Term | Definition |
Ability to receive and process stimuli through sensory organs | Sensation |
Ability to experience, recognize, organize, and interpret sensory stimuli | Perception |
Intellectual ability to think | Cognition |
Person’s awareness of time, place, self, and/or situation impaired | Disorientation |
Secondary to pathologic change of bones in middle ear; Most common conductive hearing loss | Otosclerosis |
Inflammation of middle ear | Otitis media |
Bacterial infection of external ear canal | Otitis Externa |
Inflammation of cornea | Keratitis |
Disorder that causes lens or its capsule to lose transparency and/or become opaque | Cataract |
Disorder characterized by abnormally high pressure of fluid inside eyeball | Glaucoma |
Inflammation of conjunctiva | Conjunctivitis |
Inability of eyes to focus in same direction | Strabismus |
Nearsightedness; Vision for near objects is better than for far. Light focuses before the retina | Myopia |
Farsightedness; Vision being better for distant objects than for near. Light focuses after the retina | Hyperopia |
Inability of lens to change curvature in order to focus; Light rays dissolve and vision is blurred | Presbyopia |
Asymmetric focus of light rays on retina; Light focuses at two points | Astigmatism |
Central visual acuity 20/200 or less with corrective lenses | Blindness |
A progressive deterioration of the maculae of the retina; Central vision lost, but peripheral vision remains | Macular degeneration |
A separation of the retina from the retinal pigment epithelium in the back of the eye | Retinal Detachment |
An affliction characterized clinically by vertigo, nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, and progressive hearing loss due to hydrops of the endolymphatic duct | Menieres disease |
A sensation of instability, giddiness, loss of equilibrium, or rotation, caused by a disturbance in the semicircular canal of the inner ear or the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem | Vertigo |
Involuntary, rhythmic movements of the eyes | Nystagmus |
An impaired ability to coordinate movement, often characterized by a staggering gait and postural imbalance | Ataxia |
Paralysis of one side of the body | Hemiplegia |
An increase in the seriousness of a disease or disorder as marked by greater intensity in the signs or symptoms of the patient being treated | Exacerbation |
A skin sensation, such as burning, prickling, itching, or tingling, with no apparent physical cause | Parasthesia |
The loss of muscle function, sensation, or both | Paralysis |
Condition characterized by either partial or total loss of the ability to communicate verbally or using written words | Aphasia |
What are the different part of nervous system? | CNS, PNR, ANS |
Part of Central Nervous System | Brain and Spinal Cord |
Part of Peripheral Nervous System | Cranial Nerves and Spinal Nerves |
Divisions of autonomic Nervous system | Sympathetic (fight and flight) and Parasympathetic (rest and digest) |
Part of the spinal cord | Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar, Sacral, Coccyx, |
Part of Cerebrum | Cerebro-cortex and Cerebro-medulla |
Divisions of Brainstem | thalamus, hypothalamus, pons, and medulla oblongata |
A chemical that modifies or results in the transmission of nerve impulses between synapses | Neurotransmitter |
How are neurotransmitter important? | That’s where drugs act to inhibit or excite a response |
Location where neurotransmitters travel form the axon to the dendrites | Synapse |
Insulates the neurons and allows faster transmission of electrical impulses | Myelin |
What is included in a neuro assessment? | Headache, Clumsiness, Loss or change in function of extremity, Seizure activity, Numbness or tingling |
Define LOC and how is it assessed | Level of Consciousness is the degree of a patient's alertness and awareness of self and environment |
Why is LOC an important indicator of neurological status? | It helps assess the functions of the brain and response of nerves, recognize seizures and/or risk for seizures. |
What does PERRLA mean? When is it used? | Pupils Equals, Round, reactive to Light and Accommodation. Used when assessing a client |
ICP | Intracranial pressure; Pressure within the cranial cavity |
Why is an increase in ICP a potential problem? | Some organs can be damaged when high pressure occurs |
Review neuro status posturing | Flexor (Decorticate), Extensor (Decerebrate), Flaccid. |
What does flexion and extension postures look like? | Flexion=Arms flexed, or bent inward on the chest, hands clenched into fists, and legs extended and feet turned inward; Extension=Head arched back. Extended elbows. The arms and legs are extended and rotated internally. |
Why is lumbar puncture used, to diagnose what? | Radiographic visualization of the structures of the nervous system of the spinal canal and meninges and brain. Used for meningitis |
CVA and TIA | CVA is Brain attack or stroke, hemorrhage into the brain or occlusion of the cerebral vessels from an embolism or thrombosis; TIA is an episode of cerebrovascular insufficiency (mini stroke) |
What are symptoms of CVA and TIA | CVA=Neurological deficits of sensation, movement, thought, memory, and speech; TIA=Disturbance of normal vision in one or both eyes, dizziness, weakness, dysphasia, numbness, or unconsciousness |
What are risk factors for TIA/CVA? | Same as MI, age, nutrition, history |
Treatment of Herniated Intervertebral Disk | Rest, stress reduction, immobility of spine |
What is the focus of treatment of Parkinson disease | Neurotransmitters |
Chronic, progressive, degenerative disease of central nervous system, Characterized by loss of myelin | Multiple Sclerosis (MS) |
What type of illness is ALS | Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) is Fatal, Degeneration of motor neurons in cortex, medulla, and spinal cord |
What occurs with Guillain-Barre | Acute inflammatory process involving motor and sensory neurons of peripheral nervous system |
Where does Guillain-Barre start? | Lower extremities and ascends bilaterally |
Course of Guillain-Barre | Demyelination begins in distal nerves and ascends symmetrically and Remyelination occurs from proximal to distal |
Inflammation of brain | Encephalitis |
Inflammation of meninges | Meningitis |
Cause of Encephalitis and Meningitis | Virus, bacteria (contagious), fungi, or parasites |
Describe Huntington’s disease | Chronic, progressive hereditary disease of nervous system. Mental or intellectual impairment progresses to dementia, Death usually results from heart failure, pneumonia, infection, or choking |
Treatment and prevention of Huntington’s disease | Must collaborate with social worker, chaplain, physician, and mental health worker |
What is Gilles de la Tourette’s syndrome? Possible type of symptoms? | Neurological movement disorder, Prominent behavioral manifestations |
Abnormal condition characterized by slowness of all voluntary movement and speech | Bradykinesia |