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Medical Term 15
Medical Terms Chapter 5
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Aphasia | Inability to speak |
| Ataxia | Lack of coordination |
| Catatonia | Reduced muscle tone |
| Delirium | Brief loss of mental function |
| Dementia | Loss/decline in mental function |
| Dysphasia | Difficulty speaking |
| Dystonia | Involuntary muscle movements |
| Myoclonus | Muscle twitching |
| Myospasm | Involuntary muscle contraction |
| Somnambulsim | Sleep walking |
| Syncope | Fainting: loosing consciousness due to temporary loss of blood flow to brain |
| Cephalalgia | Head pain |
| Cephalodynia | Head Pain |
| Encephalalgia | Brain Pain |
| Nerualgia | Nerve Pain |
| Neurodynia | Nerve Pain |
| Hemiparesis | Partial paralysis on half the body |
| Hemiplegia | Paralysis on half the body |
| Monoparesis | Partial paralysis of one limb |
| Monoplegia | Paralysis of one limb |
| Paralysis | Complete loss of sensation and motor function |
| Paresis | Partial paralysis by varying degrees of sensation and motor function |
| Causalgia | Painful sensation of burning |
| Dysesthesia | Bad feeling |
| Hyperesthesia | Increased sensation |
| Paresthesia | Abnormal sensation (numbness or tingling in the skin) |
| Pseudesthesia | False sensation |
| Synesthesia | Condition where one sensation is experienced as another |
| Acrophobia | Fear of hights |
| Agoraphobia | Fear of outdoor spaces |
| Hydrophobia | Fear of water |
| Kleptomania | Desire to steal |
| Photophobia | Excessive sensitivity to light |
| Pyromania | Desire to set fire |
| Echoencephalography | Procedure used to examine the brain using sound waves |
| Electroencephalography | Procedure used to examine the electrical activity of the brain |
| Lumbar Puncture (LP) | Inserting a needle into the lumbar region of the spine in order to collect spinal fluid, commonly called a spinal tap |
| Cerebral Angiography | Procedure used to examine blood vessels in the brain |
| Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) | Procedure used to examine blood vessels |
| Myelogram | Imagine of the spinal cord, usually done using x-ray |
| Positron emission tomography (PET) scan | An imaging procedure that uses radiation (positrons) to produce cross sections of the brain |
| Transcranial doppler sonography | An imaging technique that produces an image of the brain using sound waves sent through the skull |
| Cerebellitis | Inflammation of the cerebellum |
| Cerebral atrophy | Wasting away of brain tissue |
| Duritis | Inflammation of the dura |
| Encephalocele | Hernia of the brain |
| Hematoma | A tumorlike mass made up of blood |
| Cranial hematoma | A hematoma beneath the skull |
| Epidural hematoma | A hematoma located on top of the dura |
| Intracerebral hematoma | A hematoma located inside the brian |
| Subdural hematoma | A hematoma located beneath the dura |
| Macrocephaly | Abnormally large head |
| Microcephaly | Abnormally small head |
| Meningocele | A hernia of the meninges |
| Myelocele | A hernia of the spinal cord |
| Myelomalacia | Abnormal softening of the spinal cord |
| Myelomeningocele | A hernia of the spinal cord and meninges |
| Neuritis | Nerve inflammation |
| Neuroma | A nerve tumor |
| Neurosclerosis | Hardening or nerves |
| Polyneuritis | Inflammation of multiple nerves |
| Agnosia | Inability to comprehend |
| Apathy | Lack of emotion |
| Hyperkinesia | Increase in muscle movement or activity |
| Neurasthenia | Nerve weakness |
| Neuroglycopenia | Deficiency of sugar that interferes with normal brain activity |
| Nystagmus | Involuntary back and forth eye movements |
| Prosopagnosia | Inability to recognize faces |
| Anesthesiologist | Doctor who specializes in anesthesiology |
| Afferent nerve | A nerve that carries impulses toward the central nervous system |
| Efferent nerve | A nerve that carries impulses away the central nervous system |
| Neurogenic | Originating from/created by nerves |
| Psychiatrist | Doctor who specializes in the treatment of the mind |
| Psychiatry | Branch of medicine that focuses on the treatment of the mind |
