and out of channels in the axon’s membrane |
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What is a synapse?
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junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron
and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron |
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What are neurotransmitters?
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chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps
between neurons |
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What is acetylcholine?
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a neurotransmitter that, among its functions, triggers muscle contraction
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What are endorphins
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linked to pain control and to pleasure; natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters
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What is the Nervous System?
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the body’s speedy, electrochemical
communication system |
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What body parts does the Central Nervous System (CNS)consist of?
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the brain and spinal cord
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What is the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
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the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body
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What are nerves and what do they do?
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neural “cables” containing many axons, part of the PNS; connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs
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What are sensory neurons and what do they do?
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neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system
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What are Interneurons and what do they do?
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CNS neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
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What is the job of motor neurons?
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carry outgoing information from the CNS to muscles and glands
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What is the skeletal nervous system and what does it do?
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the division of the peripheral nervous system
that controls the body’s skeletal muscles |
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What is the job of the Autonomic Nervous System?
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the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart)
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What does the Sympathetic Nervous System do?
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division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
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What is the Parasympathetic Nervous System and what does it do?
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division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
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What is a reflex?
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automatic response to a sensory stimulus
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What is a lesion?
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a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue
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Electroencephalogram (EEG)
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an amplified
recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain’s surface |
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CT (computed tomograph) Scan
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a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles
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PET (positron emission tomograph) Scan
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a visual display of brain activity that detects where a
radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task (dye is injected into body) |
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MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
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a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer – generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain.
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What is the brain stem, where is it located, and what is it responsible for?
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central core of the brain,
beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; responsible for automatic survival functions |
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Where is the medulla located and what does it do?
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base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing
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What is Reticular Formation?
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a nerve network in the brainstem that plays
an important role in controlling arousal |
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What is the thalamus, where is it located, and what does it do?
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the brain’s sensory switchboard, located on
top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla |
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What is the cerebellum known as, where is it located, and what does it do?
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the “little brain” attached to the rear of the
brainstem; it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance |
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Where is the limbic system located, what does it do, and what parts of the brain are involved?
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system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex; includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus.
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What is the amygdala?
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two almond-shaped neural clusters that are
components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion |
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What is the Hypothalamus and what does it do?
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neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature); helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland; is linked to emotion
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What does the Cerebral Cortex do?
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it's the body’s ultimate control and information processing center
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What are Glial Cells?
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cells in the nervous system that are not neurons but that support, nourish, and protect neurons
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What is the job of the frontal lobes?
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involved in speaking and muscle movements and in
making plans and judgments |
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What do the parietal lobes include?
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the sensory cortex
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What do the occipital lobes do?
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include the visual areas, which receive visual
information from the opposite visual field |
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What do the temporal lobes include?
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include the auditory areas
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Where is the Motor Cortex located and what does it do?
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area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements
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Where is the Sensory Cortex located and what does it do?
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area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body sensations
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What is Aphasia?
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impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca’s area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke’s
area (impairing understanding) |
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What is Broca's area responsible for and where is it located?
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an area of the left frontal lobe that directs
the muscle movements involved in speech |
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What is Wernicke's area responsible for and where is it located?
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an area of the left temporal lobe involved in
language comprehension |
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What is plasticity?
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the brain’s capacity for
modification as evident in brain reorganization following damage |
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What is the corpus collosum and how does it function?
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largest bundle of neural fibers; connects the two brain hemispheres; carries
messages between the hemispheres |
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What is a split brain?
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a condition in which the two
hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) between them |
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What is the Endocrine System and what does it do?
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the body’s “slow” chemical
communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream |
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What are hormones?
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chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the
endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another |
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What are Adrenal glands, where are they located, and what do they do?
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a pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys; secrete the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine, which help to arouse the body in times of stress
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What do the Pituitary glands do?
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under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary
regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands |
