Question | Answer |
arthr/o | articulation |
cerebell/o | cerebellum (little brain) |
cerebr/o | cerebrum (largest part of the brain) |
crani/o | skull |
encephal/o | entire brain |
esthesi/o | sensation |
gangli/o | ganglion (knot) |
gli/o | glue |
gnos/o | knowing |
hypn/o | sleep |
somn/i | sleep |
somn/o | sleep |
kinesi/o | movement |
lex/o | word or phrase |
mening/o | meninges (membrane) |
meningi/o | meninges (membrane) |
myel/o | spinal cord or bone marrow |
narc/o | stupor, sleep |
neur/o | nerve |
phas/o | speech |
phob/o | exaggerated fear or sensitivity |
phor/o | carry or bear |
phren/o | mind |
psych/o | mind |
thym/o | mind |
schiz/o | split |
somat/o | body |
spin/o | spine (thorn) |
spondyl/o | vertebra |
vertebr/o | vertebra |
stere/o | three dimensional or solid |
tax/o | order or coordination |
thalam/o | thalamus (a room) |
ton/o | tone or tension |
top/o | place |
ventricul/o | ventricle (belly or pouch) |
cata- | down |
-asthenia | weakness |
-lepsy | seizure |
-mania | condition of abnormal impulse toward |
-paresis | slight paralysis |
-plegia | paralysis |
Central nervous system | brain and spinal cord |
brain | portion of the central nervous system contained within the cranium |
cerebrum | largest portion of the brain. divided into right and left halves = cerebral hemispheres. connected by a bridge of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum. lobes of the cerebrum are named after the the bones they underlie |
frontal lobe | anterior section of each cerebral hemisphere responsible for voluntary muscle movement and personality |
parietal lobe | portion posterior to the frontal lobe, responsible for sensations such as pain, temperature, and touch |
temporal lobe | portion that lies below the frontal love, responsible for hearing, taste, and smell |
occipital lobe | position posterior to the parietal and temporal lobes, responsible for vision |
thalamus (diencephalon) | two gray matter nuclei deep within the brain, responsible for relaying sensory information to the cortex |
gyri | ring or circle. convolutions (mounds) of the cerebral hemispheres |
sulci | ditch; shallow grooves that separate gyri |
fissures | splitting crack, deep groves in the brain |
cerebellum | portion of the brain located below the occipital lobes of the cerebrum, responsible for control and coordination of skeletal muscles |
brainstem | region of the brain that serves as a relay between the cerebrum and cerebellum and spinal cord. responsible for breathing, heart rate, and body temperature. 3 levels = mesencephalon(midbrain), pons, and medulla oblongata |
ventricles | series of interconnected cavities within the cerebral hemispheres and brainstem filled with cerebrospinal fluid |
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) | plasma-like clear fluid circulating in and around the brain and spinal cord |
spinal cord | column of nervous tissue from the brainstem through the vertebrae, responsible for nerve conduction to and from the brain and the body |
meninges | three membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord, consisting of the dura mater, pia mater, and arachnoid |
peripheral nervous system | nerves that branch from the CNS including nerves of the brain (cranial nerves), and spinal cord (spinal nerves) |
cranial nerves | 12 pairs of nerves arising from the brain |
spinal nerves | 31 pairs of nerves arising from the spinal cord |
sensory nerves | nerves that conduct impulses from body parts and carry sensory information to the brain (afferent nerves) |
motor nerves | nevers that conduct motor impulses from the brain to muscles and glands (efferent nerves) |
Autonomic nervous system | nerves that carry involuntary impulses to smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and various glands |
hypothalamus | control center for the ANS located in the thalamus (diencephalon) |
sympathetic nervous system | division of the ANS concerned with preparing the body for stressful/emergency situations |
parasympathetic nervous system | division of the ANS that is most active in ordinary conditions - counterbalances the effects of the sympathetic system by restoring the body to a restful state after a stressful experience |
aphasia | condition without speech. impairment due to localized brain injury that affects understanding retrieving and formulating meaningful and sequential elements of language |
dysarthria | conditions of difficult articulation; group of related speech impairments that may affect the speed, range, direction, strength and timing of motor movement as well as paralysis, weakness, or incoordination of speech muscles |
dysphasia | difficulty speaking |
coma | levels of decreased consciousness with varying responsiveness - a common method of assessment is the glasgow coma scale |
delirium | state of mental confusion due to disturbances in cerebral function - causes are fever, shock, drug overdose |
dementia | impairment of intellectual function characterized by memory loss, disorientation, and confusion |
motor deficit | loss or impairment of muscle function |
sensory deficit | loss of impairment of sensation |
neuralgia | pain along the course of a nerve |
paralysis | temporary or permanent loss of motor control |
flaccid paralysis | defective (flabby) or absent muscle control caused by a nerve lesion |
spastic paralysis | stiff and awkward muscle control cause by a CNS disorder |
hemiparesis | partial paralysis of the right or left half of the body |
sciatica | pain that follows the pathway of the sciatic nerve caused by compression or trauma of the nerve or its roots |
seizure | sudden, transient disturbances in brain function resulting from abnormal firing of nerve impulses |
convulsion | to pull together, type of seizure that causes a series of sudden, involuntary contractions of muscles |
syncope | fainting |
tactile stimulation | evoking a response by touching |
hyperesthesia | increased sensitivity to stimulation such as touch or pain |
paresthesia | abnormal sensation of numbness and tingling without objective cause |