TEST YOURSELF! 1st - read the definitions and think about the words, then check with the key 2nd - study the words & definitions 3rd - look at the individual words and try to remember the definitions NERVOUS SYSTEM – WORDS TO KNOW Weblike middle layer of the three meninges covering the brain and spinal cord. Part of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary actions, such as the heartbeat, gland secretions, and digestion. Taillike projection extending out a neuron that carries impulses away from the cell body. Paired masses of gray matter within the white matter of the cerebrum that help coordinate subconscious skeletal muscular movement. Central controlling and coordinating organ of the nervous system. Part of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord. Outermost layer of the cerebrum made entirely of gray matter. Largest part of the brain, involved with conscious perception, voluntary actions, memory, thought, and personality. Large band of neurons connecting the two cerebral hemispheres. Branchlike extensions of neurons that carry impulses toward the cell body. Rear part of the forebrain that connects the midbrain to the cerebrum and that contains the thalamus and hypothalamus. Outermost and toughest of the three meninges covering the brain and spinal cord. Any collection of nerve cell bodies forming a nerve center in the peripheral nervous system. Grayish nerve tissue of the central nervous system containing neuron cell bodies, neuroglia, and unmyelinated axons. Outward folds on the surface of the cerebral cortex. Region of the brain containing many control centers for body functions and emotions; also regulates the pituitary gland's secretions. Part of the brain located at the top end of the spinal cord that controls breathing and other involuntary functions. Membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. Part of the brain between the hypothalamus and the pons that regulates visual, auditory, and rightening reflexes. Soft, white, fatty material that forms a sheath around the axons of most neurons. Bundle of axons in the peripheral nervous system. Also known as glial cells, cells that support and protect neurons in the central nervous system. Nerve cell. Chemical released by the axon of a neuron that travels across a synapse and binds to receptors on the dendrites of other neurons or body cells. Small area between Schwann cells on an axon that is unmyelinated or uncovered. Part of the nervous system consisting of the cranial and spinal nerves. Delicate innermost layer of the three meninges covering the brain and spinal cord. Part of the brain connecting the medulla oblongata with the midbrain. Involuntary and rapid response to a stimulus. Cell that forms the myelin sheath around axons of neurons in the peripheral nervous system. Long cord of nerve tissue running through the spine or backbone that transmits impulses to and from the brain and controls some reflex actions. Small space or gap where a nerve impulse passes between the axon of one neuron and a dendrite of the next neuron. Part of the brain behind the hypothalamus that acts as the brain's main relay station, sending information to the cerebral cortex and other parts of the brain. Whitish nerve tissue of the central nervous system containing bundles of myelinated axons. NERVOUS SYSTEM – WORDS TO KNOW Arachnoid Autonomic nervous system Axon Basal ganglia Brain Central nervous system: Cerebral cortex Cerebrum Corpus callosum Dendrites Diencephalon / Interbrain Dura mater Ganglion Gray matter Gyri Hypothalamus Medulla oblongata Meninges Midbrain Myelin Nerve Neuroglia Neuron Neurotransmitter Node of Ranvier Peripheral nervous system Pia mater Pons Reflex Schwann cell Spinal cord Synapse Thalamus White matter