Ch. 10 Nervous System Vocabulary

Question 1

acetylcholine

Answer 1

neurotransmitter chemical released at the end of nerve cells

Question 2

afferent nerve

Answer 2

carries messages TOWARD the brain and spinal cord

Question 3

arachnoid membrane

Answer 3

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

Question 4

astrocyte

Answer 4

type of glial (neuroglial) cell that transports water and salts from the capillaries

Question 5

autonomic nervous system

Answer 5

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

Question 6

axon

Answer 6

microscopic fiber that carries the nervous impulse along a nerve cell

Question 7

blood-brain barrier

Answer 7

protective separation between the blood and brain cells. Makes it difficult for substances to penetrate the capillary walls and enter the brain

Question 8

brainstem

Answer 8

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

Question 9

cauda equina

Answer 9

collection of spinal nerves below the end of the spinal cord

Question 10

cell body

Answer 10

part of a nerve cell that contains the nucleus

Question 11

central nervous system

CNS

Answer 11

the brain and spinal cord

Question 12

cerebellum

Answer 12

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

Question 13

cerebral cortex

Answer 13

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

Question 14

cerebrospinal fluid

CSF

Answer 14

circulates throughout the brain and spinal cord

Question 15

cerebrum

Answer 15

largest part of the brain; responsible for voluntary muscle activity, vision, speech, taste, hearing, thought, memory

Question 16

cranial nerves

Answer 16

twelve pairs of nerves that carry messages to and from the brain with regard to the head and neck (except the vagus nerve)

Question 17

dendrite

Answer 17

microscopic branching fiber of a nerve cell that is the first part to receive a nerve impulse

Question 18

dura mater

Answer 18

thick, outermost layer of the meninges

Latin for hard mother

Question 19

efferent nerve

Answer 19

carries messages AWAY from the brain and spinal cord; motor nerve

Question 20

ependymal cell

Answer 20

glial cell that lines the membranes within the brain and spinal cord and helps form cerebrospinal fluid

Question 21

ganglion

plural: ganglia

Answer 21

collection of nerve bodies in the peripheral nervous system

Question 22

glial cell

neuroglial cell

Answer 22

supportive, connective nerve cell that does not carry nervous impulses (astrocytes, microglial cells, ependymal cells, oligodendrocytes) Glial cells cannot reproduce themselves, as opposed to neurons

Question 23

gyrus

plural: gyri

Answer 23

sheet of nerve cells that produces a rounded ridge on the surface of the cerebral cortex;
convolution

Question 24

hypothalamus

Answer 24

portion of the brain beneath the thalamus; controls sleep, appetite, body temp and secretions from the pituitary gland

Question 25

medulla oblongata

Answer 25

part of the brain just above the spinal cord; controls breathing, heart beat, and the size of blood vessels; Nerve fibers cross over here

Question 26

meninges

Answer 26

three protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord

Question 27

microglial cell

Answer 27

phagocytic glial cell that removes waste products from the central nervous system

Question 28

motor nerve

Answer 28

carries messages away from the brain and spinal cord to muscles and organs (efferent nerve)

Question 29

myelin sheath

Answer 29

covering of white fatty tissue that surrounds and insulates the axon of a nerve cell. Myelin speeds impulse conduction along axons.

Question 30

nerve

Answer 30

macroscopic cord-like collection of fibers (axons and dendrites) that carry electrical impulses

Question 31

neuron

Answer 31

nerve cell that carried electrical impulses throughout the body, parenchyma of the nervous system

Question 32

neurotransmitter

Answer 32

chemical messenger released at the end of a nerve cell. Stimulates of inhibits another cell

Question 33

oligodendroglial cell

Answer 33

glial cells that form the myelin sheath covering axons, also called oligodendrocyte

Question 34

parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 34

involuntary, automatic nerves that regulate normal body functions such as heart rate, breathing, and muscles of the GI tract

Question 35

parenchyma

Answer 35

essential, distinguishing tissue of any organ or system,

Question 36

peripheral nervous system

Answer 36

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

Question 37

pia mater

Answer 37

thin, delicate membrane of the meninges

Question 38

plexus

plural: plexuses

Answer 38

large, interlacing network of nerves

Question 39

pons

Answer 39

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

Question 40

receptor

Answer 40

organ that receives a nervous stimulus and passes it to afferent nerves; Skin, ears, eyes, and taste buds are receptors.

Question 41

sciatic nerve

Answer 41

nerve extending from the base of the spine down the thigh, lower leg, and foot.
Sciatica is pain and inflammation along the course of the nerve

Question 42

sensory nerve

Answer 42

carries messages toward the brain and spinal cord from a receptor; afferent nerve

Question 43

spinal nerves

Answer 43

31 pairs of nerves arising from the spinal cord

Question 44

stimulus

plural: stimuli

Answer 44

agent of change in the internal or external environment that provokes a response

Question 45

stroma

Answer 45

connective, supportive tissue of an organ. Glial cells are the stromal cells of the brain

Question 46

sulcus

plural: sulci

Answer 46

depression or groove in the surface of the cerebral cortex; fissure

Question 47

sympathetic nerves

Answer 47

autonomic nerves that influence bodily functions involuntarily in times of stress

Question 48

synapse

Answer 48

space through which a nervous impulse travels between nerve cells or between muscle or glandular cells.

Question 49

thalamus

Answer 49

main relay center of the brain. conducts impulses between the spinal cord and the cerebrum

Question 50

vagus nerve

Answer 50

tenth cranial nerve (cranial nerve X)

vagus means wandering

Question 51

ventricles of the brain

Answer 51

canals in the brain that contain CSF