Term
| Afferent (sensory) Neurons |
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Definition
| relay messages from the sense organs and receptors to the brain or spinal cord |
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| convey signals from the central nervous system to the glands and the muscles |
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| thousands of times more than the previous two, carry information between neurons in the brain and the between neurons in the spinal cord |
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| contains the nucleus and carries out the metablic, or life-sustaining funtions of a neuron |
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Definition
| the primary receivers of signals from the other neurons |
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| sprouts into many branches, each ending with an axon terminal to the dendrties or cell bodies of other neurons and to muscles, glands, and other parts of the body |
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Definition
specialized cells in the brain and spinal cord that support the neurons
remove waste products from the brain by engulfing and digesting them
involved in the transmission of pain sensations from the body to the brain |
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Definition
| the junction where the axon terminal of a sending (presynaptic) neuron communicates with a receiving (postsynaptic) neuron across the synaptic cleft |
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| the sudden reversal of the resting potential, which initiates the firing of a neuron - about + 50 millivolts |
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| the white, fatty coating wrapped around some axons that acts as insulation and enables impulses to travel much faster |
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| molecules on the surfaces of dendrites and cell bodies that have distinctive shapes and will interact only with other specific neurotransmitters |
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| influences the neurons to fire |
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Definition
| influences them not to fire |
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Definition
| the process by which neurotransmitters are taken from the synaptic cleft back into the axon terminal for later use, thus termination their excitatory and inhibatory effect on the receiving neuron |
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Term
| perpheral nervous system (PNS) |
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Definition
| made up of all the nerves that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body |
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Term
| sympathetic nervous system |
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Definition
| the divison of the autonomic nervous system that mobilizes the body's resources during stress and emergencies, preparing the body for action |
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Term
| parasympathetic nervous system |
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Definition
| the division of the autonomic nervous system that brings the heightened bodily responses back to the normal folling an emergency |
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Definition
| an extension of the brain, from the base of the brain, from the base of the brain through the neck and spinal column, that transmits messages between the brain and the peripheral nervous system |
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| a link between the brain that contains structures that regulate physiological funtions, inculding heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure |
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| the structure that begins at the point where the spinal cord enlarges as it enters the brain and handles funtions critical to physical survival. includes the medulla, the recticular formation and the pons |
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| the part of the brainstem that controls heartbeat, blood pressure, breathing, coughing, and swallowing |
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| a structure in the brainstem that plays a crucial role in arousal and attention and that screens sensory messages entering the brain |
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| the bridgelike structure that connects the medulla and the cerebellum |
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| the brain structure that helps the body execute smooth, skilled movements and regulates muscle tone and posture |
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| the area that contains structures linking the physiological functions of the forebrain |
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| the structure in the midbrain that controls unconcious motor movements |
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| the largest part of the brain where cognitive functions as well as many of the motor functions of the brain are carried out |
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Definition
| the structure, located above the brainstem, that acts as a relay station for the information flowing into or out of the forebrain |
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| a small but influencial brain structure that regulates hunger, thirst, sexual behavior, internal body temperature, other body functions, and a wide variety of emotional behaviors |
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| a group of structures in the brain, including the amygdala and hippocampus, that are collectively involved in emotional expression, memory, and motivation |
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| a strusture in the limbic system that plays an important role in emotion, particularly in response to unpleasant or punishing stimuli |
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| a structure in the limbic system that plays a central role in the storing of new memories, the response to new or unexpected stimuli, and navigational ability |
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| the largest structure of the human brain, consisting of the two cerebral hemispheres connected by the corpus callosum and covered by the cerebral cortex |
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| the right and left halves of the cerebrum, covered by the cerebral cortex, and connected by the corpus callosum; they control movement and feeling on the opposite sides of the body |
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| the thicj band of nerve fibers that connects the two cerebral hemispheres and makes possible the transfer of information and the synchronization of activity between the hemispheres |
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| the gray, convulated covering of the cerebral hemispheres that is responsible for the higher mental processes of language, memory and thinking |
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| areas of the cerebral cortex that house memories and are involed in though perception, and language |
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| the specialization of one of the cerebral hemispheres to handle a particular function |
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Definition
| the hemisphere that controls the right side of the body, coordinates complex movements and, in most people, handles most of the language functions |
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Definition
| the hemisphere that controls the left side of the body and, in most people, is specialized for visual-spatial perception |
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| a surgical procedure, performed to treat severe cases of epilepsy, in which the corpus callossum is cut, seperating the cerebral hemispheres |
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