Nervous System Vocab
Terms
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- sensory/afferent nerves
- nerve fibers that convey impulses to the CNS
- Schwann Cells
- specialized supporting cells that wrap themselves tightly around the axon surrond periphial nerve fibers secrete myelin
- cerebrum
- the largest part of the brain consists of right and left cerebral hemisphere site of mental functioning and thought process
- axon
- neuron process that carries impulses away from the nerve cell body; efferent processes
- action potential
- an electrical even occuring when a stimulus of sufficient intensity is applied to a neuron or muscle cell allowing sodium ions to move into the cell and reverse polarity stimulus meets exceeds the threshold
- autonomic nervous system
- the division of the nervous system that functions involuntary; innervates cardiac muscle smooth and glands connects cns to organ glands
- synapse
- the region of communication between neurons between axons and dendrites of closely associated neurons between a neuron and an effector
- nerve
- bundle of neuronal processes (axons) outside the CNS transmits and recieve impulses
- sympathetic nervous system
- opposed parasympathetic functions fight or flight division prepares the body for emergency situations
- neuron
- cell of the nervous system specialized to transmit messages throughout the body
- synaptic cleft
- the fluid filled space at a synapse between neurons or neuron and effector
- central nervous system
- the brain and spinal cord
- somatic nervuos system
- voluntary nervous system cranial amd spinal nerves or neuron and effector that connect the CNS to skin and skeletal muscles
- neurotransmitter
- chemical released by neurons that may upon binding to receptors of neurons or effector cells stimulate or inhabit them
- meninges
- the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord
- myelin sheath
- a tight coil of membranes encloses the axons insulates and increases speed of nerve impulse transmissions lipid based
- periphial nervous system
- a system of nerves that connects the outlying parts of the body with the CNS
- nerve impuse
- a self propgating wave of depolaraztion :action potential along nerve fiber
- parasympathetic nervous system
- a division of the automatic nervous system active under normal conditions
- dendrites
- the branching extensions of neurons that carry electrical signals to the cell body, teh receptive portion of the nerve cell
- motor/ efferent nerves
- carry impulses from CNS to effector organs muscles, organs asnd gland