nervous system terminology

central nervous system

brain and the spinal cord

peripheral nervous system

connects the rain and spinal cord to the rest of the body

somatic nervous system

part of peripheral nervous system, consists of axons conveying messages from the sense organs to the central nervous system and then to the muscles

autonomic nervous system

part of the peripheral nervous system, controls the body’s organs (involuntary muscles); consists of neurons that send and recieve

enteric nervous system

part of the autonomic nervous system, controls digestive system

dorsal

toward the back, away from the stomach

ventral

toward the stomach, away from back side (dorsal)

anterior

toward the front end

posterior

toward the rear end

superior

above another part

inferior

below another part

lateral

toward the side, away from the midline

medial

toward the midline, away from the side

proximal

located close (approximate) to the point of origin or attachment

distal

located more distant from the point of origin or attachment

ipsilateral

on the same side of the body

contralateral

on the opposite side of the body

coronal plane

shows brain structures as seen from the front

sagittal plane

shows brain structure as seen from the side

horizontal plane

shows brain structure as seen from above

lamina

row or layer of cell bodies separated from other cell bodies by a layer of axons and dendrites

column

set of cells perpendicular to the surface of the cortex, with similar properties

tract

set of axons within the central nervous system, also known as a projection; if axons extend from cell bodies in structure A to synapses onto B, we say that the fibers project from A to B

nerve

set of axons in the periphery, either from the central nervous system to a muscle or glad or from a sensory organ to the central nervou system

nucleus

cluster of neuron cell bodies within the central nervous system

ganglion

cluster of neuron cell bodies, usually outside the central nervous system (in sympathetic nervous system)

gyrus

protuberance on the surface of the brain

sulcus

fold or groove that separates one gyrus from another

fissure

a long, deep suculus

spinal cord

part of the central nervous system within the spinal column; communicates with all the sense organs and muscles except those of the head

dorsal root ganglia

clusters of sensory neurons outside the spinal cord

gray matter

in the center of the spinal cord, densely packed with cell bodies and dendrites

sympathetic nervous system

network of nerves that prepare the organs for a burst of vigorous activity, consists of chains of ganglia to the left and right of the spinal cord’s central regions which connect back and forth with spinal cord and work often as a single system

what do sympathetic axons do?

prepare organs for “fight or flight”

parasympathetic nervous system

facilitates vegetative, nonemergency responses (rest and digest); opposite of sympathetic nervous system

how are the ganglia in the parasympathetic system different from those of the sympathetic system?

not linked together, acting more independentlywh

what do the parasympathetic nervous system’s axons release?

acetycholine

what do sympathetic nervous system axons release?

norepinephrine, sometimes acetycholine