Chpt. 7: Nervous System Flashcards
(18 cards)
Axon
Neuron process that carries impulses away from the nerve cell body.
Afferent Neuron
Nerve cells that carry impulses toward the central nervous system.
Central Nervous System (CNS)
The brain and the spinal cord.
Dendrites
The branching extensions of neurons that carry electrical signals to the cell body; the receptive portion of a nerve cell.
Efferent Neurons
Neurons that conduct impulses away from the central nervous system.
Gray Matter
The gray area of the central nervous system; contains unmyelinated nerve fibers and nerve cell bodies.
Meninges
The membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.
Nerve
Bundle of neuronal processes (axons) outside the central nervous system.
Neurons
Cells of the nervous system specialized to transmit messages throughout the body.
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
A system of nerves that connects the outlying parts of the body with the central nervous system.
Polarized
The state of an un stimulated neuron or muscle cell in which the inside of the cell is relatively negative in comparison to the outside; the resting state.
Reflex
Automatic reaction to a stimulus.
Somatic Nervous System
A division of the peripheral nervous system; also called the voluntary nervous system.
White Matter
White substance of the central nervous system; the myelinated nerve fibers.
Autonomic Nervous System
The division of the nervous system that functions involuntarily; inner gates cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, and glands.
Brain Stem
The portion of the brain consisting of the medulla, pons, and midbrain.
Cerebellum
Part of the hindbrain; involved in producing smoothly coordinated skeletal muscle activity.
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)
The fluid produced by choroid plexuses; fills the ventricles and surrounds the central nervous system.
