Chapter 2 Flashcards
Neuroplasticity
nervous system’s potential for physical or chemical change that enhances its adaptability to environmental change; ability to compensate for injury
Phenotypic plasticity
the individual’s capacity to develop into more than one phenotype—characteristics that can be seen or measured
Central Nervous System (CNS)
brainstem, forebrain, and spinal cord
Somatic Nervous System (SNS)
all the spinal and cranial nerves carrying sensory information to the CNS from the muscles, joints, and skin; transmits outgoing motor information→ movement
Motor innervation of all skeletal muscles
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
balances the body’s internal organs to “rest and digest” through the parasympathetic (calming) nerves or to “fight or flee” or engage in vigorous activity through the sympathetic (arousing) nerves
Motor innervation of smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands
Afferent
incoming information
Efferent
outgoing information
Meninges
layered, protective covering of the brain. Includes the outer dura mater (tough double layer of fibrous tissue that encloses the brain and spinal cord in a lose sac), the arachnoid layer (thin sheet of delicate connective tissue that follows the brain’s contours), and the pia mater (moderately tough membrane of connective-tissue fibers that cling to the brain’s surface)
Subarachnoid space
filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the 4th ventricle
Ipsilateral
structures that lie on the same side
Contralateral
structures that lie on opposite sides
Bilateral
structures that lie in each hemisphere
Proximal
structures that are close to one another
Distal
structures that are far from one another
Anterior
located near or toward the front of the animal or the front of the head (frontal; rostral)
Caudal
located near or toward the tail of the animal (posterior)
Coronal
cut vertically from the crown of the head down; used in reference to the plane of a brain section that reveals a frontal view
Dorsal
On or toward the back of the animal, or in reference to human brain nuclei, located above; in reference to brain sections, a viewing orientation from above
Frontal
“of the front”; in reference to brain sections, a viewing orientation from the front
Horizontal
Cut along the horizon; used in reference to the plane of a brain section that reveals a dorsal view
Inferior
located below (ventral)
Lateral
toward the side of the body or brain
Medial
toward the middle, specifically the body’s midline, in reference to brain sections, a side view of the central structures
Posterior
located near or toward the tail of the animal (caudal)
