- afferent
- transmits impulses from peripheral organs to the central nervous system
- albumin
- a common protein in plasma that carries hormones and helps maintain the integrity of the blood vessels.
- amyloids
- proteins that tend to accumulate in clusters that are insoluble; amyloid proteins are associated with a number of conditions, including Alzheimer's disease
- autonomic nervous system
- regulates involuntary body processes such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal
- axons
- the long slender projections of neurons that efficiently and rapidly conduct electrical impulses across nerve cells
- cerebral autoregulation
- the inherent ability of blood vessels in the cerebrum to maintain homeostatic cerebral blood flow despite a wide range of changes in mean arterial pressure
- cerebral blood flow
- the volume of blood that moves through the vessels in the brain
- cerebral cortex
- the protective outer layer of the cerebrum
- dysphagia
- difficulty swallowing
- efferent
- carrying outward or away; in reference to the nervous system, transmitting impulses from the central nervous system outward to peripheral organs to initiate an active response or action
- hyponatremia
- a serum sodium level less than 135 mEq/L
- Mediterranean diet
- a diet low in saturated fat and rich in other nutrients, commonly consumed Greece and Southern Italy
- myelin
- the fatty protein membrane that provides a protective coating for nerve cells
- neuromuscular junctions
- locations at the terminal end of motor nerves, where action potential impulses are conducted to various muscles
- neuroplasticity
- the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions, or connections
- neurotransmitters
- chemicals within the body that allow neurons to communicate with each other to enable the brain to execute a wide range of functions through the process of chemical synaptic transmission
- omega-3 fatty acids
- a group of polyunsaturated fatty acids that the human body requires but does not synthesize
- parasympathetic nervous system
- the part of the nervous system that relaxes the body after stress and danger and facilitates the body’s “rest-and-digest” response
- polyphenols
- micronutrients that have health-promoting properties and are present in many fruits and vegetables
- prealbumin
- a protein synthesized by the liver that transports various thyroid hormones in the blood
- soma
- the body of a neuron
- somatic nervous system
- facilitates movement and muscle control in the body
- sympathetic nervous system
- a division of the autonomic nervous sytem that is reponsible for the body’s “fight or flight” response
- syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone release (SIADH)
- an unsuppressed release of antidiuretic hormone from the pituitary gland or other nonpituitary sources that signals the body to retain fluid
- tau proteins
- present in nerve cells, proteins that stabilize microtubules