| Psychogenic | Originating in/created by the mind |
| Psychologist | Doctor who specializes in the study of the mind |
| Psychosomatic | Pertaining to the relationship between the body and the mind |
| Idiopathic | Having no known cause or origin |
| Interictal | Time between seizures |
| Postictal | Time after a seizure |
| Preictal | Time before a seizure |
| Tonic | Pertaining to muscle tone (normally weak or unresponsive0 |
| Clonus | Muscle spasm or twitching |
| Tonic-clonic seizure | A seizure characterized by both a tonic and a clonic phase |
| Cerebrovascular | An accident involving the blood vessels of the brain |
| Stroke | Loss of brain function caused by interruption of blood flow/supply of the brain |
| Hermorrhagic | A stroke where the blood loss is caused by the rapture of a blood vessel |
| Ischemic stroke | A stroke where the blood loss is caused by a blockage |
| Transient ischemic attack (TIA) | A "mini-stroke" caused by the blockage of a blood vessel, which resolves (goes away) within 24 hours |
| Cerebrovascular disease | A disease of the blood vessels of the brian |
| Cerebral aneurysm | The widening of abnormal dilation of a blood vessel in the brian |
| Cerebral arteriosclerosis | The hardening of an artery in the brain |
| Cerebral atherosclerosis | The hardening of an artery in the brain caused by the buildup of fatty plaque |
| Cerebral embolism | The blockage of a blood vessel in the brain caused by a foreign object |
| Cerebral thrombosis | The blockage of a blood vessel in the brain caused by a blood clot |
| Craniomalacia | Abnormal softening of the skull |
| Craniosclerosis | Abnormal hardening of the skull |
| Craniostenosis | Abnormal narrowing of the skull |
| Craniosynostosis | Premature fusing of the skull bones |
| Hydrocephaly | Abnormal accumulation of spinal fluid in the brain |
| Astrocytoma | A tumor of arising from astrocyte glial cells |
| Ganglioma | Ganglion tumor |
| Glioblastoma | A brain tumor arising from glioblast cells |
| Meningioma | Tumor of the meninges |
| Cerebellitis | Inflammation of the cerebellum |
| Cerebromeningitis | Inflammation of the brain and meninges |
| Encephalitis | Inflammation of the brian |
| Encephalopathy | Disease of the brain |
| Encephalopyosis | A pus-filled abscess in the brain |
| Gangliitis | Inflammation of a ganglion |
| Intracerebral hemorrhage | Excessive bleeding inside the brain |
| Meningopathy | Disease of the meninges |
| Meningitis | Inflammations of the meninges |
| Meningoencephalitis | Inflammation of the meninges and brain |
| Myelitis | Inflammation of the spinal cord |
| Myelodysplasia | Defective formation of the spinal cord |
| Myelopathy | Disease of the spinal cord |
| Neuroarthropathy | Disease of the joint associated with nerves |
| Neuroencephalomyelopathy | Disease of the nerves, brains, and spinal cord |
| Neuropathy | Disease of the nervous system |
| Poliomyelitis | Inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord |
| Polyneuropathy | Disease affecting multiple nerves |
| Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) | A degenerative disease of the central nervous system causing loss of muscle control |
| Anorexia | An eating disorder characterized by the patients refusal to eat |
| Autism | A psychiatric disorder characterized by withdrawal from communication with others |
| Bulimia | An eating disorder characterized by overeating and usually followed by forced vomiting |
| Cerebral palsy | Paralysis caused by damage to the area of the brain responsible for movement |
| Dysphoria | A negative emotional state |
| Epilepsy | A disease marked by seizures |
| Euphoria | A positive emotional state |
| Hypomania | A mental state just below mania |
| Manic depression (bipolar) | A psychiatric disorder characterized by alternating bouts of excitement and depression |
| Myasthenia | Muscle weakness |
| Narcolepsy | A disease characterized by sudden uncontrolled sleepiness |
| Neurosis | A nerve condition |
| Psychosis | A mind condition |
| Psychopathy | A mental illness |
| Schizophrenia | A mental illness characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and disordered speech |