Terminology Flashcards
Brainstem
medulla oblongata, pons and midbrain
caudal
Towards the tail end (oppositie of rostral)
Column
A large bundle of ascending or descending nerve fibers, composed of different fasciuli
contralateral
the opposite side
cortex
the periphery of a structure, the opposite of medulla
Decussation
The level in the CNS where paired fiber tracts cross from one side of the body to the other (e.g. pyramidal decussation)
Enteroceptor
A sensory receptor that provides information to the CNS concerning the external environment
Fasciuculus
A bundle, also tract, of ascending or descending nerve fibers within the CNS (e.g. fasciculus cuneatus)
Fiber
A long thin structure; refers to an axon or a collection of axons
Fovea
A depression or a pit (e.g. fovea centralis of the retina)
Funiculus
A large bundle (also column) of ascending and descending nerve fibers, composed of several fasciculi
Ganglion
A collection of nerve cell bodies in the CNS e.g. Basal Ganglia
Glomerulus
Structures with a spherical configuration
Infundibulum
A funnel-like structure
Interoceptor
A sensory receptor that provides information to the CNS concerning the body’s internal environment
Ipsilateral
The same side
Lamina
A layer os specific material such as the layering of nerve cell bodies in the spinal cord
Myelin
A fatty substance that surrounds certain acons; compised of spiral layers of the cell membranes of Schwann cells (in the peripheral nervous system) and of the oligodendroglia (in the CNS)
Neurite
A collective term for axons and dendrites
Neuropil
A complex of axons, dendrites, and processes of neuroglia that form a web-like network between nerve cell bodies of the gray matter
Nucleus
Core
Operculum
A cover or lid
Peduncle
A massive collection of nerve fiber bundles that connect the cerebrum and the cerebellum to the brainstem
Perikaryon
The cell body of a neuron (i.e. without its dendrites and axon); also referred to as soma
