Chapter 2 Vocab Flashcards
neuroplasticity
The nervous system’s potential for physical or chemical change that enhances its adaptability to environmental change and its ability to compensate for injury.
somatic nervous system (SNS)
Part of the PNS that includes the cranial and spinal nerves to and from the muscles, joints, and skin that produce movement, transmit incoming sensory input, and inform the CNS about the position and movement of body parts.
autonomic nervous system (ANS)
Part of the PNS that regulates the functioning of internal organs and glands.
afferent
Conducting toward a central nervous system structure.
efferent
Conducting away from a central nervous system structure.
meninges
Three layers of protective tissue - dure mater, arachnoid, and pia mater - that encase the brain and spinal cord. (Protects the CNS)
gyrus
A small protrusion or bump formed by folding of the cerebral cortex.
sulcus
A groove in brain matter, usually a groove found in the neocortex or cerebellum.
gray matter
Areas of the nervous system composed predominately of cell vodies and capillary blood vessels that function either to collect and modifity information or to support this activity
white matter
Areas of the nervous system rich in fat-sheathed neural axons that form the connections between brain cells.
ventricle
One of the four cavities in the brain that contain cerebrospinal fluid that cushions the brain and may play a role in maintaining brain metabolism.
nerve
Large collection of axons coursing together outside the central nervous system.
tract
Large collection of axons coursing together within the central nervous system.
cytoarchitectonic map
Map of the neocortex based on the organization, structure, and distribution of cells.
Parkinson’s disease
Disorder of the motor system correlated with a loss of dopamine in the brain and characterized by tremors, muscular rigidity, and a reduction in voluntary movement.
