Nervous System

Start Studying!

Terms

undefined, object

copy deck

dysthymia: a milder affective disorder characterized by a chronic depression
ideation: the formation of thoughts of ideas; for example, suicidal ideation (thoughts of suicide)
gli/o: glue
cerebral embolism: obstruction of a blood vessel in the brain by an embolus transported through the circulation
phren/o or psych/o or thym/o: mind
nuclear medicine imaging: radionuclide organ imaging
diskectomy (discectomy): removal of a herniated disk; often done percutaneously (per = through; cutaneous = skin)
phas/o: speech
gyri: convolutions (mounds) of the cerebral hemispheres
cranial nerves: 12 pairs of nerves arising from the brain
convulsion: to pull together; type of seizure that causes a series of sudden, involuntary contractions of muscles
dyphasia: difficulty speaking
delusion: persistent belief that has no basis in reality
parietal lobe: protion posterior to the frontal lobe, responsible for sensations such as pain, temperature, and touch
myasthenia gravis: autoimmune disorder that affects the neuromuscular junction causing a progressive decrease in muscle strength; activity resumes and strength returns after a period of rest
ventriculo/: vernticle (belly or pouch)
gnos/o: knowing
sleep apnea: periods of breathing cessation (10 seconds or more) that occur during sleep, often causeing snoring
paresthesia: abnormal sensation of numbness and tingling without objective cause
schizophrenia: a disease of brain chemistry causing a distorted cognitive and emotional perception of one's enviornment; symptoms include distortions of normal function such as disorganized thought, delusions, hallucinations, and catatonic behavior; negative symptons (normal reactions missing in persons with schizophrenia) include flat affect, apathy, and withdrawal from reality
stere/o: three dimensional or solid
dementia: an impairment of intellectual function characterized by memory loss, disorientation, and confusion (dementio = to be mad)
cerebral thrombosis: presence of a stationary clot in a blood vessel of the brain
cognitive therapy: treatment to change unwanted patterns of thinking
Babinski sign or reflex: pathological response to stimulation of the plantar surface of the foot; a positive sign is indicated when the toes dorsiflex (curl upward)
spin/o: spine (thorn)
nacr/o: stupor, sleep
behavioral therapy: treatment to decrease or stop unwanted behavior
bulimia nervosa: an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by efforts to limit digestion through induced vomiting, use of laxatives, or excessive exercise
magnetic resonance angiography (MRA): magnetic resonance imaging of the blood vessels, for detecing pathologic conditions such as thrombosis and atherosclerosis
microsurgery: use of a microscope to dissect minute structures during surgery
ton/o: tone, tension
autism: a developmental disability commonly appearing during the first three years of life, resulting from a neurologic disorder affecting brain function, evidenced by difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication, and an inability to relate to anything beyond oneself in social interactions; persons with autism often exhibit body movements such as rocking and repetitive hand movements; they commonly become preoccupied with observing parts of small objects or moving parts or preforming meaningless rituals
-plegia: paralysis
persecutory delusion: a person's false belief that someone is plotting against him or her with intent to harm
seizure: sudden, transient disturbances in brain function resulting from abnormal firing of nerve impulses (may or may not be associated with convulsion)
cerebral aneurysm: dilation of a blood vessel in the brain (aneurysm = dilation or widening)
dyslexia: a developmental disability characterized by a diffucllty understanding written or spoken words, sentences, or paragraphs, affecting reading, spelling, and self-expression
light therapy: use of specialized illuminating light boxes and visors to treat seasonal affective disorder
neur/o: nerve
gangli/o: ganglion (knot)
phor/o: carry, bear
epilepsy: disorder affecting the central nervous system, characterized by recurrent seizures
hypnotic: agent that induces sleep
psycotherapy: treatment of psychiatric disorders using verbal and nonverbal interaction with patients, individually or in a group, employing specific actions and techniques
stereotactic (stereotaxic) frame: mechanical device used to localise a point in space targeting a precise site
catatonia: a state of unresponsiveness to one's outside enviornment, usually including muscle rigidity, staring, and inability to communicate
radiation therapy: treatment of neoplastic disease using ionizing radiation to impede proliferation of malignant cells
spastic paraylsis: stiff and awkward muscle control caused by a central nervous system disorder
sedative: agent that quiets nervousness
neuroplasty: surgical repair of a nerve
meningitis: inflammation of the meninges
hyperesthesia: increased sensitivity to stimulation such as touch or pain
hemiplegia: paraylsis on one side of the body
migraine headache: paroxysmal (sudden, periodic) attacks of mostly unilateral hedache often accompanined by disordered vision, nausea, or vomiting, lasting hours or days, and caused by dilation of arteries
neuralgia: pain along the course of a nerve
electroencephalogram (EEG): record of the minute electrical impulses of the brain, used to identify neurologic conditions that affect brain function and level of consciousness
cerebrum: largest portion of the brain; divided into right and left halves, know as cerebral hemispheres, that are connected by a bridge of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum; lobes of the cerebrum are named after the skull bones they underlie
syncope: fainting
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a dysfunction characterized by consistent hyperactivity, distractibility, and lack of control over impulses, which interferes with ability to function normally at school, home, or work
psychotropic drugs: medications used to treat mental illnesses (trop/o = a turning)
euphoria: an exaggerate, unfounded feeling of well-being
-asthenia: weakness
major depression; OR major depressive illness; OR clinical depression; OR major sffective disorder; OR unipolar disorder: a disorder causing periodic disturbances in mood that affect concentration, sleep, activity, appetite, and social behavior; characterized by feelings of worthlessness, fatigue, and loss of interest
cerebral arteriosclerosis: hardening to the arteries of the brain
parpelgia: pararylsis from the waist down
craniotomy: incision into the skull to approach the brain
schiz/o: split
sciatica: pain that follows the pathway of the sciatic nerve caused by compression or trauma of the nerve or its roots
mening/o or meningi/o: meninges (membrane)
encephal/o: entire brain
frontal lobe: anterior section of each cerebral hemisphere responsible for voluntary muscle movement and personality
herpes zoster: viral disease affectiong the peripheral nerves characterized by painful blisters that spread over the skin following the affected nerves, usually unilateral; also know as shingles
tactile stimulation: evoking a response by touching
seasonal affective disorder (SAD): an affective disorder marked by episodes of depression that most often occur during the fall and winter and remit in the spring
panic disorder (PD): a disorder of sudden, recurrent attacks of intense feelings, including physical symptons that mimic a heart attack (rapid heart rate, chest pain, shortness of breath, chills, sweating, and dizziness), with a genral sense of loss of control or feeling that death is imminent; often progresses to agoraphobia
Parkinson disease: slowly progressice degeneration of nerves in the brain characterized by tremor, rigidity of muscles, and slow movements (bradykinesia), usually occuring later in life
parasympathetic nervous system: division of the ANS that is most active in ordinary conditions; it counterbalances the effects of the sympathetic system by restoring the body to a restful state after a stressful experience
somat/o: body
asterognosis: inability to judge the form of an object by touch (e.g., a coin from a key)
SPECT brain scan (single photon emission computed tomography): scan combining nuclear medicine and computed tomography to produce images of the brain after administration of radioactive isotopes
sulci: shallow grooves that seperate gyri
hypochodriasis: a preoccupation with thoughts of disease and concern that one is suffering from a serious condition that persists despite medical reassurance to the contrary
vertebral lamina: flattened posterior protion of the vertebral arch
spondylosyndesis: spinal fusion
paralysis: temporary or permanent loss of motor control
autonomic nervous system (ANS): nerves that carry involuntary impulses to smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and various glands
transcranial sonogram: image made by sending ultrasound beams through the skull to asses blood flow in intracranial vessels; used in diagnosis and management of stroke and head trauma
myelitis: inflammation of the spinal cord
grandiose delusion: a person's false belief that he or she possesses great wealth, intelligence, or power
cerebrospinal fluid: plasma like clear fluid circulationg in and around the brain and spinal cord
dysphoria: a restless, dissatisfied mood
anticovulsant: angent that prevents or lessens convulsions
cerebral atherosclerosis: condition of lipid (fat) buildup within the blood vessels of the brain (ather/o = fatty [lipid] paste)
lex/o: word or phrase
hemiparesis: partial paraylsis of the right or left half of the body
poliomyelitis: inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord caused by a virus, often resulting in spinal and muscle deformity and paraylsis (polio = gray)
quadriplegia: paraylsis of all four limbs
analgesic: agent that relieves pain
radiography: x-ray imaging
aphasia: inability to speak
Alzheimer disease: diseaes of structural changes in the brain resulting in an irreversible deterioration that progresses from forgetfulness and disorientation to loss of all intellectual functions, total disability, and death
hallucination: a false perception of the senses for which there is no reality, most commonly hearing or seeing things (alucinor = to wander in mind)
fissures: deep grooves in the brain
apathy: a lack of intreset or display of emotion
hypthalamus: control center for the autonomic nervous sustem located below the thalamus (diencephalon)
cerebral cortex: outer layer of the cerebrum consisting of gray matter, responsible for higher mental functions (cortex = bark)
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): an anxiety disorder featuring unwanted, senseless obsessions accompanined by repeated compulsions; can interfere with all aspects of a person's daily life, for example, the thought that a door is not locked with repetitive checking to make sure it is locked, or thoughts that one's body has been contaminated causing repetitive washing
