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Lesson 8-Vocab
The Nervous System
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Alzheimer’s disease | (AD) is a group of disorders involving the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. |
| amnesia | a memory disturbance characterized by a total or partial inability to recall past experiences. |
| amyotrophic lateral sclerosis | also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rapidly progressive neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles. |
| anesthesiologist | a physician who specializes in administering anesthetic agents before and during surgery. |
| anesthetic | the medication used to induce anesthesia. |
| anesthetist | a medical professional who specializes in administering anesthesia but is not a physician, for example, a nurse anesthetist. |
| Bell’s palsy | the temporary paralysis of the seventh cranial nerve that causes paralysis of the face, only on the affected side. |
| carotid ultrasonography | an ultrasound study of the carotid artery. |
| causalgia | persistent, severe burning pain that usually follows an injury to a sensory nerve. |
| central nervous system | is made up of the brain and spinal cord. |
| cerebral contusion | the bruising of brain tissue as the result of a head injury that causes the brain to bounce against the rigid bone of the skull. |
| cerebral palsy | (CP) is a group of disorders characterized by poor muscle control, spasticity, speech defects, and other neurologic deficiencies due to damage that affects the cerebrum. |
| cerebrovascular accident | A stroke is properly known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA). A CVA is brain damage that occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted because a blood vessel either is blocked or has ruptured. |
| cerebrum | the largest and uppermost portion of the brain. |
| cervical radiculopathy | nerve pain caused by pressure on the spinal nerve roots in the neck region. |
| cognition | the mental activities associated with thinking, learning, and memory. |
| coma | a profound (deep) state of unconsciousness marked by the absence of spontaneous eye movements, no response to painful stimuli, and the lack of speech. |
| concussion | a violent shaking up or jarring of the brain. |
| cranial hematoma | a collection of blood trapped in the tissues of the brain. |
| delirium | an acute condition of confusion, disorientation, disordered thinking and memory, agitation, and hallucinations. |
| dementia | a slowly progressive decline in mental abilities, including memory, thinking, and judgment, that is often accompanied by personality changes. |
| dura mater | the thick, tough, outermost membrane of the meninges. Dura means hard, and mater means mother. |
| dyslexia | a learning disability characterized by substandard reading achievement due to the inability of the brain to process symbols correctly. |
| electroencephalography | (EEG) is the process of recording the electrical activity of the brain through the use of electrodes attached to the scalp. |
| encephalitis | an inflammation of the brain, can be caused by a viral infection such as rabies. |
| epidural anesthesia | regional anesthesia produced by injecting medication into the epidural space of the lumbar or sacral region of the spine. |
| epilepsy | a chronic neurological condition characterized by recurrent episodes of seizures of varying severity. |
| ganglion | a nerve center made up of a cluster of nerve cell bodies outside the central nervous system (plural, ganglia or ganglions). Note: The term ganglion also describes a benign, tumor-like cyst. |
| hallucination | a sensory perception experienced in the absence of external stimulation. |
| hemorrhagic stroke | also known as a bleed, occurs when a blood vessel in the brain leaks. |
| hydrocephalus | a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the ventricles of the brain. |
| hyperesthesia | a condition of abnormal and excessive sensitivity to touch, pain, or other sensory stimuli. |
| ischemic stroke | the most common type of stroke in older people, occurs when the flow of blood to the brain is blocked by the narrowing or blockage of an artery. |
| lethargy | a lowered level of consciousness marked by listlessness, drowsiness, and apathy. |
| meningitis | also referred to as infectious meningitis, is an inflammation of the meninges of the brain and spinal cord. |
| meningocele | the congenital herniation of the meninges through a defect in the skull or spinal column. |
| migraine headache | which may be preceded by a warning aura, is characterized by throbbing pain on one side of the head. |
| multiple sclerosis | (MS) is a progressive autoimmune disorder characterized by inflammation that causes demyelination of the myelin sheath. |
| myelin sheath | the protective covering made up of glial cells. |
| myelitis | an inflammation of the spinal cord; the term myelitis also means inflammation of bone marrow. |
| myelography | a fluoroscopic and CT study of the spinal cord after the injection of a contrast medium through a lumbar puncture. |
| neurologist | a physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating diseases and disorders of the nervous system. |
| neurons | the basic cells of the nervous system that allow different parts of the body to communicate with each other. |
| neurotransmitters | chemical substances that make it possible for messages to cross from the synapse of a neuron to the target receptor. |
| paresthesia | a burning or prickling sensation with no apparent physical cause that is usually felt in the hands, arms, legs, or feet but can also occur in other parts of the body. |
| Parkinson’s disease | (PD) is a chronic, degenerative central nervous disorder characterized by fine muscle tremors, rigidity, and a slow or shuffling gait. |
| peripheral nervous system | (PNS) includes the 12 pairs of cranial nerves extending from the brain and the 31 pairs of peripheral spinal nerves extending outward from the spinal cord. |
| peripheral neuropathy | a disorder of the peripheral nerves that carry information to and from the brain and spinal cord. |
| Reye’s syndrome | (RS) is a serious and potentially deadly disorder in children that is characterized by vomiting and confusion. |
| sciatica | inflammation of the sciatic nerve caused by pressure on the nerve roots that results in pain, burning, and tingling along the course of the affected nerve through the thigh, the leg, and sometimes into the foot. |
| seizure | (Sz) is a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain that affects how a person feels or acts for a short time. |
| shaken baby syndrome | describes the results of a child being violently shaken by someone. |
| spinal cord | a long, fragile, tube-like structure that begins at the end of the brainstem and continues down almost to the bottom of the spinal column. |
| syncope | also known as fainting, is the brief loss of consciousness caused by a decreased flow of blood to the brain. |
| tetanus | also known as lockjaw, is an acute and potentially fatal infection of the central nervous system caused by a toxin produced by the tetanus bacteria. |
| Tourette syndrome | (TS) is a complex neurological disorder characterized by involuntary tics, grunts, and compulsive utterances that sometimes include obscenities. |
| transient ischemic attack | (TIA), sometimes referred to as a mini-stroke, is the temporary interruption in the blood supply to the brain |
| tremor | a repetitive, involuntary muscle movement usually involving the hands, arms, head, or face. |
| trigeminal neuralgia | a chronic pain condition characterized by severe, lightning-like pain due to an inflammation of the fifth cranial nerve. |
| unconscious | a state of being unaware and unable to respond to any stimuli, including pain. |
Created by:
jls017
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