Unit 6 Vocab Flashcards
sensory transmitters that send impulses from receptors in the skin, muscle, and joints to the central nervous system
Afferent Nerves
branch of the nervous system that controls involuntary body functions
Autonomic Nervous System
nerve impulse caused by a wave of depolarization along the length of a neuron
Action Potential
involuntary stimuli transmitted to cardiac and smooth muscles
Autonomic Reflexes
condition of dementia involving a progressive loss of brain function with major consequences for memory, thinking, and behavior
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)
the brain and spinal cord
Central Nervous System (CNS)
a group of nervous system disorders resulting from brain damage before or during birth, or in early infancy
Cerebral Palsy (CP)
fluid in the subarachnoid space that cushions the brain and spinal cord
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)
a large, myelinated tract connecting the left and right hemispheres of the brain; contains more than 200 million axons
Corpus Callosum
motor transmitters that carry impulses from the CNS out to the muscles and glands
Efferent Nerves
a group of brain disorders characterized by repeated seizures over time
Epilepsy
a mass of nervous tissue composed mostly of nerve cell bodies
Ganglion
neurons that form bridges to transmit nerve impulses between afferent and efferent neurons
Interneurons
three protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord
Meninges
an infection-induced inflammation of the meninges surrounding the brain and spinal cord
Meningitis
the fatty bands of insulation surrounding axon fibers
Myelin Sheath
a chronic, slowly progressive disease of the CNS that destroys the myelin sheath of nerve cell axons
Multiple Sclerosis
chemicals that act as messengers between an axon of one neuron and a dendrite on another, or between an axon and a muscle fiber
Neurotransmitters
all parts of the nervous system external to the brain and spinal cord
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
complex interconnections of nerves
Plexus
simple, rapid, involuntary, programmed responses to stimuli
Reflexes
a pumping mechanism powered by ATP molecules that actively transports potassium and sodium ions into and out of the cell, respectively, against their gradients in order to accomplish repolarization of the cell
Sodium-Potassium Pump
branch of the nervous system that stimulates the skeletal muscles
Somatic Nervous System
involuntary stimuli transmitted to skeletal muscles from neural arcs in the spinal cord
Somatic Reflexes
the intersection between a neuron, a muscle, a gland, or a sensory receptor
Synapse
mild or severe trauma that can result from a violent impact to the head
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