general anxiety disorder (GAD): the mosts common anxiety disorder, characterized by chronic, excessive, uncontrollable worry about everyday problems; affects the ability to relax or concentrate but dose not usually interfere with social interactions or employment; physical symptons include muscle tension, trembling, twitching, fatigue, headaches, nausea, and insomnia
stereotactic (stereotaxic) radiosurgery: radiation treatment to inactivate malignant lesions, using multiple, precise external radiation beams focused on a target with the aid of a stereotactic frame and imaging such as CT, MRI, or angiography; used to treat inoperable brain tumors and other lesions
thought disorder: thought that lacks clear processing or logical direction
glioma: tumor of glial cells graded by degree of malignancy
cerebellum: protion of the brain located belowe the occipital lobes of the cerebrum, responsible for control and coordinationof skeletal muscles
myelogram: x-ray of the spinal cord made after intraspinal injection of contrast medium
posttraumatice stress disorder (PTSD): a condition resulting from an extremely traumatic experience, injury, or illness that leaves the sufferer with persistent thoughts and memories of the ordeal; may occur affter a war, violent personal assault, physical or sexual abuse, serious accident, nautral disaster; symptoms include feelings of fear, detachment, exaggerated startle response, restlessnesss, nightmares, and avoidance of anything or anyone who triggers the painful recollections
flaccid paraylsis: defective (flabby) or absent mucsle control caused by a nerve lesion
lumbar puncture (LP): introduction of a specialized needle into the spine in the lumbar region for diagnostic or therapeutic purpose, such as to obtain cerebrospinal fluid for testing; also called spinal tap
kinesi/o: movement
spinal nerves: 31 pairs of nerves arising from the spinal cord
substance abuse disorders: mental disorders resulting from abuse of substances such as drugs, alcohol, or other toxins, causing personal and social dysfunction; identified by the abused substance, such as alcohol abuse, amphetamine abuse, opioid (narcotic) abuse, and polysubstance abuse
myel/o: spinal cord or bone marrow
mental retardation: a condition of subaverage intelligence characterized by an IQ of 70 or belowe, resulting in the inability to adapt to normal social activities
narcolepsy: sleep disorder characterized by a sudden, uncontrollable need to sleep, attacks of paralysis (cataplexy), and dreams intruding while awake (hypnagogic hallucinations)
computed tomography: computed tomographic x-ray images of the head used to visualize abnormalities, such as brain tumors and malformations
atopognosis: inability to locate a sensation properly, such as to locate a point touched on the body
crani/o: skull
phob/o: exaggerated fear or sensitivity
polysomnography (PSG): recording of various aspects of sleep (e.g., eye and muscle movements, respiration, and EEG patterns) to diagnose sleep disorders
ventricles: series of interconnected cavities within the cerebral hemisphere and brainstem filled with cerebrospinal fluid
sensory nerves: nerves that conduct impulses from body parts and carry sensory information to the brain; also called afferent nerves (ad = toward; ferre = carry)
spinal cord: column of nervous tissue from the brainstem through the vertebrae, responsible or nerve conducion to and from the brain and the body
thalamus (diencephalon): each of two gray matter nuclei deep within the brain responsible for relaying sensory information to the cortex
herniated disk (disc): protrusion of a degenerated or fragmented intervertebral disk so that the nucleus pulposus protrudes, causing compression on the nerve root
hydrocephalus: abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain as a result of developmental anomalies, infection, injury, or tumor
electroconvulsive therapy (ECT): electrical shock applied to the brain to induce convulsions; used to treat severly depressed patients
neuroleptic agents: drugs used to treat psychosis, especially schizophrenia
transient ischemic attack (TIA): brief episode of loss of blood flow to the brain; usually caused by a partial occlusion that results in temporary neurologic deficit (impairment); often precedes a CVA
spina bifida: congenital defect in the spinal column characterized by the absence of vertebral arches, often resulting in pouching of spinal membranes or tissue
magnetic resonance imaging: nonionizing imaging technique using magnetic fields (MRI) and radio frequency waves to visualize anatomic structures (especially soft tissue) such as the tissues of the brain and spinal cord
-mania: abnormal impulse (attraction) toward
occipital lobe: protion posterior to the parietal and temporal lobes, responsible for vision
thalam/o: thalamus (a room)
sensory deficit: loss or impairment of sensation
cerebr/o: cerebrum (largest part of brain)
cerebral angiogram: x-ray of blood vessels in the brain after intracarotid injection of contrast medium
agonsia: any of many types of loss of neurologic function involving interpretation of sensory information
plegia: paraylsis
temporal lobe: portion that lies below the frontal lobe, responsible for hearing, taste, and smell
multiple sclerosis: disease of the central nervous system characterized by the demyelination (deterioration of the myelin sheath) of nerve fibers, with episodes of neurologic dysfunction (exacerbation) followed by recovery (remission)
craniectomy: excision of part of the skull to approach the brain
