| Term | Definition |
| Stimulus | a change or signal in the environment |
| response | reaction to a stimulus |
| neuron | basic unit of the nervous system that transmits information |
| dendrite | carry impulse toward the neuron's cell body |
| axon | carries impulses away from the cell body |
| nerve | bundle of nerve fibers |
| sensory neurons | picks up stimuli from internal or external environment and converts each stimulus to a nerve impulse |
| interneurons | connect sensory and motor neurons (sends message to brain for processing) |
| motor neurons | sends an impulse to a muscle or gland |
| synapse | the junction where one neuron can transfer an impulse to another neuron |
| brain | part of central nervous system that controls most functions in the body |
| spinal cord | thick column of nerve tissue that links the brain to the peripheral nervous system |
| cerebrum | interprets input from the senses, controls movement, carries out complex mental process such as learning and remembering |
| cerebellum | coordinates the actions of your muscle and helps you keep your balance |
| brain stem | controls your body's involuntary actions (breathing & heart rate) |
| left hemisphere | hemisphere of the brain that is associated with mathematical and logical thinking |
| righ hemisphere | hemisphere of the brain that is associated with creativity and artistic ability |
| peripheral nervous system | network of nerves that branch out from the central nervous system and connect it to the rest of the body |
| central nervous system | consist of the brain and spinal cord |
| somatic nervous system | controls voluntary activities |
| autonomic nervous system | controls involuntary actions |
| reflex | an automatic response that occurs quickly to remove a person from a potentially harmful stimulus |
| concussion | bruiselike injury of the brain, where the soft tissue of the brain collide against the skull |