amnesia
loss of memory caused by brain damage or severe emotional trauma
aphasia
lack or impairment of the ability to form or understand speech
athetosis
continuous, involuntary,slow, writhing movement of the extremities
aura
premonition
sensation of light or warmth that may precede an epileptic seizure or the onset of some types of headache
dysphagia
condition of difficulty with swallowing
dyssomnia
disorders of the sleep-wake cycles
insomnia, hypersomnia = excessive depth or length of sleep
fasciculation
involuntary contraction of small, local muscles
abnormal gait
disorder in the manner of walking
e.g. ataxia = lack of muscular coordination, as in cerebral palsy
hypokinesia
decrease in normal movement; may be due to paralysis
neuralgia
nerve pain
causalgia = burning pain
paresthesia
feeling of prickling, burning, or numbness
seizure
neuromuscular reaction to abnormal electrical activity within the brain
causes: fever or epilepsy
also convulsions
spasm
involuntary muscle contraction of sudden onset
e.g. hiccoughs, tics, and stuttering
syncope
fainting
vasovagal attack = results from abrupt emotional stress involving the vagus nerve's effect on blood vessels
tremors
rhythmic, quivering, purposeless skeletal muscle movements seen in some elderly individuals and in patients with various neurodegenerative disorders
vertigo
dizziness
abnormal sensation of movement when there is none, either of oneself moving, or of objects moving around oneself
acalculia
inability to perform mathematical calculations
ageusia
absence of the ability to taste
parageusia = abnormal sense of taste or a bad taste in the mouth
agnosia
inability to recognize objects visually, auditorily, or with other senses
agraphia
inability to write
anosmia
lack of sense of smell
apraxia
inability to perform purposeful movements or to use objects appropriately
dyslexia
inability or difficulty with reading and/or writing
cerebral palsy
abbr CP
motor function disorder as a result of permanent, nonprogressive brain defect or lesion caused perinatally
characterized by neural deficits such as ataxia
Huntington chorea
inherited disorder that manifests itself in adulthood as a progressive loss of neural control, uncontrollable jerking movements, and dementia.
hydrocephalus
condition of abnormal accumulation of fluid in the ventricles of the brain; may or may not result in mental retardation
usually diagnosed in babies, may occur in adults as a result of stroke, trauma, or infection
spina bifida
condition in which the spinal column has an abnormal opening that allows protrusion of the meninges and/or the spinal cord
meningocele
also meningomyelocele
protrusion of the meninges and/or the spinal cord
Tay-Sachs disease
inherited disease that occurs mainly in people of Eastern European Jewish origin
caused by an enzyme deficiency that results in CNS deterioration
coma
deep, prolonged unconsciousness from which the patient cannot be aroused
usually the result of a head injury, neurologic disease, acute hydrocephalus, intoxication, or metabolic abnormalities
concussion
serious head injury characterized by one or more of the following: loss of consciousness, amnesia, seizures, or a change in mental status
cerebral contusion
head injury of sufficient force to bruise the brain
hematoma
localized collection of blood, usually clotted, in an organ, tissue, or space, due to a break in the wall of a blood vessel
herniated intervertebral disk
abbr HIVD
a displacement of an intervertebral disk so that it presses on a nerve, causing pain and/or numbness
Alzheimer disease
abbr AD
progressive, neurodegenerative disease in which patients exhibit an impairment of cognitive functioning.
cause unknown
most common cause of dementia
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
abbr ALS
degenerative, fatal disease of the motor neurons, in which patients exhibit progressive muscle weakness and atrophy
also Lou Gehrig disease
Guillain-Barre syndrome
autoimmune disorder of acute polyneuritis producing profound myasthenia that may lead to paralysis
multiple sclerosis
abbr MS
neurodegenerative disease characterized by destruction of the myelin sheaths on the CNS neurons and their abnormal replacement by the gradual accumulation of hardened plaques.
Disease may be progressive or characterized by remissions and relapses.
Parkinson disease
abbr PD
progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by tremors, fasciculations, slow shuffling gait, hypokinesia, dysphasia, and dysphagia.
Bell palsy
paralysis of the facial nerve
unkown in cause, usually resolves on its own within 6 months
epilepsy
group of disorders characterized by some or all of the following: recurrent seizures, sensory disturbances, abnormal behavior, and/or loss of consciousness
narcolepsy
disorder characterized by sudden attacks of sleep
Tourette syndrome
abnormal condition characterized by facial grimaces, tics, involuntary arm and shoulder movements, and involuntary vocalizations, including corprolalia (use of vulgar, obscene, or sacrilegious language)
encephalitis
inflammation of the brain, most frequently caused by a virus transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito
meningitis
any infection or inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, most commonly due to viral infection, although more severe strains are bacterial or fungal in nature
neuritis
inflammation of the nerves
polyneuritis
inflammation of several peripheral nerves
radiculitis
inflammation of the root of a spinal nerve
radicul/o = nerve root
sciatica
inflammation of the sciatic nerve
symptoms include pain and tenderness along the path of the nerve through the thigh and leg
shingles
acute infection caused by the latent varicella zoster virus (chicken pox), characterized by the development of vesicular skin eruption underlying the route of cranial or spinal nerves
also herpes zoster
cerebrovascular accident
abbr CVA
ischemia of cerebral tissue due to an occlusion from a thrombus or embolus, or as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage
also stroke, brain attack, and cerebral infarction
migraine
headache of vascular origin
may be classified as with or without aura
transient ischemic attack
abbr TIA
same mechanisms as CVA, but the sequelae resolve and disappear within 24 hours
also ministroke
diplegia
paralysis of the same body part on both sides of the body
di = two
hemiparesis
muscular weakness or slight paralysis on the left or right side of the body
-paresis = slight paralysis
hemiplegia
paralysis on the left or right side of the body
monoparesis
weakness or slight paralysis of one limb on the left or right side of the body
monoplegia
paralysis of one limb on the left or right side of the body
paraparesis
slight paralysis of the lower limbs and trunk
paraplegia
paralysis of the lower limbs and trunk
quadriparesis
weakness or slight paralysis of the arms, legs, and trunk
quadriplegia
paralysis of arms, legs, and trunk
meningioma
slow growing, usually benign tumor of the meninges
although benign, may cause problems because of their size and location
neurofibroma
benign fibrous tumors composed of nervous tissue
neuroma
benign tumor of the nerves
astrocytoma
tumor arising from star-shaped glial cells that is malignant in higher grades
grade IV is referred to as
glioblastoma multiforme
, the most common primary brain cancer
medulloblastoma
tumor arises from embryonic tissue in the cerebellum
most commonly seen in children
neuroblastoma
highly malignant tumor arising from either the autonomic nervous system or the adrenal medulla
usually affects children <10 years of age