Biology Unit 7
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bluerosestain on February 14, 2010
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Biology Unit 7 Circulatory System
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55 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 acetylcholine | A neurotransmitter used in the neuromuscular junction to stimulate muscle contraction; acetylcholine is also used by parasympathetic nerves to slow the heart. |
| aneurism | Abnormal ballooning of the wall of a blood vessel. |
| aorta | The artery that carries blood from the left ventricle to the rest of the body. |
| arterioles | Smaller vessels that branch off from arteries. |
| artery | One of the vessels that carry blood away from the heart. |
| atherosclerosis | Hardening of the arteries. |
| atrioventricular (AV) node | A special tissue that conducts electrical signals from one part of the heart to the other. |
| atrioventricular valves | The valves between the atria and ventricles of the heart. |
| atrium | One of the smaller thin-walled entrance chambers of the heart, through which blood enters the adjacent ventricle. |
| capillary | One of the minute blood vessels that brings blood in closest contact with tissues; capillaries connect the finest arterioles with the finest venules. |
| cardiovascular system | The blood, the heart, and the blood vessels together. |
| circulation | The route of the blood throughout the cardiovascular system. |
| closed circulatory system | A circulatory system in which blood runs only within enclosed vessels. |
| diastole | The half of the cycle of the heart in which both the atria and the ventricles are relaxed. |
| endothelium | In the circulatory system, the epithelial cells that line the capillaries. |
| epinephrine (adrenaline) | A hormone, made in the adrenal medulla, that speeds the heart, dilates the blood vessels, and increases the liver's production of glucose from glycogen. |
| erythrocyte | A red blood cell. |
| fibrillation | In the heart, continuous disorganized contractions. |
| heart | The muscular organ responsible for pushing the blood through the circulatory system. |
| heart attack | A sometimes fatal failure of the blood supply to the heart that causes the heart to beat irregularly or to stop beating. |
| heart rate | The number of contractions (beats) per minute. |
| hemoglobin | The oxygen-binding protein that makes red blood cells red. |
| histamine | The amino acid histidine minus the carboxyl group, a major stimulus for the inflammatory response; it is released by cells in damaged tissues; it dilates capillaries and increases their tendency to leak fluid. |
| leukocyte | White blood cell. |
| low-density lipoprotein (LDL) | A carrier protein in the blood that binds to cholesterol. |
| lumen | A space enclosed by a membrane (as in the endoplasmic reticulum) or epithelium (as in the gut). |
| lymph | Fluid containing dead or foreign cells and waste proteins that passively moves through the lymphatic system. |
| lymph nodes | Regions in the lymphatic veins where filterlike tissue separates cells and other detritus from the lymph. |
| lymphatic system | The network of lymphatic vessels and nodes that provides a secondary route for fluids from the extracellular space to the bloodstream. |
| lymphocyte | One of a class of white blood cells that develop within the lymphoid tissues (including lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, and tonsils); the cells responsible for the immune response. |
| neurotransmitter | A signaling molecule that transmits signals from a nerve cell either to another nerve cell or to a muscle or a gland. |
| norepinephrine | A neurotransmitter derived from tyrosine; norepinephrine is used by the central nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system. |
| open circulatory systems | A circulatory system in which blood mixes freely with extracellular fluids and bathes the organs of the body. |
| pacemaker | A group of the cells of the heart muscle capable of rhythmic spontaneous contractions that set the pace of contraction for the rest of the heart |
| pericardium | A fibrous sac that encloses the heart itself within a watery lubricating fluid. |
| plasma | The fluid part of blood. |
| platelet | A small, membrane-enclosed element that is a component of mammalian blood; it is formed as a cytoplasmic fragment of a precursor cell in the bone marrow; platelets contribute to clotting. |
| pulmonary | Relating to the lungs. |
| pulmonary artery | The artery that carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs. |
| pulmonary circulation | Circulation from heart to lungs to heart. |
| pulmonary veins | The veins that carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart. |
| sinoatrial (SA) node | The pacemaker, which lies near the top of the right atrium in the mammalian heart. |
| sternum | The breastbone. |
| stroke | Failure of the blood supply to the brain. |
| stroke volume | In the action of the heart, the volume of blood delivered by a ventricle. |
| sympathetic nervous system | A division of the autonomic nervous system; the sympathetic nervous system initiates the "fight or flight" reaction. |
| systemic circulation | The route of the blood through the body, minus pulmonary circulation. |
| systole | The part of the heartbeat in which the atria and ventricles contract. |
| vasoconstriction | Contraction of the smooth muscles surrounding the arterioles. |
| vasodilation | A process causing arterioles to increase in size with consequent blood flow increase and reddening on the skin. |
| veins | In vertebrates, the vessels that carry blood back to the heart. In plants, the vascular tissue in the leaves. |
| vena cava (superior and inferior) | The two largest veins, which run up through the center of the body and carry deoxygenated blood from the body to the right atrium. |
| ventricle | In the heart, a thick-walled pumping chamber. |
| ventricular fibrillation | Cardiac arrest. |
| venules | The smallest veins. |
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