| Term | Definition |
|---|
| dorsal | back (spinal cord) |
| ventral | front (stomach side) |
| unilateral | one side of brain |
| bilateral | both sides of the brain |
| medial | toward the middle |
| lateral | toward either side |
| ipsilateral | same side |
| contralateral | opposite side |
| sulcus/fissure | irregular grooves/folds of cortex |
| gyrus/convolution | elevated portion between sulci |
| nucleus | collection of cells within CNS |
| ganglia | collection of cells outside the CNS |
| presynaptic/postsynaptic cell | relative to nerve impulse signal |
| gray matter | cells/neurons |
| white matter | myelinated axons |
| afferent | sensory signal (sound, touch, vision, etc.), travels from sensory surface (ear, skin, tissue, eye) to brain |
| efferent | motor signal to muscle from brain |
| anterior | toward the front end |
| posterior | toward the rear end |
| rostral | toward the head |
| caudal | toward the rear, away from the head |
| superior | above another part |
| inferior | below another part |
| proximal | located close (approximate) to the point of origin or attachment |
| distal | located farther (more distant) from the point of origin or attachment |
| Coronal plane | a plane that shows brain structures, as they would be seen from the front |
| Sagittal plane | a plane that shows brain structures as they would be seen from the side |
| Horizontal plane | a plane that shows brain structures as they would be seen from above |
| lamina | a row or layer of cell bodies separated from other cell bodies by a layer of axons and dendrites |
| column | a set of cells perpendicular to the surface of the cortex, having similar properties |
| tract | a set of axons within the CNS, also known as projection |
| nerve | a set of axons in the periphery, either from the CNS to a muscle or gland, or from a sensory organ to the CNS |
| "all-or-none" | amplitude of nerve impulse is the same regardless of magnitude of suprathreshold triggering threshold |
| axon | a single extension from a cell body carrying information away from the cell to other neurons |
| dendrite | extensions from a cell body which are the receptive surfaces of the cell; carries information into the cell |
| synapse | an area composed of presynptic (axonal) terminal; postsynaptic membrane (usually a dendrite and the space between them). This is the site where a neural message travels from one neuron to another. |
| anion | negatively charged ion; mostly responsible for negative resting potential of all cells |
| graded potentials | electrical charges that vary in size over time and space; lead to either action potential or inhibition (EPSP and IPSP respectively) |
| EPSP | excitatory postsynaptic potential |
| IPSP | inhibitory postsynaptic potential |
| central sulcus | fissure of Rolando |
| lateral sulcus | Sylvian fissure |
Combine with other sets
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