Chapter 14: The Somatic Nervous System Flashcards
Alkaloid
substance, usually from a plant source, that is chemically basic with respect to pH and will stimulate bitter
receptors
Amacrine cell
type of cell in the retina that connects to the bipolar cells near the outer synaptic layer and provides the
basis for early image processing within the retina
Ampulla
in the ear, the structure at the base of a semicircular canal that contains the hair cells and cupula for
transduction of rotational movement of the head
Anosmia
loss of the sense of smell; usually the result of physical disruption of the first cranial nerve
Anterior corticospinal tract
division of the corticospinal pathway that travels through the ventral (anterior) column
of the spinal cord and controls axial musculature through the medial motor neurons in the ventral (anterior) horn
Aqueous humor
watery fluid that fills the anterior chamber containing the cornea, iris, ciliary body, and lens of the eye
Ascending pathway
fiber structure that relays sensory information from the periphery through the spinal cord and
brain stem to other structures of the brain
Association area
region of cortex connected to a primary sensory cortical area that further processes the information
to generate more complex sensory perceptions
Audition
Sense of hearing
Auricle
Fleshy external structure of the ear
Basilar membrane
in the ear, the floor of the cochlear duct on which the organ of Corti sits
Betz cells
output cells of the primary motor cortex that cause musculature to move through synapses on cranial and
spinal motor neurons
Binocular depth cues
indications of the distance of visual stimuli on the basis of slight differences in the images
projected onto either retina
Bipolar cell
cell type in the retina that connects the photoreceptors to the RGCs
Broca’s area
region of the frontal lobe associated with the motor commands necessary for speech production
Capsaicin
molecule that activates nociceptors by interacting with a temperature-sensitive ion channel and is the basis
for “hot” sensations in spicy food
Cerebral peduncles
segments of the descending motor pathway that make up the white matter of the ventral midbrain
Cervical enlargement
region of the ventral (anterior) horn of the spinal cord that has a larger population of motor
neurons for the greater number of and finer control of muscles of the upper limb
Chemoreceptor
region of the ventral (anterior) horn of the spinal cord that has a larger population of motor
neurons for the greater number of and finer control of muscles of the upper limb
Chief sensory nucleus
component of the trigeminal nuclei that is found in the pons
Choroid
highly vascular tissue in the wall of the eye that supplies the outer retina with blood
Ciliary body
smooth muscle structure on the interior surface of the iris that controls the shape of the lens through the
zonule fibers
Circadian rhythm
internal perception of the daily cycle of light and dark based on retinal activity related to sunlight
Cochlea
auditory portion of the inner ear containing structures to transduce sound stimuli
Cochlear duct
space within the auditory portion of the inner ear that contains the organ of Corti and is adjacent to the scala tympani and scala vestibuli on either side
Cone photoreceptor
one of the two types of retinal receptor cell that is specialized for color vision through the use of
three photopigments distributed through three separate populations of cells
Contralateral
word meaning “on the opposite side,” as in axons that cross the midline in a fiber tract
Cornea
fibrous covering of the anterior region of the eye that is transparent so that light can pass through it
Corneal reflex
protective response to stimulation of the cornea causing contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle
resulting in blinking of the eye
Corticobulbar tract
connection between the cortex and the brain stem responsible for generating movement
Corticospinal tract
connection between the cortex and the spinal cord responsible for generating movement
Cupula
specialized structure within the base of a semicircular canal that bends the stereocilia of hair cells when the head
rotates by way of the relative movement of the enclosed fluid
Decussate
to cross the midline, as in fibers that project from one side of the body to the other
Dorsal column system
ascending tract of the spinal cord associated with fine touch and proprioceptive sensations
Dorsal stream
connections between cortical areas from the occipital to parietal lobes that are responsible for the
perception of visual motion and guiding movement of the body in relation to that motion
Encapsulated ending
configuration of a sensory receptor neuron with dendrites surrounded by specialized structures
to aid in transduction of a particular type of sensation, such as the lamellated corpuscles in the deep dermis and
subcutaneous tissue
Equilibrium
sense of balance that includes sensations of position and movement of the head
Executive functions
cognitive processes of the prefrontal cortex that lead to directing goal-directed behavior, which is
a precursor to executing motor commands
External ear
structures on the lateral surface of the head, including the auricle and the ear canal back to the tympanic
membrane
Exteroceptor
sensory receptor that is positioned to interpret stimuli from the external environment, such as
photoreceptors in the eye or somatosensory receptors in the skin
Extraocular muscle
one of six muscles originating out of the bones of the orbit and inserting into the surface of the
eye which are responsible for moving the eye
Extrapyramidal system
pathways between the brain and spinal cord that are separate from the corticospinal tract and
are responsible for modulating the movements generated through that primary pathway
Fasciculus cuneatus
lateral division of the dorsal column system composed of fibers from sensory neurons in the
upper body
Fasciculus gracilis
medial division of the dorsal column system composed of fibers from sensory neurons in the lower
body
Fibrous tunic
outer layer of the eye primarily composed of connective tissue known as the sclera and cornea
Fovea
exact center of the retina at which visual stimuli are focused for maximal acuity, where the retina is thinnest, at
which there is nothing but photoreceptors
Free nerve ending
configuration of a sensory receptor neuron with dendrites in the connective tissue of the organ, such
as in the dermis of the skin, that are most often sensitive to chemical, thermal, and mechanical stimuli
Frontal eye fields
area of the prefrontal cortex responsible for moving the eyes to attend to visual stimuli
General sense
any sensory system that is distributed throughout the body and incorporated into organs of multiple
other systems, such as the walls of the digestive organs or the skin
Gustation
Sense of taste
Gustatory receptor cells
sensory cells in the taste bud that transduce the chemical stimuli of gustation
Hair cells
mechanoreceptor cells found in the inner ear that transduce stimuli for the senses of hearing and balance
Incus
(also, anvil) ossicle of the middle ear that connects the malleus to the stapes
Inferior colliculus
last structure in the auditory brainstem pathway that projects to the thalamus and superior colliculus
Inferior oblique
extraocular muscle responsible for lateral rotation of the eye
Inferior rectus
extraocular muscle responsible for looking down
Inner ear
structure within the temporal bone that contains the sensory apparati of hearing and balance
Inner segment
in the eye, the section of a photoreceptor that contains the nucleus and other major organelles for
normal cellular functions
Inner synaptic layer
layer in the retina where bipolar cells connect to RGCs
Interaural intensity difference
cue used to aid sound localization in the horizontal plane that compares the relative
loudness of sounds at the two ears, because the ear closer to the sound source will hear a slightly more intense
sound
Interaural time difference
cue used to help with sound localization in the horizontal plane that compares the relative
time of arrival of sounds at the two ears, because the ear closer to the sound source will receive the stimulus
microseconds before the other ear
Internal capsule
segment of the descending motor pathway that passes between the caudate nucleus and the putamen
Interoceptor
sensory receptor that is positioned to interpret stimuli from internal organs, such as stretch receptors in the
wall of blood vessels
Ipsilateral
word meaning on the same side, as in axons that do not cross the midline in a fiber tract
Iris
colored portion of the anterior eye that surrounds the pupil
Kinesthesia
colored portion of the anterior eye that surrounds the pupil
Lacrimal duct
duct in the medial corner of the orbit that drains tears into the nasal cavity
Lacrimal gland
gland lateral to the orbit that produces tears to wash across the surface of the eye
Lateral corticospinal tract
division of the corticospinal pathway that travels through the lateral column of the spinal
cord and controls appendicular musculature through the lateral motor neurons in the ventral (anterior) horn