Question | Answer |
central nervous system(CNS) | includes the brain and spinal cord and is covered by the bones of the skull and vertebral column |
peripheral nervous system(PNS) | involves the cranial and spinal nerves |
autonomic nervous system(ANS) | supplies nerves to all of the internal organs and is responsible for controlling the involuntary responses such as heart rate or blood flow |
neurology | study of the nervous system and its disorders |
neurologist | physician involved in the care of the nervous system disorders and diseases |
thromb/o | clot |
cephal/o | head |
quadr/i | four |
rhiz/o | root |
cerebell/o | cerebellum |
cerebr/o | cerebellum |
dendr/o | branching |
cyt/o | cell |
narc/o | sleep |
encephal/o | brain |
gli/o | neuroglia, nerve cell |
mening/o | meninges |
myel/o | spinal cord, bone marrow |
neur/o | nerve |
olig/o | few, diminished |
thec/o | sheath |
ventricul/o | ventricle |
medull/o | medulla oblongata |
neur/i | nerve tissue |
kinesi/o | movement |
dipl/o | double |
caus/o | burn |
hemi | half |
epi | above, over |
para | around or abnormal |
poly | many |
sub | beneath, below |
dura | hard |
echo | sound |
a | without |
an | without |
brady | slow |
dys | difficult |
hyper | excessive |
algia | pain |
ia | condition |
oma | tumor |
algesia | sensitivity to pain |
praxia | activity |
al | pertaining to |
opia | vision |
lexia | reading |
paresis | partial paralysis |
plegia | paralysis |
logist | one who specializes in the study of |
logy | the study of |
osis | condition, process |
tomy | process of cutting |
phasia | speech |
asthenia | without feeling or sensation |
neuron | receives and transmits the nerve impulses |
afferent neurons | carry impulses toward the brain and spinal cord |
connecting neurons | carry impulses from one neuron to another |
efferent neurons | carry impulses away from the brain |
dendrites | short branches of a cell body of a neuron that receive and conduct impulses to the cell body |
axon | the extensions of a cell body that sends impulses away from the nerve cell |
myelin - myelin sheath | white fatty covering on the axon |
synapse | small space found between the neurons |
neuroglia | supportive cells of the nervous system and they do not conduct impulses throughout the body |
nerves | bundles of fibers that connect the body organs with the central nervous system |
cerebral spinal fluid(CSF) | clear colorless fluid which flows throughout the brain and spinal cord to cushion the organs from injury |
meninges | three protective membrane layers that enclose the brain and spinal cord |
dura mater | outer most layer of membrane that protects the brain and spinal cord |
arachnoid | the middle layer of membrane that protects the brain and spinal cord |
pia mater | protective membrane layer nearest the brain and spinal cord |
brain | one of the largest organs in the body, it is contained within the skull, part of the central nervous system |
cerebrum | largest part of the brain; controls sensory activities such as memory, consciousness, emotions, judgement, and voluntary movement; has four lobes |
frontal lobe | one of the lobes of the cerebrum; influences motor function |
parietal lobe | lobe of the brain responsible for sensation |
occipital lobe | lobe of the brain responsible for vision |
temporal lobe | lobe of the brain that controls hearing and smell |
cerebellum | second largest section of the brain which connects to the brainstem; functions to maintain muscle tone, controls balance and coordinates movement |
brainstem | continuous with spinal cord; divided into three parts |
midbrain | upper region of the brainstem responsible for reflexes in the cranial nerves |
pons | middle part of the brainstem which regulates respirations |
medulla oblongata | lowest part of the brainstem that controls cardiac, respiratory, and vasomotor functions |
thalamus | receives and relays all sensory stimuli to the cerebral cortex |
olfactory | involving the sense of smell |
hypothalamus | brain region that acts as regulator or thermostat of body temperature, appetite and digestion, water balance, sleeping and waking cycles, emotions, and regulates heart rate, blood pressure, and respirations |
corpus callosum | connects the two hemispheres of the brain |
spinal cord | thick cord of nervous tissue that contains 31 pairs of spinal nerves |
somatic nervous system | responsible for the voluntary responses, such as walking and talking |
sympathetic nervous system | engages the bodies response to emergency situations |
parasympathetic nervous system | part of the autonomic nervous system, assists in returning the body to normal after a stressful situation has occurred |
brain abscess | accumulation of pus located in the brain tissue |
aphasia | inability to communicate through speech due to injury or disease to part of the brain |
cephalalgia | pain in the head, headache |
dysphasia | difficult speech |
hemiparesis | slight or partial paralysis on one half of the body |
hemiplegia | paralysis of one half of the body |
narcolepsy | uncontrolled, sudden attacks of sleep |
neuritis | inflammation of a nerve |
paresthesia | sensation of numbness or tingling |
syncope | fainting |
alzheimer's disease | progressive deterioration of a person's intellectual functioning |
ALS - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis | severe weakening of the motoneurons of the spinal cord and cortex, leading to progressive paralysis |
bell's palsy | temporary or permanent weakness/paralysis of muscles in the face on one side |
CVA -cerebrovascular accident | death of a specific portion of the brain tissue |
epilepsy | syndrome of recurring episodes of seizures |
hematoma | collection of blood within tissues |
MS - multiple sclerosis | degenerative inflammatory disease of the CNS |
parkinson's disease | degenerative, slow, progressive deterioration of neurons in the brain stem |
encephalitis | inflammation of the brain |
meningitis | inflammation of the meninges of the brain/spinal cord |
herpes zoster, shingles | acute viral infection with inflammation of the skin of a spinal or cranial nerve pathway |
TIA - transient ischemic attack | temporary interruption of the blood supply to a portion of the brain |
coma | deep state of unconsciousness/no responses |
amnesia | disturbance in memory, inability to remember past experiences |
hemorrhagic stroke - bleed | leak or rupture of a blood vessel in the brain |
EEG | electroencephalography, recording the electrical activity of the brain |
LP - spinal tap | lumbar puncture, insertion of a needle into the subarachnoid space to withdraw cerebrospinal fluid |
TENS | transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for pain relief |
myelogram | x-ray record of the spinal cord and spinal cavity |
neurectomy | surgical excision of a nerve or nerve fibers |
echoencephalography | ultrasound used to analyze the intracranial structures of the brain |
Romberg test | to evaluate cerebellar function and balance |
brain scan | nuclear scanning of the brain after intravenous injection of radiosotopes |
craniotomy | surgical procedure to make an opening in the skull |
nerve block | injection of a local anesthetic along the course of a nerve to eliminate sensation to the area |
rhizotomy | surgical resection of a spinal nerve root to relieve pain |