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| 1. | acetylcholine | (ACh) neurotransmitter that binds at a motor end-plate to trigger depolarization |
| 2. | adrenal medulla | interior portion of the adrenal (or suprarenal) gland that releases epinephrine and norepinephrine into the bloodstream as hormones |
| 3. | adrenergic | synapse where norepinephrine is released, which binds to a- or ß-adrenergic receptors |
| 4. | afferent branch | component of a reflex arc that represents the input from a sensory neuron, for either a special or general sense |
| 5. | agonist | any exogenous substance that binds to a receptor and produces a similar effect to the endogenous ligand |
| 6. | alpha (a)-adrenergic receptor | one of the receptors to which epinephrine and norepinephrine bind, which comes in three subtypes: a1, a2, and a3 |
| 7. | antagonist | any exogenous substance that binds to a receptor and produces an opposing effect to the endogenous ligand |
| 8. | anticholinergic drugs | drugs that interrupt or reduce the function of the parasympathetic system |
| 9. | autonomic tone | tendency of an organ system to be governed by one division of the autonomic nervous system over the other, such as heart rate being lowered by parasympathetic input at rest |
| 10. | baroreceptor | mechanoreceptor that senses the stretch of blood vessels to indicate changes in blood pressure |
| 11. | beta (ß)-adrenergic receptor | one of the receptors to which epinephrine and norepinephrine bind, which comes in two subtypes: ß1 and ß2 |
| 12. | cardiac accelerator nerves | preganglionic sympathetic fibers that cause the heart rate to increase when the cardiovascular center in the medulla initiates a signal |
| 13. | cardiovascular center | region in the medulla that controls the cardiovascular system through cardiac accelerator nerves and vasomotor nerves, which are components of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system |
| 14. | celiac ganglion | one of the collateral ganglia of the sympathetic system that projects to the digestive system |
| 15. | central neuron | specifically referring to the cell body of a neuron in the autonomic system that is located in the central nervous system, specifically the lateral horn of the spinal cord or a brain stem nucleus |
| 16. | cholinergic | synapse at which acetylcholine is released and binds to the nicotinic or muscarinic receptor |
| 17. | chromaffin cells | neuroendocrine cells of the adrenal medulla that release epinephrine and norepinephrine into the bloodstream as part of sympathetic system activity |
| 18. | ciliary ganglion | one of the terminal ganglia of the parasympathetic system, located in the posterior orbit, axons from which project to the iris |
| 19. | collateral ganglia | ganglia outside of the sympathetic chain that are targets of sympathetic preganglionic fibers, which are the celiac, inferior mesenteric, and superior mesenteric ganglia |
| 20. | craniosacral system | alternate name for the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system that is based on the anatomical location of central neurons in brain-stem nuclei and the lateral horn of the sacral spinal cord; also referred to as craniosacral outflow |
| 21. | dorsal longitudinal fasciculus | major output pathway of the hypothalamus that descends through the gray matter of the brain stem and into the spinal cord |
| 22. | dorsal nucleus of the vagus nerve | location of parasympathetic neurons that project through the vagus nerve to terminal ganglia in the thoracic and abdominal cavities |
| 23. | Eddinger-Westphal nucleus | location of parasympathetic neurons that project to the ciliary ganglion |
| 24. | efferent branch | component of a reflex arc that represents the output, with the target being an effector, such as muscle or glandular tissue |
| 25. | endogenous chemical | substance produced and released within the body to interact with a receptor protein |
| 26. | endogenous | describes substance made in the human body |
| 27. | epinephrine | signaling molecule released from the adrenal medulla into the bloodstream as part of the sympathetic response |
| 28. | exogenous chemical | substance from a source outside the body, whether it be another organism such as a plant or from the synthetic processes of a laboratory, that binds to a transmembrane receptor protein |
| 29. | exogenous | describes substance made outside of the human body |
| 30. | fight-or-flight response | set of responses induced by sympathetic activity that lead to either fleeing a threat or standing up to it, which in the modern world is often associated with anxious feelings |
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