neurosis: a psychologic condition in which anziety is prominent
reflex testing: test preformed to observe the body's response to a stimulus
chemotherapy: treatment of malignancies, infections, and other disease with chemical agents to destroy selected cells or impair their ability to reproduce
extracranial MRA: magnetic resonance image of the neck to visualize the carotid artery
brainstem: region of the brain that serves as a relay between the cerebrum, cerebellum, and spinal cord; responsible for breathing, heart rate, and body temperature; the three levels are the mesencephalon (midbrain), pons, and medulla oblongata
Huntington chorea; Huntington disease (HD): hereditary disease of the central nervous system characterized by bizarre involuntary body movements and progressive dementia (choros = dance)
central nervous system (CNS): brain and spinal cord
delirium: a state of mental confusion caused by disturbances in cerebral function; the many causes include fever, shock, or drug overdose (deliro = to draw the furrow away when plowing, i.e. to go off the rails)
meningioma: benign tumor of the coverings of the brain (meninges)
coma: a deep sleep; a general term referring to levels of decreased consciousness with varying responsiveness; a common method of assesment is the Glasgow coma scale
evoked potentials: minute electrical waves that are sorted out of ongoing EEG activity to diagnose auditory, visual, and sensory pathway disorders
meninges: three membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord, consisting of the sura mater, pia mater, and arachnoid mater
antianxiety agents; anxiolytic agents: drugs used to reduce anxiety
encephalitis: inflammation of the brain
anorexia nervosa: a severe disturbance in eating behavior caused by abnormal perception about one's body weight, evidenced by an overwhelming fear of becoming fat that results in a refusal to eat and body weight well below normal
Intracranial MRA: magnetic resonance image of the head to visualize the vessels of the circle of Willis (common site of cerebral aneurysm, stenosis, or occlusion)
-lepsy: seizure
tonic-clonic: stiffening-jerking; a major motor seizure involving all muscle groups; previously termed grand mal (big bad) seizure
laminectomy: excision of one or more laminae of the vertebrae to approach the spinal cord
cata-: down
affect: emotional feeling or mood
flat affect: significantly dulled emotional tone or outward reaction
absence: seizure involving a brief loss of consciousness without motor involvment; previously termed petit mal (little bad) siezures
cerebral palsy (CP): condition of motor dysfunction caused by damage to the cerebrum during development or injury at birth; characterized by partial paraylsis and lack of muscle coordination (pasly = paraylsis)
-paresis: slight paralysis
sympathetic nervous system: division of the ANS concerned primarily with preparing the body in stressful or emergency situations
cerebell/o: cerebellum (little brain)
polyneuritis: inflammation involving two or more nervers, often caused by a nutritional deficiency such as lack of thiamine
mania: state of abnormal elation and increased activity
motor deficit: loss or impairment of muscle function
manic depression bipolar disorder (BD): affective disorder characterized by mood swings of mania and depression (extreme up and down states)
cerebrovascular accident (CVA): damage to the brain caused by cerebrovascular disease; e.g. occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus or thrombus or intracranial hemorrhage after rupture of an aneurysm
cerebrovascular disease: disorder resulting from a change within one or more blood vessels of the brain
psychosis: a mental condition characterized by distortion of reality resulting in the inability to communicate or function within one's enviornment
deep tendon reflexes (DTR): involuntary muscle contraction after percussion at a tendon (e.g., patella, Achilles) indicating function; positivefindings are either no refles reponse or an exaggerated response to stimulus; numbers are often used to record reponses: no response 1+ diminished reponse 2+ normal reponse 3+ more brisk than average response 4+ hyperactive response
top/o: place
spondyl/o or vertebr/o: vertebra
brain: protion of the central nervous system contained within the cranium
phobia: exaggerated fear of a specific object or circumstance that causes anxiety and panic; named for the object or circumstance, such as agoraphobia (marketplace), claustrophobia (confinement), and acrophobia (high places)
peripheral nervous system (PNS): nerves that branch from the central nervous system, including nerves of the brain (cranial nerves) and spinal cord (spinal nerves)
esthesi/o: sensation
somn/o or somni/o or hypn/o: sleep
positron emisson tomography (PET): technigue combining nuclear medicine and computed tomography to produce images of brain anatomy and corresponding physiology; used to study stroke, Alzeheimer disease, epilepsy, metabolic brain disorders, chemistry of nerve transmission in the brain, and so on; provides greater accuracy than SPECT but is used less often becaue of cost and limited availability of the radioisotopes
partial: seizure involving only limited areas of the brain with localized symptoms
motor nerves: nerves that conduct morter impulses from the brain to muscles and glands; also called efferent nerves (e = out; ferre = carry)
tax/o: order or coordination
antidepressent: agent that counteracts depression

Start Studying!

Deck Info

Number of cards 197