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Anatomy and Physiology I
Chapter 11 vocab
37
Science
Undergraduate 2
08/05/2009

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Term
Sensory Input
Definition
The information gathered by the nervous system's sensory receptors.
Term
Integration
Definition
Processing and interpreting sensory input and deciding what should be done at each moment.
Term
Motor Output
Definition
A response that is caused by activating effector organs.
Term
Central Nervous System
Definition
Consists of the brain and spinal cord, which occupy the dorsal body cavity.
Term
Peripheral Nervous System
Definition
The part of the nervous system outside of the CNS, consists mainly of the nerves that extend from the brain  and spinal cord.
Term
Afferent Division
Definition
Consists of nerve fibers that convey impulses to the central nervous system from sensory receptors located throughout the body.
Term
Efferent Division
Definition
Transmits impulses from the CNS to effector organs, which are the muscles and glands.
Term
Somatic Nervous System
Definition
Compsed of somatic motor nerve fibers that conduct impulses from the CNS to skeletal muscles.
Term
Autonomic Nervous System
Definition
Consists of visceral motor nerve fibers that regulate the activity of smooth muscles, cardiac muscles, and glands.
Term
Neuroglia
Definition
The small cells that neurons associate with.
Term
Processes
Definition
Promineces or projections.
Term
Dendrites
Definition
Branching neuron process that serves as a receptive, or input, region; transmits an electrical signal toward the cell body.
Term
Axon
Definition
Neuron process that carries impulses away from the nerve cell body; efferent process; the conducting portion of a nerve cell.
Term
Myelin Sheath
Definition
Fatty insulating sheath that surrounds all but the smallest nerve fibers.
Term
Nodes of Ranvier
Definition
The gaps in the sheath between Schwann Cells.
Term
White Matter
Definition
Regions of the brain and spinal cord containing dense collections of myelinated fibers.
Term
Gray Matter
Definition
Contains mostly nerve cell bodies and unmyelinated fibers.
Term
Multipolar Neurons
Definition
Have three or more processes. The most common neuron type in humans, and the major neuron type in the CNS.
Term
Bipolar Neurons
Definition
Have two process, and axon and a dendrite, that extend from opposite sides of the cell body. They are rare neurons that are found in some of the special sense organs.
Term
Unipolar Neurons
Definition
Have a single short process that emerges from the cell body and divides the T-like into proximal and distal branches.
Term
Association Neurons
Definition
Lie between motor and sensory neurons in neural pathways and shuttle signals through CNS pathways where integration occurs.
Term
Resting Membrane Potential
Definition
The voltage that exists across the plasma membrane during the resting state of an excitable cell; rabges from -90 to -20 millivolts depending on cell type.
Term
Depolarization
Definition
A reduction in membrane potential: The inside of the membrane becomes less negative than the resting potential.
Term
Hyperpolarization
Definition
Occurs when the membrane potential increases, becoming more negative than the resting potential.
Term
Graded Potential
Definition
Short-lived, localized changes in membrane potential that can be either depolarizations or hyperpolarizations.
Term
Action Potential
Definition
A brief reversal of membrane potential with a total amplitude of about 100mV.
Term
Repolarization
Definition
Movement of the membrane potential to the initial resting state.
Term
Synapse
Definition
A junction that mediates information transfer from one neuron to the next or from a neuron to an effector cell.
Term
Presynaptic Neuron
Definition
The neuron conducting impulses toward the synapse.
Term
Postsynaptic Neuron
Definition
The neuron transmitting the electical signal away from the synapse.
Term
Electical Synapses
Definition
Specialized to allow the flow of ions between neurons.
Term
Chemical Synapses
Definition
Specialized for release and reception of chemical neurotransmitters.
Term
Neurotransmitters
Definition
Chemical messenger released by neurons that may, upon binding to receptors of neurons or effector cells, stimulate or inhibit those neurons or effector cells.
Term
Diverging Circuts
Definition
One incoming fiber triggers responses in ever-increasing numbers of neurons farther and farther along the circut.
Term
Converging Circuts
Definition
The pool receives inputs from several presynaptic neurons, and the circut has a funneling effect.
Term
Oscillating Circuts
Definition
The incoming signal travels through a chain of neurons, each of which makes collateral synapses with neurons in a previous part of the pathway.
Term
Parallel After-Discharge Circuts
Definition
The incoming fiber stimulates several neurons arranged in parallel arrays that eventually stimulate a common output cell.
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