Vocab Terms

Question 1

alar plate

Answer 1

dorsal bulge of embryonic neural tube, becomes cerebral hemispheres in adult

Question 2

arachnoid

Answer 2

middle layer of meninges

Question 3

axon

Answer 3

part of neuron that transfers electrical impulse from cell body to axon terminal

Question 4

basal plate

Answer 4

ventral bulge of embryonic neural tube, becomes motor portions of brain stem and spinal cord in adult

Question 5

bifurcate

Answer 5

splitting into two branches

i.e. axons can bifurcate

Question 6

brain

Answer 6

major portion of vertebrate CNS, has 3 parts

Question 7

3 main parts of brain

Answer 7

cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem

Question 8

bulbar

Answer 8

adjective i.e. the brainstem is bulbar

Question 9

caudal

Answer 9

toward or near tail (opposite cranial/rostral)

Question 10

cell body (soma)

Answer 10

part of neuron containing nucleus

doesn’t include dendrites or axon

Question 11

cerebellum

Answer 11

cauliflower shaped, located above brainstem

coordinates movement

Question 12

cerebrum

Answer 12

largest part of vertebrate brain, has 2 hemispheres

Question 13

commissure

Answer 13

band of nerve fibers in brain or spinal cord

connects one side to the other (the corpus callosum is an example of a commissure)

Question 14

corpus callosum

Answer 14

largest commissure in the brain

connects the 2 cerebral hemispheres

Question 15

cortex

Answer 15

outer layer of an organ

i.e. cerebral cortex is the outer layer of the brain

Question 16

decussate

Answer 16

to cross

i.e. decussating fibers cross from one side of the brain to the other

Question 17

dendrites

Answer 17

short branching cell processes that extend from neuronal cell body to receive synapses from other neurons

Question 18

diencephalon

Answer 18

rostral portion of brainstem, connects midbrain to cerebral hemispheres
relay station for sensory info

Question 19

dura mater

Answer 19

outermost layer of the meninges

toughest and most fibrous

Question 20

fasciculus

Answer 20

a nerve tract (bundle of fibers) that runs in the spinal cord or brain

Question 21

ganglion

Answer 21

group of neuronal cell bodies outside the CNS

Question 22

glia

Answer 22

non-neuronal cells that support neurons (i.e. astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia in CNS and lemmocytes in PNS)

Question 23

gray matter

Answer 23

gray appearing tissue comprised of neuronal cell bodies and glia (central region of spinal cord and outer region of brain)

Question 24

lemniscus

Answer 24

ribbon or band

bundle of nerve fibers ascending from sensory nuclei in brain stem and spinal cord and terminating in thalamus

Question 25

limbic system

Answer 25

interconnected deep brain structures control emotion and behavior

Question 26

medulla oblongata

Answer 26

most caudal part of brainstem, controls heart beat and blood pressure

Question 27

mesencephalon

Answer 27

mid portion of developing brain, gives rise to midbrain in adult

Question 28

neuron

Answer 28

specialized cells
process and transmit info in electrical signals across the body
have a cell body, axon, and dendrites

Question 29

nucleus

Answer 29

functional grouping of neuronal cell bodies in CNS (hundreds exist)

Question 30

pons

Answer 30

part of brainstem between medulla and midbrain

regulates respiration, sleep, and arousal

Question 31

prosencephalon

Answer 31

developing forebrain made up of the telencephalon and diencephalon

Question 32

reticular formation

Answer 32

network of cells and fibers (white and gray) in core of brainstem
regulates consciousness and sleep

Question 33

rhombencephalon

Answer 33

embryonic hindbrain, gives rise to pons, cerebellum, and medulla in adult

Question 34

sulcus

Answer 34

surface groove on brain and spinal cord, separate gyri

Question 35

gyri

Answer 35

convolutions on surface of cerebral hemisphers, separated by sulci

Question 36

tract

Answer 36

bundle of nerve fibers in CNS with common origin, termination, and function

Question 37

white matter

Answer 37

bundles of myelinated axons, divided into funiculi, fasiculi, and tracts
connects gray matter areas of the brain and spinal cord