Nervous System

Question 1

Brain

Answer 1

Organ inside the head that controls all body functions of a human being. Made up of billions of nerve cells protected by the cranium.

Question 2

Spinal cord

Answer 2

Column of nerve tissue that runs from the base of the skull down the center of the back.

Question 3

Cranial nerves

Answer 3

One of twelve pairs of nerves that pass from the brain, through openings in the skull, to different areas of the head, neck, chest, and abdomen. They nerves send information between the brain and the sense organs (the eyes, ears, nose, and tongue).

Question 4

Autonomic nervous system

Answer 4

Component of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary physiologic processes including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal.

Question 5

Peripheral nervous system

Answer 5

One of two main parts of your body’s nervous system, the other one being the centeral nervous sytem. It feeds information into your brain from most of your senses. It carries signals that allow you to move your muscles.

Question 6

Dura mater

Answer 6

Tough outer layer of tissue that covers and protects the brain and spinal cord and is closest to the skull.

Question 7

Pia mater

Answer 7

Thin layer that’s held tightly — like shrink wrap — to the surface of your brain and spinal cord. Many blood vessels pass through this layer to supply your brain tissue with blood. It also helps contain cerebrospinal fluid.

Question 8

Arochnoid mater

Answer 8

Thin, transparent membrane surrounding the spinal cord like a loosely fitting sac.

Question 9

Broca’s area

Answer 9

One of the main language centers of the brain. This region is associated with the production of speech and written language, as well as being linked with the processing and comprehension of language.

Question 10

Medulla

Answer 10

Bottom-most part of your brain. It’s where your brain and spinal cord connect, making it a key conduit for nerve signals to and from your body. It also helps control vital processes like your heartbeat, breathing and blood pressure.

Question 11

Cerebellum

Answer 11

Portion of the brain in the back of the head between the cerebrum and the brain stem. It controls balance for walking and standing, and other complex motor functions.

Question 12

Pons

Answer 12

Part of the central nervous system, located at the base of the brain, between the medulla oblongata and the midbrain. It is part of the brainstem.

Question 13

Midbrain

Answer 13

Topmost part of the brainstem, the connection central between the brain and the spinal cord. There are three main parts of the midbrain - the colliculi, the tegmentum, and the cerebral peduncles.

Question 14

Cerebrospinal fluid

Answer 14

Made by tissue that lines the ventricles (hollow spaces) in the brain. It flows in and around the brain and spinal cord to help cushion them from injury and provide nutrients.

Question 15

Blood-brain barrier

Answer 15

Network of blood vessels and tissue that is made up of closely spaced cells and helps keep harmful substances from reaching the brain. It lets some substances, such as water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and general anesthetics, pass into the brain.

Question 16

Hypothalamus

Answer 16

Area of the brain that controls body temperature, hunger, and thirst.

Question 17

Diencephalon

Answer 17

Connects the midbrain to the forebrain. It is located deep within the brain and comprises the epithalamus, thalamus, subthalamus and hypothalamus.

Question 18

Stroke

Answer 18

Occurs when something blocks blood supply to part of the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. In either case, parts of the brain become damaged or die. A stroke can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death.

Question 19

Brainstem

Answer 19

Structure that connects the cerebrum of the brain to the spinal cord and cerebellum. It is composed of three sections in descending order: the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata.

Question 20

Cerebral cortex

Answer 20

Brain’s outermost layer of nerve cell tissue. It has a wrinkled appearance from its many folds and grooves.

Question 21

Limbic system

Answer 21

Part of the brain involved in our behavioural and emotional responses, especially when it comes to behaviours we need for survival: feeding, reproduction and caring for our young, and fight or flight responses.

Question 22

Phineas Gage

Answer 22

He is one of the earliest documented cases of severe brain injury. He suffered major personality changes after brain trauma, at a period in history where very little was known about how the brain worked.

Question 23

Acetylcholine

Answer 23

Neurotransmitter, a chemical that carries messages from your brain to your body through nerve cells. It’s an excitatory neurotransmitter. This means it “excites” the nerve cell and causes it to “fire off the message.”

