Central Nervous System - the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from,

and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animalsthat is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals Peripheral Nerves - responsible for relaying information from your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) to muscles and other organs. When entrapped by restrictions, injury, or trauma, patients may experience loss of function, tingling, or pain in their extremities Neurons - a specialized cell transmitting nerve impulses; a nerve cell Resting Potential - The relatively static membrane potential of quiescent cells is called the resting membrane potential (or resting voltage), as opposed to the specific dynamic electrochemical phenomena called action potential and graded membrane potential. Action Potential - occur when the neuron becomes depolarized and sodium rushes into the axon. Opening one sodium gate causes the gate next to it to open, which causes the next one to open, and so forth, all the way down the length of the axon Depolarization - depolarization is a change in a cell's membrane potential, making it more positive, or less negative. In neurons and some other cells, a large enough depolarization may result in an action potential Repolarization - repolarization refers to the change in membrane potential that returns the membrane potential to a negative value after the depolarization phase of an action potential has just previously changed the membrane potential to a positive value Negative Feedback - The diminution or counteraction of an effect by its own influence on the process giving rise to it, as when a high level of a particular hormone in the blood may inhibit further secretion of that hormone, or where the result of a certain action may inhibit further performance of that action Hypothalamus - A region of the forebrain below the thalamus that coordinates both the autonomic nervous system and the activity of the pituitary, controlling body temperature, thirst, hunger, and other homeostatic systems, and involved in sleep and emotional activity Glucagon - A hormone formed in the pancreas that promotes the breakdown of glycogen to glucose in the liver Insulin - A hormone produced in the pancreas by the islets of Langerhans that regulates the amount of glucose in the blood. The lack of insulin causes a form of diabetes Pancreatic Islets - The islets of Langerhans are the regions of the pancreas that contain its endocrine (i.e., hormone-producing) cells Type 1 Diabetes - Diabetes mellitus type 1 (Type 1 diabetes, IDDM, or juvenile diabetes) is a form of diabetes mellitus that results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-

producing beta cells of the pancreas. The subsequent lack of insulin leads to increased blood and urine glucose. Type 2 Diabetes - A condition in which the body does not make sufficient insulin or cannot effectively use insulin, interfering with the metabolism of carbohydrates. May be managed with diet, exercise, oral medications, or injected insulin preparations.