Download Vocabulary for Test: Nervous and Endocrine Systems

Vocabulary for Test: Nervous and Endocrine Systems
Autonomic Nervous System - a division of the peripheral nervous system consisting of motor
fibers from the brain and spinal cord that serve the internal organs of the body, not under
voluntary control
Central Nervous System - the division of the nervous system that includes the brain and spinal
Cord
Cerebrum - the largest part of the human brain; functions include senses, initiating voluntary
movement, memory, learning, language, and thinking
Cerebellum - a part of the human brain below the rear part of the cerebrum; coordinates
voluntary movements
Corpus Luteum - a progesterone-secreting yellow body in the ovary, formed when lutenizing
hormone causes a ruptured follicle to fill with cells
Diabetes - a condition caused by insufficient concentration of insulin in the blood or a
desensitivity to the action of insulin
Effectors - structures that carry out responses to stimuli; muscles and glands
Endocrine Gland - the ductless glands that make and release hormones into the blood
Estrogen - a hormone secreted by the ovaries that promotes development of female secondary
sexual characteristics and regulates the reproductive cycle
Feedback Mechanism - a response within a system (molecule, cell, organism, or population)
that influences the continued activity or productivity of that system; the control of a
biological reaction by the end products of that reaction.
Follicles - the structures in the ovaries in which the mature eggs develop
FSH - Follicle Stimulating Hormone; hormone produced by the pituitary which stimulates the
de3velopment of egg cells in the ovaries of females; in males it controls the production of
sperm cells in the testes
Glucagon - a hormone secreted by the pancreas that increases the blood-glucose level
Growth Hormone - hormone produced by the pituitary which stimulates the elongation of
bones and cell division
Homeostasis - the maintenance of a stable internal environment in an organism
Hormones - molecules secreted by the endocrine glands into the blood; evoke specific
responses in target cells of the body
Hypothalamus - a part of the brain below the thalamus; controls body temperature, blood
pressure, and emotions
Impulse - messages carried by the nerve cells of a nervous system; regions of electrical and
chemical changes that pass along the cell membrane of a neuron
Insulin - a hormone secreted by the pancreas that increases the blood-glucose level
Interneuron - relay impulses between sensory and motor neurons or between other
interneurons
Involuntary Action - something done without conscious thought
LH - leutenizing hormone; hormone produced by the pituitary which stimulates the release of an
egg from an ovary; controls the production of sex hormones in males and females
Medulla - the part of the brain below the cerebellum and continuous with the spinal cord;
controls involuntary activities
Meninges - 3 membranes forming a protective sheath around brain and spinal cord
Menstrual Cycle - 28 day hormone controlled cycle in which a human egg develops, is released
from the ovary, and the uterus prepares to receive an embryo
Motor Neuron - transmit impulses from the spinal cord to the effectors
Negative feedback - when the concentration of a product reaches a certain level, the product
will inhibit its own synthesis
Nerve - a bundle of neurons or the axons and/or dendrites of neurons covered with connective
tissue
Neuron – a nerve cell; the basic unit of the nervous system
Neurotransmitter – chemicals that transmit impulses across a synapse
Ovary – female organ that produces eggs and estrogen
Oviduct - tube that leads egg from the ovary to the uterus
Ovulation - the release of an egg from an ovary
Peripheral Nervous System - the division of the nervous system that includes all the neurons
and nerve fibers outside the brain and spinal cord
Pituitary Gland the endocrine gland attached to the hypothalamus that controls the activities of
many other endocrine glands in the body
Progesterone - a hormone secreted by the ovaries that helps to regulate the menstrual cycle and
maintain the uterine lining during pregnancy
Receptors - structures specialized to detect stimuli
Reflex - an inborn, involuntary, and automatic response to a specific stimulus
Reflex Arc - pathway over which impulses travel in a reflex
Regulation - the coordination and control of all the life activities
Secretion - a process by which substances are produced and released from a cell, gland, or
organ for a particular function in the organism
Sensory Neuron - transmit impulses from the receptors to the spinal cord and brain
Somatic Nervous System - the division of the peripheral nervous system that contains sensory
and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to skeletal muscles, skin, and
sense organs
Spinal Cord - a bundle of nervous tissue in vertebrates that extends down from the brain,
running through the vertebrae of the spinal column; relays impulses between the brain and
the rest of the nervous system; coordinates simple reflexes
Stimulus a change in the internal or external environment that causes a response in an organism
Synapse - the space between two nerve cells
Target cell (tissue, organ) - a cell, tissue or organ that is affected by a specific hormone
Testosterone - a male sex hormone secreted by the testes; stimulates development of the male
reproductive system and promotes male secondary sexual characteristics
Thyroid - the endocrine gland located in front of the trachea; secretes thyroxin (thyroid
hormone) and calcitonin
Thyroxine - (thyroid hormone) an iodine-containing hormone that is secreted by the thyroid and
that regulates the rate of metabolism in the body
Uterus – muscular female organ in which the embryo develops
Vagina - the structure leading from the uterus to the outside of the body in mammalian females;
the birth canal
Voluntary Action - something done with conscious thought