Wk 4 Vocab Flashcards
Acetylcholine
A neurotransmitter associated with somatic nerves
and with parasympathetic nervous system effects even though
it is used in the preganglionic neuron in both the sympathetic
and parasympathetic nervous systems; has a stimulatory effect
on the gastrointestinal tract, it increases secretions and muscle
contractions in the esophagus, stomach, ruminant forestomachs, intestine, and colon.
Acetylcholinesterase
The enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine.
Adrenergic neuron
Neurons that secrete catecholamines (e.g.,
norepinephrine) as their neurotransmitter.
Afferent nerve
Nerve that carries impulses toward the central
nervous system.
Anesthesia
insensitivity to pain, especially as artificially induced by the administration of gases or the injection of drugs before surgical operations.
Complete loss of sensation.
Arachnoid
a fine, delicate membrane, the middle one of the three membranes or meninges that surround the brain and spinal cord, situated between the dura mater and the pia mater.
The delicate, weblike layer of the meninges between the dura mater and the pia mater.
Autonomic nervous system
The part of the nervous system that
controls smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and endocrine glands
automatically without conscious control; has motor and sensory
branches.
Autonomic reflex
unconscious motor reflexes relayed from the organs and glands to the CNS through visceral afferent signaling.
Axon
Extension of the neuron that conducts the nerve impulse away from the cell body to the terminal bouton (synaptic bulb) at the end of the neuron
Blood-brain barrier
A network of blood vessels and tissue that is made up of closely spaced cells and helps keep harmful substances from reaching the brain.
Brainstem
The connection between the rest of the brain and the
spinal cord, composed of the medulla oblongata, the pons, and
the midbrain; heavily involved in autonomic control functions
related to the heart, respiration, blood vessel diameter, swallowing, and vomiting.
Catecholamine
The group of neurotransmitters that includes
norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine, and others with
similar chemical properties.
Central nervous
system
(CNS) is made up of the brain and spinal cord. It is one of 2 parts of the nervous system.
Cerebellum
Second largest component of the brain; allows the
body to have coordinated movement, balance, posture, and
complex reflexes
Cerebral cortex
the outer layer that lies on top of your cerebrum. The largest area of the brain. Your cerebrum divides your brain into two halves called hemispheres
Gray matter that makes up the outer layer of the
cerebrum.
Cerebrospinal fluid
(CSF) Fluid that bathes and protects the
brain and spinal cord from the hard inner surface of the skull and spinal vertebrae.
Cerebrum
That portion of the brain responsible for functions
most commonly associated with “higher-order” behaviors
(learning, intelligence, awareness); receives and interprets
sensory information, initiates conscious (voluntary) nerve
impulses to skeletal muscles, and integrates neuron activity
that is normally associated with communication, expression of
emotional responses, learning, memory and recall, and other
behaviors associated with conscious activity.
Cholinergic neuron
Neurons that secrete acetylcholine as their
neurotransmitter.
Cholinergic receptor
Receptors for acetylcholine; may be muscarinic or nicotinic receptors
Contralateral reflex
Reflexes that are initiated on one side of the
body and travel to the opposite side to produce their effect.
Cranial nerve
Set of 12 pairs of nerves originating directly from
the brain; may be sensory or motor or may contain both sensory
and motor nerves.
Crossed extensor
reflex
a reflex in which the contralateral limb compensates for loss of support when the ipsilateral limb withdraws from painful stimulus in a withdrawal reflex.
Dendrite
The receptive sites of the nerve cell; they extend from the cell body, giving the cell a starlike shape; they receive stimuli and convey them as nerve impulses to the cell body.
Depolarization
A reduction in the voltage across a neuron or
muscle cell membrane from its normal polarized state (resting
membrane potential). This results in an action potential (nerve
impulse) in the case of a neuron or the initiation of contraction
in the case of a muscle cell.
Diencephalon
Serves as a nervous system passageway between
the primitive brainstem and the cerebrum; three major structures of the diencephalon are the thalamus, the hypothalamus,
and the pituitary.
Dopamine
A catecholamine neurotransmitter
Dorsal horn
The area of the spinal cord’s gray matter “butterfly”
where the neurons that forward sensory (afferent) nerve impulses
to the brain or other parts of the spinal cord are located.
Dorsal nerve root
The branch off each side of the spinal cord
between each set of adjacent vertebrae that conducts sensory
impulses into the spinal cord from the periphery of the body
Dura mater
The thick outermost layer of the meninges that
covers the brain and spinal cord; it is considered to be the toughest of the meninges.
Effector cell
A cell such as a muscle or gland cell that carries out
some action when stimulated by a nerve impulse.
Efferent nerve
nerve that carries impulses away from the central
nervous system.
Endocrine system
The system of glands that controls and regulates body functions through the internal secretion of hormones.The hormones are released directly into the bloodstream,
which allows them to exert their actions on target cells throughout the body
Enzyme
A specialized globular protein that carries out and/or speeds up chemical reactions in the body by acting as a catalyst and lowering the temperature necessary for the reaction to take place. Specific enzymes are exclusive to specific reactions, and
although they may change the rate of reaction, they are never changed or used up themselves in the process.
Epinephrine
Commonly called adrenaline. A hormone secreted
by the medulla of the adrenal gland under stimulation by the
sympathetic portion of the autonomic nervous system. It produces part of the fight-or-flight response that results when an
animal feels threatened
Excitatory
neurotransmitter
Excitatory neurotransmitters “excite” the neuron and cause it to “fire off the message,” meaning, the message continues to be passed along to the next cell. Examples of excitatory neurotransmitters include glutamate, epinephrine and norepinephrine
Fenestration
Small openings or holes (literally, windows); in the
walls of the glomerular capillaries, fenestrations allow certain
molecules to leave that would normally be too large to escape.
Fissure
Deep grooves found in the cerebral cortex.
GABA
Gamma-aminobutyric acid; inhibitory neurotransmitter.
Gamma-aminobutyric
acid
the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the developmentally mature mammalian central nervous system. Its principal role is reducing neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system.
Ganglion
Cluster of neuron cell bodies outside
the CNS.
Glial cell
Cells in the nervous system that support and protect neurons.
Glycine
Inhibitory neurotransmitter
Gray matter
That part of the CNS made up of neuron cell bodies.
Gyrus
The folds that provide the wrinkled appearance of the surface of the cerebral hemispheres.
Hypermetria
A condition in which voluntary movements become
jerky and exaggerated.
Hyperreflexia
is overactive or overresponsive bodily reflexes. Examples of this include twitching and spastic tendencies,