Anatomy Vocab: Nervous, Respiratory, Excretory Flashcards
Neurons
The basic cellular unit of the nervous system.
Synapse
The end of the axon, where the axon almost touches the next cell body.
Neurotransmitters
Chemicals which allow the nerve impulse to cross the synapse. They are released to the synaptic cleft. They can increase or decrease transmission.
Cerebrum
The larger part of the brain that controls things like smell, touch, taste, reading, and the motor cortex.
Cerebellum
The part of the brain below the cerebrum. It helps with skeletal muscle coordination, balance, muscle tone, posture, etc. Muscles we generally have control over.
Medulla
It controls involuntary muscles like heartbeat and breathing, gland secretion, and digestion.
Spinal Cord
A part of the central nervous system. It allows for communication between the body and the brain.
Meninges
A layer of membrane that surrounds the brain to protect it by keeping things in and out.
CSF- Cerebrospinal Fluid
The fluid that fills the ventricles and the skull to keep the brain from bumping into the sides of the skull- useful for protection.
Ventricles
The space between the two halves of the brain.
Hypothalamus
This part of the brain helps maintain homeostasis. It regulates body temperature, thirst, etc. It is also a part of the endocrine system, and it releases certain hormones from glands. It also helps make sense of sensory input.
The Three Types of Neurons
Sensory neurons, association/interneurons, and motor neurons.
Sensory Somatic
A part of the peripheral nervous system. It deals with skeletal muscles, the muscles you have direct control over.
Autonomic
A part of the peripheral NS that deals with the muscles that are “automatic,” that our body controls but we don’t.
Sympathetic
Part of the autonomic NS. This gets us ready for an emergency.
Parasympathetic
Part of the autonomic NS. This brings us back to normal after an emergency.
The Effect of Drugs on the Nervous System
Drugs can increase or decrease neurotransmitter levels. They can also speed up or slow down transmission. Many drugs act upon the reward pathway.
Pharynx
This is the part of the throat that regulates the passage of air to the lungs and food to the esophagus. It is connected to the middle ears by eustachian tubes.
Epiglottis
A flap that protects the respiratory system by closing off the larynx to prevent food and water from entering as you swallow.
Trachea
The windpipe, where air enters.
Bronchi
The main passageway into the lungs for air to travel through. These become smaller as they go toward the lungs and are then known as bronchioles.
Bronchioles
The smaller form of bronchi that allow for air to be exchanged and carried to the lungs. These also become smaller and turn into alveoli.
Alveoli
Air sacs within the lungs which is where O2 and CO2 are exchanged.
Diaphragm
A skeletal muscle that sits at the base of the chest. It allows for negative pressure breathing to create a vacuum: Inhaling causes the diaphragm to contract and move down while the rib cage moves up, creating a vacuum/space for air to move in. Exhaling: lower rib cage, the diaphragm moves up and relaxes. Less space forces air out.
How is our breathing rate controlled?
Our breathing rate is controlled by the medulla, which controls involuntary muscles. The medulla monitors our blood pH and forces us to breathe if the pH is too low (too much CO2).
Kidney
An organ in the excretory system that filters nitrogenous waste from our blood.
Ureter
The tube that carries waste from the kidney to the blader.
Urinary bladder
The sac that stores nitrogenous waste before it is excreted.
Urethra
The part of the excretory system that lets us urinate; where nitrogenous waste exits.
Nephron
The basic functional unit of the kidney that does the actual filtration.
Filtration
The kidney filters 180 L of water out of our blood each day- lots of water is lost at filtration. Plasma with water, glucose, and minerals is filtered/forced into the excretory tubule.
Reabsorption
178 L (out of 180 L) of water is reabsorbed back into our blood to keep us alive and hydrated. Water, solutes, glucose, and amino acids are reabsorbed back into the blood.
Secretion
Specialized epithelial cells actively transport ions and drugs into the filtrate (the liquid, before it becomes urine).
Excretion
The filtrate is now urine. We pee 2 L a day. At excretion, we remove the products remaining in the excretory tubule (urea and excess water, which form urine).
ADH
Antidiuretic hormone is produced in the hypothalamus and stored in the primary gland. It causes our tubules to reabsorb water and decrease urine to conserve water when we are dehydrated. It helps us maintain homeostasis.
Dialysis
An artery is hooked up to an “artificial kidney” which filters the blood. Treatment for kidney failure.
Urinary Tract Infection
Bacteria can grow in the urethra or bladder and cause an infection. Can be treated with antibiotics.
