Chapter 10

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 (af is a form of ad- meaning toward)

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 in the nervous system

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 is part of a neuron and carries 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 (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 the 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

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

carry messages to and from the brain to all parts of the head and neck and also (in the case of the vagus nerve) to other parts of the body; 12 pairs

Question 17

dendrite

Answer 17

microscopic branching fiber of a neuron 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; 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 membranes within the brain and spinal cord and helps form cerebrospinal fluid

Question 21

ganglion

Answer 21

collection of nerve cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system

Question 22

glial cell

Answer 22

supportive and connective nerve cell that does not carry nervous impulses; can reproduce themselves as opposed to neurons
examples are astrocytes, microglial cells, ependymal cells, and oligodendrocytes

Question 23

gyrus

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; controls breathing, heartbeat, 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

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) that carry electrical impulses

Question 32

neuron

Answer 32

nerve cell that is necessary for impulses to be carried throughout the nervous system; parenchyma of the nervous system

Question 33

neurotransmitter

Answer 33

chemical messenger released at the end of a nerve cell; stimulates or inhibits another cell, which can be a nerve cell, muscle cell, or gland cell; examples are acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin

Question 34

oligodendroglial cell; oligodendrocyte

Answer 34

glial cell that forms the myelin sheath covering axons

Question 35

parasympathetic nerves

Answer 35

involuntary autonomic 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; for the nervous system, includes neurons and nerves

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

Answer 39

large, interlacing network of nerves; examples are lumbosacral, cervical, and brachial

Question 40

pons

Answer 40

part of the brain anterior to the cerebellum and between the medulla and the rest of the midbrain; bridge connecting various parts of the brain

Question 41

receptor

Answer 41

organ that receives and transmits a stimulus to sensory 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

pairs of nerves, arising one on each side of the spinal column; transmit messages to and from the spinal cord

Question 45

stimulus

Answer 45

agent of change in the internal or external environment that evokes a response; may be light, sound, touch, pressure, or pain

Question 46

stroma

Answer 46

connective and supporting tissue of an organ; glial cells make it up in the brain

Question 47

sulcus

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 though which a nervous impulse travels between nerve cells or between nerve and muscle or glandular cells

Question 50

thalamus

Answer 50

main relay center of the brain; conducts impulses between the spinal cord and the cerebrum; sensory messages relayed through to appropriate centers in cerebrum

Question 51

vagus nerve

Answer 51

tenth cranial nerve (cranial nerve X); 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