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Nervous System Words
Nervous System Word List
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| LETHARGY | Abnormal inactivity or lack of response to normal stimuli, also called sluggishness |
| COMA | Abnormally deep unconsciousness with absence of voluntary response to stimuli |
| HYDROCEPHALUS | Accumulation of fluid in the ventricles of the brain, causing increased intracranial pressure (ICP), thinning of brain tissue and separation of cranial bones |
| LOCAL | Act upon nerves or nerve tracts to affect a local area only |
| GENERAL | Act upon the brain to produce complete loss of feeling with loss of consciousness |
| REYE SYNDROME | Acute encephalopathy and fatty infiltration of the brain, liver and possibly the pancreas, heart, kidney, speen and lymph nodes |
| NEURILEMMA | Additional sheath external to myelin that is formed by Schwann cells and found only on axons in the peripheral nervous system |
| CONVULSION | Any sudden and violent contraction of one or more muscles |
| GUILLAIN-BARRE SYNDROME | Autoimmune condition that causes acute inflammation of the peripheral nerves in which myelin sheaths on the axons are destroyed, resulting in decreased nerve impulses, loss of reflex response and sudden muscle weakness |
| DEMENTIA | Broad term that refers to cognitive deficit, including memory impairment |
| EFFERENT | Carry or move away from a central structure |
| AFFERENT | Carry or move inward or toward a central structure |
| VENTRICLE | Chamber or cavity of an organ that receives or holds a fluid |
| ANTIPARKINSONIAN AGENTS | Control tremors and muscle rigidity associated with Parkinson disease by increasing dopamine in the brain |
| SPINA BIFIDA | Defect in which the neural tube fails to close during embryogenesis |
| HYPNOTICS | Depress Central Nervous System (CNS) functions, promote sedation and sleep and relieve agitation, anxiousness and restlessness |
| AUTISM | Developmental disorder characterized by extreme withdrawal and an abnormal absorption in fantasy, usually accompanied by an inability to communicate even on a basic level |
| MYELOGRAPHY | Diagnostic radiological examination of the spinal canal, nerve roots and spinal cord after injection of contrast medium into the spinal canal |
| ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER | Disorder affecting children and adults characterized by impulsiveness, overactivity and the inability to remain focused on a task |
| ANOREXIA NERVOSA | Eating disorder characterized by a refusal to maintain adequate weight for age and height and an all-consuming desire to remain thin |
| BULIMIA NERVOSA | Eating disorder characterized by binging and purging |
| TONIC-CLONIC SEIZURE | General type of seizure characterized by the loss of consciousness and stiffening of the body (tonic phase) followed by rhythmic, jerking movements (clonic phase) |
| ULTRASONOGRAPHY | Imaging procedure using high-frequency sound waves that display the reflected "echoes" on a monitor; also called ultrasound, sonography, echo and echogram |
| COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY | Imaging technique achieved by rotating an x-ray emitter around the area to be scanned and measuring the intensity of transmitted rays from different angles |
| AGNOSIA | Inability to comprehend auditory, visual, spatial, olfactory or other sensations even though the sensory sphere is intact |
| DYSLEXIA | Inability to learn and process written language despite adequate intelligence, sensory ability and exposure |
| POLIOMYELITIS | Inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord caused by a virus, commonly resulting in spinal muscle deformity and paralysis |
| HUNTINGTON CHOREA | Inherited disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by quick, involuntary movements, speech disturbances and mental deterioration |
| CONCUSSION | Injury to the brain, occasionally with transient loss of consciousness as a result of injury or trauma to the head |
| CLOSED HEAD TRAUMA | Injury to the head in which the dura mater remains intact and brain tissue is not exposed |
| VAGOTOMY | Interruption of the function of the vagus nerve to relieve peptic ulcer |
| ATAXIA | Lack of muscle coordination in the execution of voluntary movement |
| PARALYSIS | Loss of voluntary motion in one or more muscle groups with or without loss of sensation |
| PSYCHOSIS | Major emotional disorder in which contact with reality is lost to the point that the individual is incapable of meeting challenges of daily life |
| BIPOLAR DISORDER | Mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, emotion, energy and ability to function; also called manic-depressive illness |
| DEPRESSION | Mood disorder associated with sadness, despair, discouragement and, commonly, feelings of low self-esteem, guilt and withdrawal |
| MANIA | Mood disorder characterized by mental and physical hyperactivity, disorganized behaviour and excessively elevated mood |
