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