Term
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Definition
| The electrical signal conducted along axons (or muscle fibers) by which information is conveyed from one place to another in the nervous system. |
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| central nervous system (CNS) |
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Definition
| The brain and spinal cord of vertebrates (by analogy, the central nerve cord and ganglia of invertebrates). |
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Definition
| The neuronal process that carries the action potential from the nerve cell body to a target. |
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Definition
| A neuronal process arising from the cell body that receives synaptic input. |
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Definition
| Synapses that transmit information via the secretion of chemical signals (neurotransmitters). |
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Definition
| The superficial mantle of gray matter covering the cerebral hemispheres and cerebellum, where most of the neurons in the brain are located. |
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Term
| brain-derived neutrophic factor (BDNF) |
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Definition
| One member of a family of neutrophic factors, the best-known constituent of which is nerve growth factor. |
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Definition
| Innervation of a target cell by axons from more than one neuron. |
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Definition
| One of the three major classes of glial cells found in the central nervous system; important in regulating the ionic milieu of nerve cells and, in some cases, transmitter reuptake. |
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Definition
| The sensory ganglia associated with the cranial nerves; these correspond to the dorsal root ganglia of the spinal segmental nerves. |
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Definition
| The branching of a single axon to innervate multiple target cells. |
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Term
| dorsal root ganglia (DRG) |
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Definition
| The segmental sensory ganglia of the spinal cord; contain the first-order neurons of the dorsal column/medial lemniscus and spinothalamic pathways. |
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Definition
| An axon that conducts information away from the central nervous system. |
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Definition
| Synapses that transmit information via the direct flow of electrical current at gap junctions. |
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Definition
| Collections of hundreds to thousands of neurons found outside the brain and spinal cord along the course of peripheral nerves. |
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Term
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Definition
| Hereditary unit located on the chromosomes; genetic information is carried by linear sequences of nucleotides in DNA that code for corresponding sequences of amino acids. |
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Term
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Definition
| The support cells associated with neurons (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia in the central nervous system; Schwann cells in peripheral nerves; and satellite cells in ganglia). Also known as neuroglia. |
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Term
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Definition
| General term that describes regions of the central nervous system rich in neuronal cell bodies and neuropil; includes the cerebral and cerebellar cortices, the nuclei of the brain, and the central portion of the spinal cord. |
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Term
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Definition
| Technically, a neuron in the pathway between primary sensory and primary effector neurons; more generally, a neuron whose relatively short axons branch locally to innervate other neurons. Also known as local circuit neuron. |
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Definition
| General term referring to neurons whose activity mediates interactions between sensory systems and motor systems; interneuron is often used as a synonym. |
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Definition
| One of the three main types of central nervous system glia; concerned primarily with repairing damage following neural injury. |
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Definition
| By usage, a nerve cell that innervates skeletal muscle. Also called primary or α motor neuron. |
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Definition
| A broad term used to describe all the central and peripheral structures that support motor behavior. |
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Definition
| The multilaminated wrapping around many axons formed by oligodendrocytes or Schwann cells. |
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Definition
| A fundamental spinal reflex that is generated by the motor response to afferent sensory information arising from muscle spindles. The “knee jerk reaction” is a common example. Also called a stretch reflex. |
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Definition
| A collection of peripheral axons that are bundled together and travel a common route. |
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Definition
| Cell specialized for the conduction and transmission of electrical signals in the nervous system. |
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Definition
| The dense tangle of axonal and dendritic branches, and the synapses between them, that lies between neuronal cell bodies in the gray matter of the brain and spinal cord. |
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Term
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Definition
| Substance released by synaptic terminals for the purpose of transmitting information from one nerve cell to another. |
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Term
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Definition
| Collection of nerve cells in the brain that are anatomically discrete, and which typically serve a particular function. |
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Definition
| One of three classes of central neuroglial cells; their major function is to elaborate myelin |
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Term
| peripheral nervous system |
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Definition
| All nerves and neurons that lie outside the brain and spinal cord. |
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Term
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Definition
| A neuron with long axons that project to distant targets. |
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Term
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Definition
| Region of a receptor surface (e.g., the body surface or the retina) that causes a sensory nerve cell (or axon) to respond. |
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Definition
| The membrane potential change elicited in receptor neurons during sensory transduction. |
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Definition
| Neuroglial cells in the peripheral nervous system that elaborate myelin (named after the nineteenth-century anatomist and physiologist Theodor Schwann). |
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Definition
| Term sometimes used to describe all the components of the central and peripheral nervous system concerned with sensation. |
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| The portion of the central nervous system that extends from the lower end of the brainstem (the medulla) to the cauda equina. |
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Definition
| The space that separates pre- and postsynaptic neurons at chemical synapses. |
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Term
| synaptic vesicle recycling |
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Definition
| A sequence of budding and fusion reactions that occurs within presynaptic terminals to maintain the supply of synaptic vesicles. |
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Term
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Definition
| A general term that refers to large axon tracts in the brain and spinal cord; the phrase derives from the fact that axonal tracts have a whitish cast when viewed in the freshly cut material. |
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