Language of Medicine - Chapter 10

Question 1

describe nerves

Answer 1

collections of nerve cells which carry electrical messages all over the bodyd

Question 2

define acetylcholine

Answer 2

internal chemical that activates the cell membranes of nerve cells

Question 3

define nervous impulses

Answer 3

electrical discharge, transverse the length of associated nerves

Question 4

define receptors

Answer 4

receive impulses and may in turn transmit impulses to complex network of nerve cells in brain + spinal cord

Question 5

what are the two divisions of the nervous system?

Answer 5

central nervous system (CNS)
peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Question 6

what does the CNS consist of?

Answer 6

brain + spinal cord

Question 7

what does the PNS consist of?

Answer 7

cranial nerves, spinal nerves, plexuses, and peripheral nerves throughout the body

Question 8

what does the Vegus nerve do?

Answer 8

carries messages to and from the neck, chest and abdomen

Question 9

define a plexus

Answer 9

large network of nerves in PNS

Question 10

define sense receptors

Answer 10

include receptors for sight (eye), hearing + balance (ear), smell (olfactory), and touch (skin sensation)

Question 11

afferent VS efferent nerves

Answer 11

sensory (afferent) nerves that carry messages related to changes in environment TOWARD spinal cord + brain

motor (efferent) nerves travel FROM the spinal cord + brain to muscles of the body - telling them how to respond

Question 12

define autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Answer 12

system of nerves that carries impulses to glands, heart, blood vessels, involuntary muscles found in the walls of tubes like intestines + hollow organs like stomach + urinary bladder

Question 13

what are the two types of automatic nerves?

Answer 13

1. sympathetic nerves
2. parasympathetic nerves

Question 14

define sympathetic nerves

Answer 14

stimulate the body in times of stress and crisis, increase HR + forcefulness, dilate (relax) airways so more oxygen can enter, increase BP, also stimulate adrenal glands + secrete epinephrine (adrenaline)

Question 15

define parasympathetic nerves

Answer 15

act as a balance for sympathetic nerves, slows HR, lowers BP, stimulates intestinal contractions to clear the rectum

Question 16

define neuron

Answer 16

individual nerve cell

Question 17

define stimulus

Answer 17

begins an impulse in branching fibres of a neuron

Question 18

define dendrites

Answer 18

branching fibres of the neuron

Question 19

define cell body

Answer 19

impulses reaches cell body and contains the cell nucleus

Question 20

define ganglia

Answer 20

small collections of nerve cell bodies outside the brain + spinal cord

Question 21

define myeline sheath (white matter)

Answer 21

insulate the axon + speed transmission of electrical impulse, has a white appearance

Question 22

define terminal end fibers

Answer 22

nerve impulses pass through the axon and leave the cell via terminal end fibres

Question 23

define synapse

Answer 23

the space where nerve impulses jump from one neuron to another

Question 24

define neurotransmitter

Answer 24

transfer of impulse across the synapse depends on the release of the chemical substance the neurotransmitter

Question 25

what are some examples of neurotransmitters?

Answer 25

acetylcholine, norepinephrine, epinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine, serotonin, and endorphines

Question 26

define stroma

Answer 26

connective + supportive tissue of the organ

Question 27

define glial (neuroglial) cells

Answer 27

make up the supportive framework + help ward off infection

Question 28

list the 4 type of supporting glial cells

Answer 28

1. astrocytes (astroglial cells) - star like appearance + transport water + salts between capillaries + neurons
2. microglial cells - small cells with many branching processes (dendrites) + are phagocytes so they protect neurons in response to inflammation
3. oligodendroglial cells (oligodendrocytes) - have few dendrites, form the myelin sheath in CNS
4. ependymal cells - lines membranes within the brain + spinal cord where CSF is produced and circulates

Question 29

what is the blood brain barrier (BBB)

Answer 29

protective barrier between the blood + brain cells

Question 30

define cerebrum

Answer 30

largest part of the brain, acts as the “thinking” area

Question 31

define the cerebral cortex

Answer 31

on the surface of the cerebrum, nerve cells lie in sheets which make up cerebral cortex

Question 32

define gyri

Answer 32

arranged folds in the brain

Question 33

define sulci

Answer 33

grooves in the brain

Question 34

define cerebral hemisphere

Answer 34

brain is divided into right and left hemispheres these are known as cerebral hemispheres

Question 35

define ventricles

Answer 35

contain watery fluid that flows throughout the brain + around spinal cord

Question 36

define cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

Answer 36

protects brain + spinal cord from shock by acting like a cushion.
typically clear, colourless, and contains lymphocytes, sugar, + proteins

Question 37

define thalamus

Answer 37

acts like a triage centre, it decides what is important and what is not, selectively processing + relaying sensory information to cerebral cortex

Question 38

define hypothalamus