| acetylcholine |
in biochemistry, the substance produced during nerve conduction that transmits nerve impulses across synapses and causes muscles to move. [1/2 definitions] |
| amphioxus |
a tiny fishlike marine organism characterized by a primitive vertebra and dorsal nerve tissue; lancelet. |
| amyotrophic lateral sclerosis |
a disease that causes loss of control in muscle movement because of the degeneration of nerve cells; Lou Gehrig's disease. |
| anastomose |
to connect, either by natural branching growth or by surgery (parts of a blood vessel, nerve, or any branching system). |
| axon |
the part of a nerve cell that conducts impulses away from the cell body. |
| baroreceptor |
a nerve ending sensitive to blood pressure that helps regulate the dilation of blood vessels in the circulatory system. |
| blind spot |
a small area in the eye, where the optic nerve enters the retina, that is insensitive to light. [1/4 definitions] |
| bundle |
in biology, a cluster of muscle or nerve fibers. [1/6 definitions] |
| carpal tunnel syndrome |
a pathological condition of pressure on the median nerve of the wrist and hand, usu. resulting in pain, numbness, and muscular weakening. |
| chemoreception |
the response of a sense organ or nerve ending to a chemical stimulus. |
| chemoreceptor |
a nerve ending or sensory organ, as of taste or smell, that responds to chemical stimulation. |
| chiropractic |
a system of healing in which manipulation of the spinal column and other body structures is used to restore normal nerve function and thus good health. |
| cholesterol |
a white substance, found in various tissues of all animals, which serves as a detoxifier in the bloodstream and surrounds certain nerve sheaths, and an excess of which is thought to contribute to hardening of the arteries. |
| cholinesterase |
an enzyme found in the heart, brain, and blood that hydrolyzes acetylcholine to acetic acid and choline, to block the transmission of nerve impulses. |
| chordate |
of or denoting an animal, such as a tunicate, lancelet, or vertebrate, that at some stage of development has gill slits, a dorsal nerve cord, and a notochord. |
| chutzpah |
sheer audacity or gutsiness; utter nerve. |
| demyelination |
loss of the myelin sheath surrounding nerve cells that causes impaired function, as in multiple sclerosis. |
| dendrite |
a branching extension of a nerve cell that carries impulses to the cell body. [1/2 definitions] |
| depressor |
a nerve that decreases blood pressure and heartbeat when stimulated. [1/3 definitions] |
| dopamine |
an intermediate product in the body's synthesis of many substances, such as melanin, and a neurotransmitter essential to normal nerve functioning. |
| effector |
a cell or an organ such as a muscle or gland that responds to a nerve impulse. |