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med term chap 8
neurology
Question | Answer |
---|---|
a small seizure in which there is a sudden,temporary loss of consciousness, lasting only a few seconds | absence seizure |
a chemical substance in the body tissues that facilitates the transmission of nerve impulses from one nerve to another: it has a stimulant effect on some parts of the body such as the skeletal muscles, and a depressant effect on other parts of the body su | acetylcholine |
transmitters of nerve impulses toward the central nervous system; also known as sensory nerves | afferent nerves |
loss of mental ability to understand sensory stimuli such as sight, sound, or touch, even thought the sensory organs themselves are functioning properly | agnosia |
inability to convert one's thoughts into writing | agraphia |
inability to understand written words | alexia |
without sensitivity to pain | analgesia |
without feeling or sensation | anesthesia |
a localized dilation of in the wall of an artery that expands with each pulsation of the artery: usually caused by hypertension or atherosclerosis | aneurysm |
inability to communicate through speech, writing, or signs because of an injury or disease to certain areas of the brain | aphasia |
inability to perform coordinated movements or use objects properly: not associated with sensory or motor impairment or paralysis | apraxia |
the weblike, middle layer of the 3 membranous layers surrounding the brain and spinal cord | arachnoid membrane |
a star-shaped neuroglial cell found in the central nervous system | astrocyte |
a tumor of the brain or spinal cords composed of astrocytes | astrocytoma |
without muscular coordination | ataxia |
the sensation of individual experiences prior to the onset of of a migraine headache or an epileptic seizure: it may be a sensation of light or warmth and may precede an attack by hours or only a few seconds | aura |
the part of the nervous system that regulates the involuntary vital functions of the body, such as the activities involving the heart muscle, smooth muscles and the glands. The autonomic nervous system has 2 divisions: sympathetic and parasympathetic, whi | autonomic nervous system |
the part of the nerve cell that transports away from the nerve cell body | axon |
a protective characteristic of the capillary walls of the brain that prevents the passage of harmful substances from the bloodstream into the brain tissue or cerebrospinal fluid | blood-brain barrier |
abnormally slow movement | bradykinesia |
the stem like portion of the brain that connects the cerebral hemisphere with the spinal cord. The brain stem contains the midbrain, the pons and the medulla oblongata | brain stem |
a positive sign of meningitis, in which there is involuntary flexion of the arm, hip, and knee when the patient's neck is passively flexed | Brudzinski's sign |
a hole drilled into the skull using a form of drill | burr hole |
the lower end of the spinal cord and the roots of spinal nerves that occupy the spinal canal below the level of the first lumbar vertebrae; so named because it resembles a horse's tail | cauda equina |
a sensation of an acute burning pain along the path of the peripheral nerve, sometimes accompanied by erythema of the skin; due to injury of peripheral nerve fibers | causalgia |
the part of the cell that contains the nucleus and the cytoplasm | cell body |
one of the 2 main divisions of the nervous system, consisting of the brain and spinal cord | central nervous system |
pain in the head; headache | chephalagia |
the part of the brain responsible for coordinating voluntary muscular movement; located behind the brain stem | cerebellum |
a brief interruption of brain function, usually with a loss of consciousness lasting for a few seconds. the transient loss of consciousness is usually caused by blunt trauma to the head | cerebral concussion |
small scattered venous hemorrhages in the brain; better described as a "bruise" of the brain tissue occurring when the brain strikes the inner skull | cerebral contusion |
thin outer layer of nerve tissue, known as gray matter, that covers the surface of the cerebrum | cerebral cortex |
the fluid flowing through the brain and around the spinal cord that protects them from physical blow or impact | cerebrospinal fluid |
the largest and uppermost part of the brain; it controls consciousness, memory, sensations, emotions, and voluntary movements | cerebrum |
and abnormal pattern of breathing characterized by periods of apnea followed by deep rapid breathing | Cheyne-Stokes respirations |
a deep sleep in which the individual cannot be aroused and does not respond to external stimuli | coma |
pertains to being in a coma | comatose |
a permanent shortening of muscle causing a joint to remain in an abnormally flexed position, with resultant physical deformity | contracture |
one of the many elevated folds of the surface of the cerebrum; also called a gyrus | convolution |
a surgical incision into the cranium or skull | craniotomy |
any deficiency of variation of the normal, as in a weakness deficit resulting from a cerebrolvascular accident | deficit |
a progressive, irreversible mental disorder in which a person has deteriorating memory, judgment,and ability to think | dementia |
destruction or removal of the myelin sheath that covers a nerve or nerve fiber | demyelination |
a projection that extends from the nerve cell body; it receives impulses and conducts them on to the cell body | dendrite |
the part of the brain that is located between the cerebrum and the midbrain. its main structures consists of the thalamus, hypothalamus, and pineal gland | diencephalon |
double vision; also known as ambiopia | diplopia |
the outermost of the 3 membranes (meninges) surrounding the brain and spinal cord | dura mater |
a condition characterized by an impairment of the ability to read; letters and words are often reversed when reading | dyslexia |
