Nervous System: Key Vocabulary

• Study notes on the nervous system

Vocabulary

• Myelin: A fatty substance that surrounds and insulates nerve fibers
• Dendrites: Branched extensions of a neuron that receive signals from other neurons
• Soma: The cell body of a neuron, containing the nucleus and other organelles
• Cell body: The main part of a neuron that contains the nucleus
• Axon: A long, slender projection of a neuron that conducts electrical impulses away from the cell body
• Sulcus: A groove or furrow on the surface of the brain
• Gyrus: A ridge or fold on the surface of the brain
• Gustation: The sense of taste
• Olfaction: The sense of smell
• Proprioception: The sense of body position and movement
• Equilibrium: The sense of balance
• Kinesthesia: The sense of body movement
• Receptors: Structures that detect stimuli
• Stimuli: A thing or event that evokes a specific functional reaction in an organ or tissue
• Free Nerve endings: Unspecialized sensory receptors in the skin that detect pain, temperature, and pressure
• Medulla: The lowest part of the brainstem, which controls vital functions such as breathing and heart rate
• Gray matter: A major component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cell bodies
• Mechanoreceptors: Respond to mechanical pressure or distortion
• Tactile corpuscle: Sensory receptors for light touch
• Bulbous corpuscle: Sensory receptors for deep pressure and vibration

Functions

• Temporal lobe: Involved in auditory processing, memory, and language
• Parietal lobe: Processes sensory information, including touch, temperature, pain, and spatial awareness
• Occipital lobe: Visual processing center of the brain
• Frontal lobe: Controls higher cognitive functions such as planning, decision-making, and voluntary movement
• Thalamus: Relays sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex
• Epithalamus: Contains the pineal gland, which regulates sleep-wake cycles
• Hypothalamus: Regulates body temperature, hunger, thirst, and the endocrine system
• Subthalamus: Involved in motor control
• Midbrain: Involved in motor control, vision, and hearing
• Pons: Relays signals between the cerebrum and the cerebellum
• Medulla: Controls vital functions such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure
• Spinal Cord: Connects the brain to the peripheral nervous system
• Sensory ganglion: A cluster of nerve cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system that contain sensory neurons
• Dorsal root ganglion: A sensory ganglion located on the dorsal root of a spinal nerve
• Autonomic ganglion: A cluster of nerve cell bodies in the autonomic nervous system
• Cranial nerve ganglion: A cluster of nerve cell bodies associated with a cranial nerve
• Cerebellum: Coordinates movement and balance
• Cerebral Cortex: The outer layer of the cerebrum, responsible for higher-level cognitive functions
• Brainstem: Connects the cerebrum and cerebellum to the spinal cord, and controls vital functions
• Signal Transduction: The process by which a cell converts one kind of signal into another
• Reticular Formation: A network of nerve fibers in the brainstem that regulates arousal and sleep-wake cycles
• Pineal body: Secretes melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles
• Limbic System: Involved in emotion, motivation, and memory
• Somatic Nervous System: Controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles
• Basal nuclei: Involved in motor control and learning
• Broca's area: Involved in speech production
• Prefrontal lobe: Involved in planning, decision-making, and working memory
• Hippocampus: Involved in memory formation
• Superior colliculus: Involved in visual reflexes

Parts of/Labeling

• Central Nervous System: The brain and spinal cord
• Peripheral Nervous System: The nerves that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
• Cerebral Hemisphere: One half of the cerebrum
• Thalamus: Relays sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex
• Hypothalamus: Regulates body temperature, hunger, thirst, and the endocrine system
• Pituitary gland: Secretes hormones that regulate growth, metabolism, and reproduction
• Cerebral cortex: The outer layer of the cerebrum, responsible for higher-level cognitive functions
• Frontal Lobe: Controls higher cognitive functions such as planning, decision-making, and voluntary movement
• Parietal Lobe: Processes sensory information, including touch, temperature, pain, and spatial awareness
• Occipital Lobe: Visual processing center of the brain