Question 24

Dopamine

Answer 24

Chemical released in the brain that makes you feel good. Having the right amount of dopamine is important both for your body and your brain. Dopamine helps nerve cells to send messages to each other.

Question 25

GABA

Answer 25

Primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, and it is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the spinal cord. The insulin-producing beta-cells of the pancreas produce GABA.

Question 26

Glutamate

Answer 26

Principal excitatory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system and the most abundant neurotransmitter in the brain. It is stored within vesicles in axon terminals and released via exocytosis upon the influx of calcium cations.

Question 27

Norepinephrine

Answer 27

Chemical made by some nerve cells and in the adrenal gland. It can act as both a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger used by nerve cells) and a hormone (a chemical that travels in the blood and controls the actions of other cells or organs).

Question 28

Serotonin

Answer 28

Neurotransmitter with an integral physiological role in the human body; it is involved in regulating various activities like behavior mood and memory. In addition, it is utilized as a primary target of treatment for many psychiatric and neurological disorders.

Question 29

Central nervous system

Answer 29

Made up of the brain and spinal cord. It is one of 2 parts of the nervous system. The other part is the peripheral nervous system, which consists of nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body.

Question 30

Somatic nervous system

Answer 30

Component of the peripheral nervous system associated with the voluntary control of the body movements via the use of skeletal muscle.

Question 31

Neuroglia

Answer 31

Any of the cells that hold nerve cells in place and help them work the way they should. The types of neuroglia include oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, microglia, and ependymal cells.

Question 32

Astrocytes

Answer 32

Specialized glial cells that outnumber neurons by over fivefold. They contiguously tile the entire central nervous system (CNS) and exert many essential complex functions in the healthy CNS.

Question 33

Microglia

Answer 33

Resident cells of the brain that regulate brain development, maintenance of neuronal networks, and injury repair.

Question 34

Ependymal cells

Answer 34

Cell that forms the lining of the fluid-filled spaces in the brain and spinal cord.

Question 35

Oligodendrocytes

Answer 35

Myelinating cells of the central nervous system (CNS). They are the end product of a cell lineage which has to undergo a complex and precisely timed program of proliferation, migration, differentiation, and myelination to finally produce the insulating sheath of axons.

Question 36

Schwann cells

Answer 36

Serve as the myelinating cell of the PNS and support cells of peripheral neurons. A Schwann cell forms a myelin sheath by wrapping its plasma membrane concentrically around the inner axon.

Question 37

Satellite cells

Answer 37

Mononucleated cells “wedged” between the basement membrane and plasma membrane of the muscle fiber. Act as stem cells and are responsible for the further growth and development of skeletal muscles.

Question 38

Dendrites

Answer 38

Branched protoplasmic extensions of a nerve cell that propagate the electrochemical stimulation received from other neural cells to the cell body, or soma, of the neuron from which the dendrites project.

Question 39

Axon hillock

Answer 39

Neuronal region in the cell body wherein the summation of the excitatory & inhibitory activity occurs. The neuronal action potential is usually created at the axon hillock.

Question 40

Axon terminal

Answer 40

Button-like and is responsible for providing synapses between neurons. The axon terminal contains specialized chemicals called neurotransmitters that are initially contained inside the synaptic vesicles.

Question 41

Myelin

Answer 41

Insulating layer, or sheath that forms around nerves, including those in the brain and spinal cord. It is made up of protein and fatty substances. This myelin sheath allows electrical impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently along the nerve cells.

Question 42

Nodes of Ranvier

Answer 42

Specialized regions in the axonal membrane that are not insulated by myelin. Although it is bare of myelin at the node, the axon is in direct contact with the microvilli of the Schwann cells in the PNS, or with processes of astrocytes in the CNS.

Question 43

Depolarization

Answer 43

Change within a cell, during which the cell undergoes a shift in electric charge distribution, resulting in less negative charge inside the cell compared to the outside.