Nervous System VOCABULARY

Vocabulary  Afferent  Autonomic Nervous System  Cerebral Spinal Fluid  Conductivity  Congenital  Efferent  Equilibrium  Excitability  Homeostasis  Interneurons  Ischemia  Meninges  Neurotransmitter  Paralysis  Reflex  Somatic Nervous System  Stimulus  Synapse

Stimulus  any substance or action that produces a response

Synapse  space between two neurons

Conductivity  the ability to transmit a signal

Excitability  the ability to respond to a stimulus

Ischemia  insufficient blood to a body part caused by functional constriction or actual obstruction of a blood vessel

Afferent  sensory

Cerebral Spinal Fluid  fluid contained in the brain’s ventricles, intracranial spaces, and central canal of the spinal cord

Congenital  present at birth

Somatic Nervous System  voluntary nerves

Homeostasis  the parasympathetic division operates to keep the body in this

Reflex  an involuntary action in response to a stimulus

Neurotransmitter  chemical messenger, released from the axon of one neuron, that travels to another nearby neuron

Paralysis  a loss of movement and sensation in a part of the body

Efferent  motor neurons

Meninges  three membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord

Autonomic Nervous System  involuntary nerves

Equilibrium  balance

Interneurons  connecting nerves that carry messages from afferent nerves to efferent nerves

KEY  Afferent - sensory  Autonomic Nervous System - involuntary nerves  Cerebral Spinal Fluid - fluid contained in the brain’s ventricles, intracranial spaces, and central canal of the spinal cord  Conductivity - the ability to transmit a signal  Congenital - present at birth  Efferent - motor neurons  Equilibrium - balance  Excitability - the ability to respond to a stimulus  Homeostasis - the parasympathetic division operates to keep the body in this

KEY  Interneurons - connecting nerves that carry messages from afferent nerves to efferent nerves  Ischemia - insufficient blood to a body part caused by functional constriction or actual obstruction of a blood vessel  Meninges - three membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord  Neurotransmitter - chemical messenger, released from the axon of one neuron, that travels to another nearby neuron  Paralysis - a loss of movement and sensation in a part of the body  Reflex - an involuntary action in response to a stimulus  Somatic Nervous System - voluntary nerves  Stimulus - any substance or action that produces a response  Synapse - space between two neurons