difficult speech | dysphasia |
transmitters of nerve impulses away from the central nervous system; also known as motor nerves | efferent nerves |
an abnormal condition in which a blood clot (embolus) becomes lodged in a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood within the vessel | embolism |
the space immediately outside the dura mater that contains a supporting cushion of fat and other connective tissues | epidural space |
a neurological condition characterized by recurrent episodes of sudden, brief attacks of seizures; the seizure may very from mild and unnoticeable to full-scale convulsive seizures | epilepsy |
a deep groove on the surface of an organ | fissure |
a space covered by tough membrane between the bones of an infant's skull called a "soft spot" | fontanel or fontanelles |
the style of walking | gait |
a knotlike mass of nerve tissue outside of the brain or spinal cord | ganglion (plural: ganglia) |
the part of the nervous system consisting of axons that are not covered with myelin sheath, giving a gray appearance | gray matter |
convolution | gyrus (plural: gyri) |
slight or partial paralysis of one half of the body | hemiparesis |
paralysis of one half of the body | hemiplegia |
an acute infection caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, characterized by painful vesicular lesions along the path of a spinal nerve, also called shingles | Herpes zoster |
excessive sensitivity to sensory stimuli; such as pain or touch | hyperesthesia |
excecceisve muscular movement and physical activity: hyperactivity | hyperkinesis |
a part of the brain located below the thalamus that controls many functions such as body temperature, sleep, and appetite | hypothalamus |
connecting neurons that conduct impulses from afferent nerves to or toward motor nerves | interneurons |
a diagnostic sign for meningitits marked by the person's inability to extend the leg completely when the thigh is flexed upon the abdomen and the person is sitting or lying down | Kernig's sign |
the study of muscle ovement | kinesiology |
a state of being sluggish | lethargy |
a deep groove in the middle of the cerebrum that divides the cerebrum into the right and left hemispheres | longitudinal fissure |
ine of the 3 parts of the brain stem. the most essential part of the brain in that it contains the cardiac, vasomotor, and respiritory centers of the brain | medulla oblongata |
the 3 layers of protective membranes that surround tha brain and spinal cord | meninges |
small, neuroglial calls found in the intnerstitial tissue of the nervous system that engulf cellular debree, waste products, and pathogens within nerve tissue | microglia |
the uppermost part of the brain stem | midbrain |
efferent nerves | motor nerves |
a protective sheath that covers the axons of many nerves in the body; it acts as an electrical insulator and helps to speed the conduction of nerve impulses | myelin sheath |
uncontrolled, sudden attacks of sleep | narcolepsy |
a cordlike bundle of nerve fibers that transmit impulses to and from the brain and spinla cord to other parts of the body; a nerve is macroscopic | nerve |
the injection of a local anesthetic along the course of a nerve or nerves t oeliminate sensation to the area supplied by the nerve(s); also called conduction anesthesia | nerve block |
severe, sharp, spasmlike pian that extends along the course of one or more nerves | neuralgia |
inflammation of a nerve | neuritis |
the supporting tissue of the nervous system | neuroglia |
a physician who specializes in treating the diseases and disorders of the nervous system | neurologist |
the study of the nervous system and its disorders | neurology |
a nerve cell | neuron |
a physician who specializes in surgery of the nervous system | neurosurgeon |
any surgery involving the nervous system | neurosurgery |
a chemical substance within the body that activates or inhibits the transmission of nerve impulses between synapse | neurotransmitter |
rigidity of the neck; the neck is resistent to flexion. the condition is seen in patients with meningitis | nuchal rigidity |
blockage | occlusion |
a type of neurological cell found in the interstitial tissue of the nervoussysrem; its dendrite projections coil around the axons of many neurons to form the myelin sheath | oligodendrocyte |
soothing | palliative |
paralysis of the lower extremities and trunk; usually due to spinal cord injuries | paraplegia |
nerves of the autonomic nervous system that regulate involuntar, essential body functions such as slowing the heart rate, increasing peristalis of the intestines, increasing glandular secretions and relaxing sphincters | paasympathetic nerves |
copying or producing th esame effects as those of parasympathetic nerves; "to mimic" | parasympathomimetic |
a sensation of numbness or tingling | parathesia |
the part of the nervous system outside the central nervous system, consisting of 12 pairs of cranial nerves and 31 pairs of spinal nerves | peripheral nervous system |
the process by which certain cells engulf and destroy microorganisms and cellular debris | phagocytosis |
the innermost of the 3 membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord | pia mater |
a small cone-shaped structure located in the diencephalon of the brain; thoguth to be involved in regulating the body's clock: produces melatonin | pineal body |
pineal body | pineal gland |
a network of interwoven nerves | plexus |
the part of the brain that is located between the medulla oblongat and the midbrain; it acts as a bridge t oconnect the medulla oblongata to the cerebellum to the upper portion of the brain | pons |
paralysis of all four extremities and the trunk of the body; casued by injury to the spinal cord at the level of the cervical vertebrae | quadriplegia |
the surgical resection of a spinal nerve root; a procedure performed to relieve pain als ocalled a rhizotomy | radiculotomy |