| LUMBAR PUNCTURE | Needle puncture of the spinal cavity to extract spinal fluid for diagnostic purposes, introduce anesthetic agents into the spinal canal or remove fluid to allow other fluids to be injected; also called spinal puncture or spinal tap |
| CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM | Network of nervous tissue found in the brain and spinal cord |
| NEUROSIS | Nonpsychotic mental illness that triggers feelings of distress and anxiety and impairs normal behaviour |
| HERPES ZOSTER | Painful, acute infectious disease of the posterior root ganglia of only a few segments of the spinal or cranial nerves; also called shingles |
| PALSY | Paralysis, usually partial, and commonly characterized by weakness and shaking or uncontrolled tremor |
| THALAMOTOMY | Partial destruction of the thalamus to treat intractable pain, involuntary movements or emotional disturbances |
| STEREOTAXIC RADIOSURGERY | Precise method of locating and destroying sharply circumscribed lesions on specific, tiny areas of pathological tissue in deep-seated structures of the central nervous system (CNS); also called stereotaxy or stereotactic surgery |
| AURA | Premonitory awareness of an approaching physical or mental disorder; peculiar sensation that precedes seizures |
| ANTICONVULSANTS | Prevent uncontrolled neuron activity associated with seizures by altering electrical transmission along neurons or altering the chemical composition of neurotransmitters; also called anti-epileptics |
| ANESTHETICS | Produce partial or complete loss of sensation with or without loss of consciousness |
| NERVE FIBER | Projection of a neuron, especially the axon that transmits impulses |
| BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER | Protective mechanism that blocks specific substances found in the bloodstream from entering delicate brain tissue |
| ANXIETY | Psychological "worry" disorder characterized by excessive pondering or thinking "what if.." |
| AFFECTIVE DISORDER | Psychological disorder in which the major characteristic is an abnormal mood, usually mania or depression |
| ANGIOGRAPHY | Radiography of the blood vessels after introduction of a contrast medium |
| ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY | Recording of electrical activity in the brain, whose cells emit distinct patterns of rhythmic electrical impulses |
| ELECTROMYOGRAPHY | Recording of electrical signals that occur in a muscle when it is at rest and during contraction to assess nerve damage |
| PSYCHOSTIMULANTS | Reduce impulsive behaviour by increasing the level of neurotransmitters |
| POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY | Scan using computed tomography to record the positrons emitted from a radiopharmaceutical and produce a cross-sectional image of metaboloic activity in body tissues to determine the presence of disease |
| PARESTHESIA | Sensation of numbness, prickling, tingling or heightened sensitivity |
| CEREBROSPINAL FLUID ANALYSIS | Series of chemical, microscopic and microbial tests used to diagnose disorders of the central nervous system (CNS), including viral and bacterial infections, tumors and hemorrhage |
| SCIATICA | Severe pain in the leg along the course of the sciatic nerve felt at the base of the spine, down the thigh, and radiating down the leg due to a compressed nerve |
| PANIC ATTACK | Sudden, intense, overwhelming feeling of fear that comes without warning and is not attributable to any immediate danger |
| TREPHINATION | Technique that cuts a circular opening into the skull to reveal brain tissue and decrease intracranial pressure (ICP) |
| CRYOSURGERY | Technique that exposes abnormal tissue to extreme cold to destroy it |
| TRANSIENT ISCHEMIC ATTACK (TIA) | Temporary interference with blood supply to the brain lasting from a few minutes to a few hours |
| SYNCOPE | Temporary loss of consciousness due to the sudden decline of blood flow to the brain; also called fainting |
| NERVE CONDUCTION VELOCITY | Test that measures the speed at which impulses travel through a nerve |
| TRACTOTOMY | Transection of a nerve tract in the brainstem or spinal cord |
| ANTIDEPRESSANTS | Treat multiple symptoms of depression by increasing levels of specific neurotransmitters |
| ANTIPSYCHOTICS | Treat psychosis, paranoia, and schizophrenia by altering chemicals in the brain, including the limbic system (group of brain structure), which controls emotions |
| ASTHENIA | Weakness, debility or loss of strength |
| NEUROGLIA | Nerve glue |
| MICROCEPHALY | Abnormally small head |
| Epilepsy | Disorder characterized by seizures |
| HYPERKINESIA | Excessive movement |
| APHASIA | Inability to speak |
| ANAESTHESIA | Without feeling, loss of sensation |
| NEURON | A nerve cell; the functional cell of the nervous system; is responsible for impulse conduction |
| IDIOPATHIC | Occurring without a known cause |
| ENCEPHALITIS | Inflammation of the brain |
| MYELALGIA | Pain in the spinal cord/bone marrow |
| DYSTROPHY | Poor development |
| ANALGESICS | Relieves or eliminates pain |
| CATATONIC | Stuporous or unresponsiveness; inability to move or talk |
Created by:
Helen Swales
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