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Neuroscience - 1
Neuroscience fifth edition Sinauer website's falshcards
58
Psychology
Undergraduate 4
12/29/2011

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Term
action potential
Definition
The electrical signal conducted along axons (or muscle fibers) by which information is conveyed from one place to another in the nervous system.
Term
afferent
Definition
A neuron or axon that conducts action potentials from the periphery toward the central nervous system.
Term
anterograde
Definition
Signals or impulses that travel "forward," e.g., from the cell body to the axon terminal, from the presynaptic terminal to the postsynaptic cell, or from the CNS to the periphery.
Term
associational systems
Definition
Neural cell circuits that are not part of the relatively defined sensory (input) and motor (output) systems; they mediate the most complex and least well defined brain functions.
Term
astrocytes
Definition
One of the three major classes of glial cells found in the central nervous system; important in regulating the ionic milieu of nerve cells and, in some cases, transmitter reuptake.
Term
axon
Definition
The neuronal process that carries the action potential from the nerve cell body to a target.
Term
axon hillock
Definition
Point at the cell body that is the site of an action potential's initiation.
Term
central nervous system (CNS)
Definition
The brain and spinal cord of vertebrates (by analogy, the central nerve cord and ganglia of invertebrates).
Term
chemical synapses
Definition
Synapses that transmit information via the secretion of chemical signals (neurotransmitters).
Term
cognitive neuroscience
Definition
The field of neuroscience devoted to studying and understanding cognitive functions.
Term
commissures
Definition
Axon tracts that cross the midline of the brain.
Term
computational mapping
Definition
Central process of assessing and integrating multiple stimulus attributes into an orderly representation that facilitates the extraction and processing of essential information (e.g., the number and configuration of odorant molecules in order to determine the source and nature of a smell).
Term
convergence
Definition
Innervation of a target cell by axons from more than one neuron. In vision refers specifically to the convergence of both rod and cone photoreceptor cells onto retinal ganglion cells.
Term
cortex
Definition
The superficial mantle of gray matter (a sheet-like array of nerve cells) covering the cerebral hemispheres and cerebellum, where most of the neurons in the brain are located.
Term
cranial nerve ganglia
Definition
The sensory ganglia associated with the cranial nerves; these correspond to the dorsal root ganglia of the segmental nerves of the spinal cord.
Term
dendrite
Definition
A neuronal process arising from the nerve cell body that receives synaptic input.
Term
divergence
Definition
The branching of a single axon to innervate multiple target cells.
Term
dorsal root ganglia (DRG)
Definition
The segmental sensory ganglia of the spinal cord; they contain the first-order neurons of the dorsal column/medial lemniscus and spinothalamic pathways.
Term
efferent
Definition
A neuron or axon that conducts information away from the central nervous system toward the periphery.
Term
electrical synapses
Definition
Synapses that transmit information via the direct flow of electrical current at gap junctions.
Term
electrophysiological recording
Definition
Measure of the electrical activity across the membrane of a nerve cell by use of electrodes. EXTRACELLULAR RECORDING places the electrode outside but nearby the cell of interest; INTRACELLULAR RECORDING places the electrode is placed inside the cell of interest.
Term
enteric system
Definition
A subsystem of the visceral motor system, made up of small ganglia and individual neurons scattered throughout the wall of the gut; influences gastric motility and secretion.
Term
ganglion (ganglia)
Definition
Collection of hundreds to thousands of neurons found outside the brain and spinal cord along the course of peripheral nerves.
Term
gap junction
Definition
A specialized intercellular contact formed by channels that directly connect the cytoplasm of two cells.
Term
gene
Definition
Hereditary unit located on the chromosomes; genetic information is carried by linear sequences of nucleotides in DNA that code for corresponding sequences of amino acids.
Term
genomics
Definition
Scientific field focusing on the analysis of DNA sequences, including both protein-coding DNA (genes) and non-coding DNA.
Term
glial cells (glia)
Definition
The support cells associated with neurons (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglial cells in the central nervous system; Schwann cells in peripheral nerves; and satellite cells in ganglia).
Term
glial stem cells
Definition
Neural precursor cells in the adult brain that retain the capacity to proliferate and generate both additional precursor cells and differentiated glial cells (and, in some cases, differentiated neurons).
