Chapter 10: Nervous System: Vocabulary

Question 1

acetylcholine

Answer 1

Neurotransmitter chemical released at the ends of nerve cells.

Question 2

afferent nerve

Answer 2

Carries messages toward the brain and spinal cord (sensory nerve).

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 capillaries.

Question 5

autonomic nervous system

Answer 5

Nerves that control 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. This makes it difficult for substances (such as anticancer drugs) to penetrate 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: midbrain, 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 muscular activity, vision, speech, taste, hearing, thought, and 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 the nervous impulse.

Question 18

dura mater

Answer 18

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

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 membranes within the brain and spinal cord and helps form cerebrospinal fluid.

Question 21

ganglion
(singular)

ganglia
(plural)

Answer 21

Collection of nerve cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system.

Question 22

glial cell (neuroglial cell)

Answer 22

Supportive and connective nerve cell that does not carry nervous impulses.

Examples: astrocytes, microglial cells, ependymal cells, and oligodendrocytes.

Can reproduce themselves.

Question 23

gyrus
(singular)

gyri
(plural)

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 temperature, and secretions from the pituitary gland.

Question 25

medulla oblongata

Answer 25

Part of the brain just above the spinal cord. Nerve fibers cross over here.

Controls breathing, heartbeat, and the size of blood vessels.

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

midbrain

Answer 28

Uppermost portion of the brainstem.

Question 29

motor nerve

Answer 29

Carries messages away from the brain and spinal cord to muscles and organs; efferent nerve.

Question 30

myelin sheath

Answer 30

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

Question 31

nerve

Answer 31

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

Question 32

neuron

Answer 32

Nerve cell that carries impulses throughout the body; parenchyma of the nervous system.

Question 33

neurotransmitter

Answer 33

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.

Examples: acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin.

Question 34

oligodendroglial cell

Answer 34

Glial cell that forms the myelin sheath covering axons. Also called oligodendrocyte.

Question 35

parasympathetic nerves

Answer 35

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

Question 36

parenchyma

Answer 36

Essential, distinguishing tissue of any organ or system.

The parenchyma of the nervous system includes neurons and nerves that carry nervous impulses.

Question 37

peripheral nervous system

Answer 37

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

Question 38

pia mater

Answer 38

Thin, delicate inner membrane of the meninges.

Question 39

plexus
(singular)

plexuses
(plural)

Answer 39

Large, interlacing network of nerves.

Examples: lumbosacral, cervical, and brachial plexuses.

Question 40

pons

Answer 40

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 41

receptor

Answer 41

Organ that receives a nervous stimulus and passes it on to afferent nerves.

The skin, ears, eyes, and taste buds are receptors.

Question 42

sciatic nerve

Answer 42

Nerve extending from the base of the spine down the thigh, lower leg, and foot.

Question 43

sensory nerve

Answer 43

Carries messages toward the brain and spinal cord from a receptor (afferent nerve).

Question 44

spinal nerves

Answer 44

Thirty-one (31) pairs of nerves arising from the spinal cord.

Question 45

stimulus
(singular)

stimuli
(plural)

Answer 45

Agent of change in the internal or external environment that evokes a response.

Examples: light, sound, touch, pressure, and pain.

Question 46

stroma

Answer 46

Connective and supporting tissue of an organ. Glial cells make up the stromal tissue of the brain.

Question 47

sulcus
(singular)

sulci
(plural)

Answer 47

Depression or groove in the surface of the cerebral cortex (fissure).

Question 48

sympathetic nerves

Answer 48

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

Question 49

synapse

Answer 49

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

Question 50

thalamus

Answer 50

Main relay centre of the brain. It conducts impulses between the spinal cord and the cerebrum. Incoming sensory messages are relayed through the thalamus to appropriate centres in the cerebrum.

Question 51

vagus nerve

Answer 51

Tenth cranial nerve (cranial nerve X). Its branches reach to the larynx, trachea, bronchi, lungs, aorta, esophagus, and stomach.

Question 52

ventricles of the brain

Answer 52

Canals in the brain that contain cerebrospinal fluid.