B10- Nervous System - Key Words Flashcards
Homeostasis
homeostasis is the state of steady internal, physical, and chemical conditions maintained by living systems.
Receptor
A molecule inside or on the surface of a cell that binds to a specific substance and causes a specific effect in the cell.
Co-ordination centre
The coordination centre receives impulses from various receptors around the body, processes the information and coordinates a response by signalling to other parts of the body.
Effector
an effector molecule is usually a small molecule that selectively binds to a protein and regulates its biological activity.
Neurone
Neurons (also called neurones or nerve cells) are the fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, the cells responsible for receiving sensory input from the external world, for sending motor commands to our muscles.
Nerve
Nerves are like cables that carry electrical impulses between your brain and the rest of your body.
Central nervous system (CNS)
the part of the nervous system which in vertebrates consists of the brain and spinal cord, to which sensory impulses are transmitted and from which motor impulses pass out, and which coordinates the activity of the entire nervous system
Sensory neurone
the nerve cells that are activated by sensory input from the environment
Motor Neurone
Motor neurones are cells in the brain and spinal cord that allow us to move, speak, swallow and breathe by sending commands from the brain to the muscles that carry out these functions.
Reflex
action that your body does in response to something — without you even having to think about it.
Reflex arc
The reflex arc is a special type of neural circuit that begins with a sensory neuron at a receptor (e.g., a pain receptor in the fingertip) and ends with a motor neuron at an effector (e.g., a skeletal muscle).
