Stroke Terminology
Terms
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- Acute Stroke
- Onset of stroke symptoms lasting for a few hours
- Agnosia
- A cognitive disability, inability to acknowledge one side of body or visual field
- Aneurysm
- Weak or thin spot on an artery wall balooned out and filled with blood
- Anoxia
- A state of alnmost no oxygen delivery to a cell, low energy, possible cell death
- Anticoagulants
- A drug therapy used to prevent the formation of blood clots that become lodged in cerebral arteries
- Antiplatelet Agents
- A type of anticoagulant drug therapy that prevents the formation of blood clots, prevents the accumulation of platelets that form blood clots (EX: Aspirin)
- Antithrombotic
- A type of anticoagulant drug therapy that prevents the formation of blood clots by inhibiting coagulating actions (EX: Warafin)
- Aphasia
- Inability to understand or create speech, writing, or language, due to damage in speech centers of the brain
- Apoplexy
- A historical, obsolete term for a cerebral stroke
- Apoptosis
- A form of planned cell death, cell suicide, triggered by genetic signal, irreversible
- Apraxia
- A movement disorder, inability to perform skilled or purposeful voluntary movements, caused by damage in the brain responsible for voluntary movement
- Arteriography
- An X-ray of the carotid artery taken when a special dye is injected into the artery
- Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)
- A congenital disorder characterized by a complex tangled web of arteries and veins
- Atherosclerosis
- A blood vessel disease characterized by deposits of lipid material on inside walls of large-medium sized arteries, thick, hard, brittle, and prone to leaking
- Atrial Fibrillation
- Irregular beating of the left atrium of the heart
- Blood-Brain Barrier
- An elaborate network of supportive brain cells, called glia, surround blood vessels, protect neurons from toxic effects
- Carotid Artery
- An artery, located on either side of the neck, supplied brain with blood
- Carotid Endarectomy
- Surgery used to remove fatty deposits from the carotid arteries
- Central Stroke Pain
- Pain caused by damage to an area in the thalamus, mixture of sensations, heat , cold, burning, tingling, numbness, sharp stabbing pain
- Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF)
- The flow of blood through the arteries that lead to the brain, called cerebrovascular system
- Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)
- Clear fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord
- Cerebrovascular Disease
- A reduction in the supply of blood to the brain, narrowing of arteries through the buildup of plaque on inside of walls
- Cholesterol
- A waxy substance, produced naturally in the liver, found in foods
- Clipping
- Surgical procedure for treatment of brain aneurysms, clamping
- Computed Tomography (CT)Scan
- A series of cross-sectional X-rays of the brain and head
- Coumadin
- A commonly used anticoagulant, also known as Warfarin
- Cytokines
- Small, hormone-like proteins released by leukocytes, endothelial cells, promote inflammatory immune response to an injury
- Cytotoxic Edema
- A state of cell compromise involving influx of fluids and toxic chemicals into a cell causing swelling
- Detachable Coil
- A platinum coil inserted into an artery in the thigh, coil is released into the aneurysm creating an immune response
- Duplex Doppler Ultrasound
- A diagnostic imaging technique, image of artery formed by bouncing sound waves off the moving blood, measures the frequency changes
- Dysarthria
- A language disorder, difficulty with speaking or forming words
- Dysphagia
- Trouble eating and swallowing
- Edema
- The swelling of a cell that results from the influx of large amounts of water or fluid into the cell
- Embolic Stroke
- A stroke caused by an embolus
- Embolus
- A free roaming blood clot that usually forms in the heart can travel up to the brain
- Edothelial Wall
- A flat layer of cells that make up the innermost lining of a blood vessel
- Excitatory Amino Acids
- Subset of neurotransmitters, proteins released by one neuron into the space between two neurons, excitatory state
- Extracranial/Intracranial (EC/IC) Bypass
- A type of surgery that restores blood flow to a blood-deprived area of brain by routing a healthy artery
- Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI)
- A type of imaging that measures increases in blood flow within the brain
- Glia
- Also called neuroglia, supportive cells of NS make up BBB, provide nutrients and oxygen Ex: oligodendroglia, astrocytes, and microglia
- Glutamate
- Also known as glutamic acid, an amino acid that acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain
- Hemiparesis
- Weakness on one side of the body
- Hemiplegia
- Paralysis on one side of the body
- Hemorrhagic Stroke
- Sudden bleeding into or around the brain
- Heparin
- A type of anticoagulant
- High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL)
- Good cholesterol
- Homeostasis
- A state of equillibrium or balance among fluids
- Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
- Persistently high arterial blood pressure < or = to 140/90
- Hypoxia
- A state of decreased oxygen delivery to a cell
- Incidence
- The extent or frequency of an occurrance, # of specific new events in a given time
- Infarct
- The area of tissue that is dead or dying because of loss of blood supply
- Infarction
- The sudden loss of blood supply to tissue, causing the formation of an infarct
- Interleukines
- A group of cytokines, related proteins secreted by leukocytes and involved in inflammatory immune response of the ischemic cascade
- Intracerebral Hemorrhage
- Occurs when a vessel within the brain leaks blood into the brain
- Ischemia
- A loss of blood flow to tissue, caused by an obstruction of the blood vessel, usually in the form of plaque stenosis or blood clot
- Ischemic Cascade
- A series of events lasting for several hours/ days following the initial ischemia, results in extensive cell death
- Ischemic Penumbra
- Areas of damage, but still living, brain cells arranged in a patchwork pattern around areas of dead brain cells
- Ischemic Stroke
- Ischemia in the tissues of the brain
- Lacunar Infarction
- Occlusion of small artery, small area of dead brain tissue, called l______, i_______, caused by stenosis of small arteries, called small vessel disease
- Large Vessel Disease
- Stenosis in large arteries of the cerebrovascular system
- Leukocytes
- Blood proteins involved in the inflammatory immune response of the ischemic cascade
- Lipoprotein
- Small globules of cholesterol covered by a layer of protein, produced in the liver
- Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)
- Bad cholesterol
- Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA)
- An imaging technique involving injection of dye into the blood vessel, creates an image of flowing blood through vessel
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)Scan
- A type of imaging involving the use of magnetic fields to detect subtle changes in the water content of tissues
- Mitochondria
- The energy producing organelles of the cell
- Mitral Annular Calcification
- A disease of the mitral valve of the heart
- Mitral Valve Stenosis
- A disease of the mitral heart valve involving the buildup of plaque-like material on or around the valve
- Necrosis
- A form of cell death, resulting from anoxia, trauma, release of toxic material, poisoning the surroundinng cells
- Neuron
- The main functional cell of the brain and NS, consists of cell body, an axon, and dendrites
- Neroprotective Agents
- Medications that protect the brain from secondary injury caused by stroke
- Oxygen Free Radicals
- Toxic chemicals released during the process of cellular respiration and released in excessive amounts
- Plaque
- Fatty cholesterol deposits found along the inside of the artery walls, leads to atherosclerosis and stenosis
- Plasticity
- The ability to be formed or molded, the brain ability to adapt to deficits and injury
- Platelets
- Structures found in the blood that are primarily blood coagulationn
- Prevalence
- The # of cases of a disease in a population at any given point in time
- Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator (rt-PA)
- Genrtically engineered form of t-PA, thrombolytic, anti-clotting substance made naturally by the body
- Small Vessel Disease
- A cerebrovascular disease defined by stenosis in small arteries of the brain
- Stenosis
- Narrowing of an artery due to the buildup of plaque on the inside walls of the artery
- Stroke Belt
- The area of the southeastern United States with the highest stroke mortality rate in the country
- Stroke Buckle
- Three southeastern states, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia that have extremely high stroke mortality
- Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
- Bleeding within the meninges, or outer membranes
- Thrombolytics
- Drugs used to treat an ongoing, ischemic stroke by dissolving blood clot causing the stroke , thereby restoring blood flow
- Thrombosis
- The formation of a blood clot
- Thrombotic Stroke
- A stroke caused by a thrombosis
- Tissue Necrosis Factors
- Chemicals released by leukocytes and other cells that cause secondary cell death during the inflammatory immune response associated with ischemic cascade
- Total Serum Cholesterol
- Combined measurement of a person's high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density (LDL)
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
- A small magnetic current delivered to an area of the brain to promote plasticity and healing
- Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
- A short-lived stroke that lasts a few minutes/ to 24 hours, called mini-strokes
- Vasodilators
- Medications that increase blood flow to the brain by expanding or dilating blood vessels
- Vasospasms
- A dangerous side effect of subarachnoid hemorrhage, blood vessels constrict erractically, cutting off blood
- Vertebral Artery
- Artery on either side of the neck
- Warfarin
- A commonly used anticoagulant, also known as Coumadin (blood thinner)