Term
gray matter
Definition
General term that describes regions of the central nervous system rich in neuronal cell bodies and neuropil; includes the cerebral and cerebellar cortices, the nuclei of the brain, and the central portion of the spinal cord.
Term
interneuron
Definition
Technically, a neuron in the pathway between primary sensory and primary effector neurons; more generally, a neuron whose relatively short axons branch locally to innervate other neurons. Also known as local circuit neuron.
Term
local circuit neuron
Definition
General term referring to a neuron whose activity mediates interactions between sensory systems and motor systems. Interneuron is often used as a synonym.
Term
microglial cells
Definition
One of the three major classes of glial cells found in the central nervous system; concerned primarily with repairing damage following neural injury.
Term
motor neuron
Definition
By common usage, any nerve cell that innervates skeletal muscle.
Term
motor system
Definition
A broad term used to describe all the central and peripheral structures that support motor behavior.
Term
myelin
Definition
The multilaminated wrapping around many axons formed by oligodendrocytes or Schwann cells.
Term
myotatic reflex
Definition
A fundamental spinal reflex that is generated by the motor response to afferent sensory information arising from muscle spindles. The knee jerk reaction is a common example. Also called a "stretch" or "deep tendon" reflex.
Term
neurons
Definition
Cells specialized for the conduction and transmission of electrical signals in the nervous system. Also called nerve cells.
Term
neuropil
Definition
The dense tangle of axonal and dendritic branches, and the synapses between them, that lies between neuronal cell bodies in the gray matter of the brain and spinal cord.
Term
neurotransmitter
Definition
Substance released by synaptic terminals for the purpose of transmitting information from one cell (the presynaptic cell) to another (the postsynaptic cell).
Term
nucleus (pl. nuclei)
Definition
Collection of nerve cells in the brain that are anatomically discrete, and which typically serve a particular function.
Term
oligodendrocytes
Definition
One of the three major classes of glial cells found in the central nervous system; their major function is to lay down myelin.
Term
parasympathetic nervous system
Definition
A division of the visceral motor system in which the effectors are cholinergic ganglion cells located near target organs.
Term
peripheral nervous system (PNS)
Definition
All nerves and neurons that lie outside the brain and spinal cord.
Term
postsynaptic
Definition
Referring to the component of a synapse specialized for transmitter reception; downstream at a synapse.
Term
presynaptic
Definition
Referring to the component of a synapse specialized for transmitter release; upstream at a synapse.
Term
projection neuron
Definition
A neuron with long axons that project to distant targets.
Term
receptive field
Definition
The region of a receptive surface (e.g., the body surface, or a specialized structure such as the retina) within which a specific stimulus elicits the greatest action potential response from sensory cells.
Term
receptor potential
Definition
The membrane potential change elicited in receptor neurons during sensory transduction. Also called generator potential.
Term
retrograde
Definition
Signals or impulses that travel "backward," e.g., from the axon terminal toward the cell body, or from the postsynaptic cell to the presynaptic terminal, or from the periphery to the CNS.
Term
Schwann cells
Definition
Glial cells in the peripheral nervous system that lay down myelin (named after the nineteenth-century anatomist and physiologist Theodor Schwann).
Term
sensory system
Definition
Term sometimes used to describe all the components of the central and peripheral nervous system concerned with sensation.
Term
spinal cord
Definition
The portion of the central nervous system that extends from the lower end of the brainstem (the medulla) to the cauda equina.
Term
sympathetic nervous system
Definition
A division of the visceral motor system in vertebrates comprising, for the most part, adrenergic ganglion cells located relatively far from the related end organs.
Term
synaptic cleft
Definition
The space that separates pre- and postsynaptic neurons at chemical synapses.
Term
synaptic transmission
Definition
The chemical and electrical process by which the information encoded by action potentials is passed from a presynaptic (initiating) cell to a postsynaptic (target) cell.
Term
synaptic vesicles
Definition
Spherical, membrane-bound organelles in presynaptic terminals that store neurotransmitter molecules.
Term
visceral
Definition
Referring to the internal organs of the body cavity, particularly the gut.
Term
white matter
Definition
A general term that refers to large axon tracts in the brain and spinal cord; the phrase derives from the fact that axonal tracts have a whitish cast when viewed in the freshly cut material.
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