Ch. 7.6 Nervous System Key Terms
Autonomic nervous system
Contains the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system which work together to control involuntary body functions.
Cerebrum
It is responsible for reasoning, thought, memory, judgement, speech, sensation, sight, smell, hearing, and voluntary body movement.
Midbrain
– The section located below the cerebrum.
Peripheral nervous system
– Consists of the nerves and has two divisions: the somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system.
Thalamus
– Acts as a relay center and directs sensory impulses to the cerebrum.
Brain
An organ of soft nervous tissue contained in the skull of vertebrates.
Diencephalon
– The section located between the cerebrum and midbrain.
Nerves
– A combination of many nerve fibers located outside the brain and spinal cord.
Pons
– The part of the brainstem that links the medulla and the thalamus.
Ventricles
– Hollow spaces that connect with each other and with the space under the arachnoid membrane (the subarachnoid space).
Central nervous system
Consists of the brain and the spinal cord.
Hypothalamus
– Regulates and controls the autonomic nervous system, temperature, appetite, water balance, sleep, and blood vessel constriction.
Nervous system
– Consists of 12 pairs of cranial nerves and their branches and 31 pairs of spinal nerves and their branches.
Somatic nervous system
– Carries messages between the CNS and the body.
Cerebellum
The section below the back of the cerebrum.
Medulla oblongata
– The lowest part of the brainstem.
Neuron
– The basic structural unit of the nervous system.
Spinal cord
– It is responsible for many reflex actions and for carrying sensory messages from the brain to the nerves that go to the muscles and glands.
Cerebrospinal fluid
– The fluid that ventricles are filled with that are colorless.
Meninges
– Three membranes that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord.
Parasympathetic
– Counterattacks the actions of the sympathetic system by slowing heart rate, decreasing respiration, lowering blood pressure, and increasing activity in the digestive tracts.
Sympathetic
– Prepares the body by increasing heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure.