Abeka Biology Chapter 8
cranial nerves
12 pairs of nerves that branch directly from the brain stem and transmit nerve signals to and from the eyes, ears, mouth, face and scalp
spinal nerves
31 pairs of nerves in the spinal cavity
Sciatica
A condition characterized by pain in the lower back and the back of the thigh. Caused by a pinching of the sciatic nerve of the lower spinal cord.
Nerve center
A group of cell bodies in the brain or spinal cord.
Amnesia
A loss of memory
Corpus callosum
A mass of nerve fibers located at the base of the cerebrum and with which the two hemispheres communicate with each other.
Limbic System
A number of complex brain structures that lie clustered around the brain stem at the core of the brain, surrounded by the cerebrum.
Poliomyelitis
A serios disease that attacks the spinal cord. It is caused by a virus which enters the motor neurons of the spinal cord and destroys some of them.
Glial cells
Cells the brain and spinal cord are made of which support and insulate nerve tissue.
Hypothalamus
Control unit for your body's automatic systems
Multiple sclerosis
Disease of the brain and spinal cord
White matter
Found within the brain and spinal cord, composed of axons and glial cells and are white because of their myelin content
Gray Matter
Found within the brain and spinal cord, consists largely of the cell bodies of neurons and is gray because the cell bodies lack the white, fatty covering known as myelin.
Plexus
Ganglia grouped together to form a large nerve mass
Paralysis
Inability of the muscles to move
Midbrain
Nerve centers in this part of the brain stem helps coordinate the movements of both eyes, adjust the size of the pupils, and lens muscles.
Mixed nerves
Nerves containing both sensory and motor fibers
Acute confusion
One of the most common mental disorders in the elderly; a disturbance in the brain caused by physical illness elsewhere in the body.
Sensorineural Deafness
Partial or complete hearing loss is known as....
Behaviorists
People that believe that the behavior of a person is determined by his environment, not by his mind; a person's actions can be completely explained as responses to particular stimuli.
Motor area
Rear portion of the frontal lobes; controls voluntary movement of the skeletal muscles.
Autonomic Nervous System
The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the heart and other internal organs
Reflex arc
The simplest nerve pathway; involves as few as two or three nerve cells.
Senile dementia
The slow process of natural nerve cell loss
Sensory nerve fibers
What kind of nerve fibers carry messages of light, taste, sound, touch, and pain from other parts of the body to the spinal cord and brain for analysis?
Meningitis
When invading microorganisms enter the nerve tissue and infect the meninges, causing this disease.
neurobiologist
a biologist who studies the nervous system
neurotransmitter
a chemical released into the synapse
ganglion
a mass of cell bodies
neurologist
a physician who specializes in disorders of the nervous system
dendrite
a short, branched extension of the cell that receives nerve impulses from other neurons and conducts them toward the cell body
coma
a state of prolonged unconsciousness
spinal cord
a thick bundle of nerve fibers located within the spinal cavity
parkinsons disease
affects the patients control of posture and movement
synapse
an enclosed junction between the axon of one neutron and the dendrites or cell body of another
nerves
bundles of nerve fibers
Arteriosclerotic dementia
caused by the death of brain cells
Cerebrospinal fluid
clear fluid that circulates through the fibers of the arachnoid, serves to cushion the head when bumped
peripheral nervous system
consists of the nerves that branch from the brain and spinal cord
cerebral palsy
damage to the cerebral motor area
concussion
damage to the head
neuritis
degeneration and inflammation of nerves
alcohol
ethanol
interneurons
found only in the central nervous system. relays signals between between neurons
lobes
grooves in various regions
central nervous system
includes the brain and the spinal cord
cerebrum
largest part of the brain
meninges
layer of protective tissue covering the brain and spinal cord
stroke
leading cause of death around the world
tetanus
lockjaw
axon
long extension which relays nerve impulses from the cell body to other neurons
medulla oblongata
lowest part of the brain stem
reticular formation
master switch of the cerebrum
sensory neurons
neurons that have senses of sight, herring, taste, touch, and smell
motor neurons
neurons that relay signals from the central nervous system to the other parts of the body
cerebral cortex
outer layers of the cerebrum
brain
principal organ of the nervous system
Schwann cells
produces layers of myelin sheathing
REM sleep
rapid eye movement in sleep
decibels
scientific measure of loudness
cerebellum
second largest brain region
pons
structure above the medulla oblongata, links the cerebrum with the cerebellum
neurons
the actual nerve cells
cell body
the body of a neuron
blood brain barrier
tightly sealed capillary walls
right and left hemispheres
two halves of the brain
thalamus
uppermost end of the brain stem
Electrochemical impulse
wave of electrical activity
Myelin
white, fatty covering of the cell bodies