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Afferent nerves
Sensory transmitters that send impulses from receptors in the skin, muscles, and joints to the central nervous system.
Autonomic Nervous System
Branch of the nervous system that controls involuntary body functions.
Cell body
Part of an axon that contains a nucleus.
Central Nervous System (CNS)
The brain and spinal cord.
Dendrites
Branches of a neuron that connect stimuli and transport them to the cell body.
Efferent nerves
Motor transmitters that carry impulses from the central nervous system out to the muscles and glands.
Myelin sheath
The fatty bands of insulation surrounding axon fibers.
Neurilemma
The thin, membranous sheath enveloping a nerve fiber.
Neuroglia
Non-neural tissue that forms the interstitial or supporting elements of the CNS; also known as glial cells.
Nodes of Ranvier
The uninsulated gaps in the myelin sheath of a nerve fiber where the axon is exposed.
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
All parts of the nervous system external to the brain and spinal cord.
Somatic Nervous System
Branch of the nervous system that stimulates the skeletal muscles.
Synapse
The intersection between a neuron and another neuron, a muscle, a gland, or a sensory receptor.
Autonomic Reflexes
Involuntary stimuli transmitted to cardiac and smooth muscle.
Conductivity
The ability of a neuron to transmit a nerve impulse.
Depolarized
A condition in which the inside of a cell membrane is more positively charged than the outside.
Nerve Impulse
Electrical charge that travels along a nerve fiber when stimulated.
Polarized
A condition that occurs when the inside of a cell membrane is more negatively charged than the outside.
Reflexes
Simple, rapid, involuntary, programmed responses to stimuli.
Refractory period
The time between the completion of the action potential and repolarization.
Repolarization
The reestablishment of a polarized state in a cell after depolarization.
Saltatory conduction
The rapid skipping of an action potential from node to node on myelinated neurons.
Somatic reflexes
Involuntary stimuli transmitted to skeletal muscles from neural arcs in the spinal cord.
Cerebellum
Section of the brain that coordinates body movements, including balance.
Cerebrum
The largest part of the brain, consisting of the left and right hemispheres.
Diencephalon
Area of the brain that includes the epithalamus, thalamus, meta thalamus, and hypothalamus; also known as the interbrain.
Epithalamus
The uppermost portion of the diencephalon, which includes the pineal gland and regulates sleep-cycle hormones.
Fissures
The uniformly positioned, deep grooves in the brain.
Frontal lobes
Sections of the brain located behind the forehead.
Hypothalamus
A portion of diencephalon, which regulates functions such as metabolism, heart rate, and blood pressure.
Lobes
The name for the four regions of the brain-frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal.
Medulla oblongata
The lower portion of the brain stem, which regulates heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing, and controls several reflexes.
Meninges
Three protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.
Midbrain
Relay station for sensory and motor impulses; located on the superior end of the brain stem.
Occipital lobes
Sections of the brain located behind the parietal lobes; integrate sensory information from the skin, internal organs, muscles, and joints.
Parietal lobes
Sections of the brain located behind the frontal lobes; integrate sensory information from the skin, internal organs, muscles, and joints.
Pons
The section of the brain that plays a role in regulating breathing.
Primary motor cortex
Outer region of the brain in the frontal lobes that sends neural impulses to the skeletal muscles.
Primary somatic sensory cortex
Outer region of the brain in the parietal lobes that interprets sensory impulses received from the skin, internal organs, muscles, and joints.
Spinal cord
A column of nerve tissue that extends from the brain stem to the beginning of the lumbar region of the spine.
Temporal lobes
The most inferior portions of the brain; responsible for speech, hearing, vision, memory, and emotion.
Thalamus
The largest portion of the diencephalon, which communicates sensory and motor information between the body and the cerebral cortex.
Cranial Nerves
12 pairs of nerves that originate in the brain and relay impulses to and from the PNS.
Craniosacral division
The parasympathetic nervous system, in which nerves originate in the brain stem or sacral region of the spinal cord.
Dorsal ramus
The division of posterior spinal nerves that transmit motor impulses to the posterior trunk muscles and relay sensory impulses from the skin of the back.
Endoneurium
A delicate, connective tissue that surrounds each nerve fiber.
Epineurium
The tough outer covering of a nerve.
Ganglion
A mass of nervous tissue composed mostly of nerve-cell bodies.
Norepinephrine
A neurotransmitter released by postganglionic neurons in the sympathetic nervous system.
Paravertebral ganglia
Mass of nerve cell bodies close to the spinal cord.
Perineurium
A protective sheath that surrounds a bundle of nerve fibers.
Plexuses
Complex interconnections of nerves.
Postganglionic neuron
The second neuron in a series that transmits impulses from the CNS.
Preganglionic neuron
The first neuron in a series that transmits impulses from the CNS.
Spinal nerves
Neural transmitters that branch from the left and right sides of the spinal cord.
Thoracolumbar division
The sympathetic system of nerves that lies near the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spine.
Ventral ramus
The anterior division of spinal nerves that communicate with the muscle and skin of the anterior and lateral trunk.
Alzheimer’s disease
Condition involving a progressive loss of brain function with major consequences for memory, thinking, and behavior.
Cerebral palsy
A group of nervous system disorders resulting from brain damage before or during birth, or in early infancy.
Dementia
An organic brain disease involving loss of function in two or more areas of cognition.
Epilepsy
A group of brain disorders characterized by repeated seizures over time.
Meningitis
An infection-induced inflammation of the meninges surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Multiple sclerosis
A chronic, slowly progressive disease of the central nervous system that destroys the myelin sheath of nerve cell axons.
Paraplegia
Disorder characterized by loss of function in the lower trunk and legs.
Parkinson’s disease
A chronic nervous system disease characterized by a slowly spreading tremor, muscular weakness, and rigidity.
Quadriplegia
Disorder characterized by loss of function below the neck.
Traumatic brain injury
Mild or severe trauma that can result from a violent impact to the head.
