CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM Flashcards
A congenital condition where the spinal cord and meninges protrude through a gap in the spine.
Meningomyelocele
What is another term for Meningomyelocele?
Spina Bifida
Accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain ventricles, causing pressure on brain tissue.
Hydrocephalus
A kind of hydrocephalus where CSF flow is blocked due to an obstruction, causing the ventricles to dilate.
Noncommunicating Hydrocephalus
A kind of Hydrocephalus where impaired reabsorption of CSF, leading to fluid buildup, often caused by inflammation or meningitis.
Communicating Hydrocephalus
A surgical device used to drain excess CSF from the brain to the abdomen.
Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt
A condition where brain tissue extends into the spinal canal, often causing noncommunicating hydrocephalus.
Arnold-Chiari Malformation
Inflammation of the meninges caused by infection, leading to fever, stiff neck, and headache.
Meningitis
What is Bacterial Meningitis?
A severe type of meningitis caused by bacteria, potentially life-threatening if not treated quickly.
What is Viral Meningitis?
Milder meningitis caused by viruses like enteroviruses, usually resolving on its own.
What is Tuberculous Meningitis
A type of meningitis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, often more chronic and harder to diagnose.
Inflammation of brain tissue, usually caused by viral infections like herpes simplex.
Encephalitis
A pus-filled pocket in the brain caused by bacterial or fungal infections, often treated with antibiotics or surgery.
Brain Abscess
What is Subdural Empyema?
Accumulation of pus between the dura mater and arachnoid layers, often requiring surgical drainage.
A condition where the intervertebral discs degenerate, leading to pain and potential nerve compression.
Degenerative Disk Disease
What is Herniated Nucleus Pulposus?
A condition where the soft center of a spinal disc pushes through a crack in the outer casing, pressing on nerves.
Degenerative changes in the cervical spine, often leading to chronic nerve compression.
Cervical Spondylosis
A progressive neurological disorder where the immune system attacks the myelin sheath covering nerves.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
a condition where blood flow to the brain is interrupted, leading to brain damage.
Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)
Another term for Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)
stroke
A type of stroke caused by a ruptured blood vessel, leading to bleeding in the brain.
Hemorrhagic Stroke
What is Ischemic stroke?
A type of stroke caused by a blocked artery, accounting for 87% of all strokes.
Formation of a blood clot in a blood vessel, which can block blood flow and lead to an ischemic stroke.
Thrombosis
What is Embolism?
A blood clot or other debris that travels through the bloodstream and lodges in a blood vessel, causing blockage.
What is Atherothrombotic Brain Infarction (ABI)?
A type of ischemic stroke caused by a thrombus forming on an atherosclerotic plaque in a cerebral artery.
A temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain, causing stroke-like symptoms that resolve within hours.
Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
Bleeding into the space surrounding the brain, often caused by ruptured aneurysms.
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Bleeding directly into the brain tissue, often associated with hypertension or vascular anomalies.
Intracerebral Hemorrhage
A common type of brain tumor originating from glial cells, accounting for 45% of primary brain tumors.
Glioma
A type of glioma composed of star-shaped astrocytes, often slow-growing but can become malignant.
Astrocytoma
The most aggressive type of glioma, with rapid growth and poor prognosis.
Glioblastoma Multiforme
A generally benign brain tumor arising from the meninges
Meningioma
What is a Pituitary Adenoma?
A typically benign tumor of the pituitary gland
What is Craniopharyngioma?
A benign tumor that arises near the pituitary gland, usually in children, and can cause hormonal imbalances and pressure on surrounding structures.
A benign tumor on the eighth cranial nerve, leading to hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance issues.
Acoustic Neuroma
A benign tumor arising from Schwann cells, which form the myelin sheath around peripheral nerves.
Schwannoma
A tumor arising from the ependymal cells that line the ventricles of the brain and the spinal canal.
Ependymoma
A highly malignant brain tumor, most common in children, typically arising in the cerebellum.
Medulloblastoma
A benign tumor of peripheral nerves
Neurofibroma
What is Subdural Hematoma?
A collection of blood between the dura mater and the brain, often resulting from head trauma.
What is Syrinx?
A fluid-filled cavity within the spinal cord
A genetic disorder causing the growth of non-cancerous tumors along nerves, sometimes leading to neurological complications.
Neurofibromatosis
A congenital condition where arteries and veins are abnormally connected, leading to increased risk of hemorrhage.
Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)
Narrowing of the carotid arteries, often due to atherosclerosis, increasing the risk of stroke.
Carotid Artery Stenosis
Abnormalities in blood vessel formation or structure, often contributing to conditions like AVMs or aneurysms.
Vascular Anomalies
A weak spot in a blood vessel in the brain that balloons out and may rupture, leading to hemorrhage.
Cerebral Aneurysm
A clear, colorless body fluid found in the brain and spinal cord, providing cushioning and nutrients.
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)
Structures responsible for reabsorbing cerebrospinal fluid into the bloodstream.
Arachnoid Villi
The area between the arachnoid mater and pia mater where cerebrospinal fluid circulates.
Subarachnoid Space
A set of four interconnected cavities in the brain where cerebrospinal fluid is produced and circulated.
Ventricles of the Brain
A large band of nerve fibers that connects the two hemispheres of the brain.
Corpus Callosum
Brain tissue composed mainly of myelinated nerve fibers, responsible for transmitting signals within the nervous system.
White Matter
Brain tissue primarily composed of neuron cell bodies, involved in muscle control, sensory perception, memory, emotions, and speech.
Gray Matter
The region at the base of the skull, which contains the cerebellum and brainstem.
Posterior Fossa
A part of the brain that coordinates muscle movements and maintains balance.
Cerebellum
What is the Brainstem?
part of the brain that coordinates muscle movements and maintains balance.
Two halves of the brain, each controlling opposite sides of the body.
Cerebral Hemispheres
What is the Pons?
part of the brainstem that links the medulla oblongata and the thalamus, involved in motor control and sensory analysis.
What is the Medulla Oblongata
The lower half of the brainstem, responsible for autonomic functions such as breathing and heart rate.
The large opening in the skull through which the spinal cord passes to connect to the brain.
Foramen Magnum
What is the cerebral cortex?
The outer layer of the brain, involved in higher brain functions such as thought and action.
What is the hippocampus?
A part of the brain involved in forming, organizing, and storing memories.
What is the limbic system?
group of brain structures involved in emotion, behavior, motivation, and memory.
What is the basal ganglia?
A group of nuclei in the brain involved in motor control, cognition, and emotions.
A brain structure that relays sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex.
Thalamus
A small region of the brain that controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, and circadian rhythms.
Hypothalamus
What is Epilepsy?
A neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures due to abnormal brain activity.
What is a seizure?
A sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbance in the brain that can cause changes in behavior, movements, feelings, or consciousness.
A type of seizure involving a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions.
Tonic-Clonic Seizure
A type of seizure characterized by brief, sudden lapses in attention and awareness.
Absence Seizure
What is status epilectus?
A medical emergency where a seizure lasts more than 5 minutes or seizures occur close together without recovery in between.
A test that measures electrical activity in the brain, commonly used to diagnose epilepsy.
EEG (Electroencephalogram)
A seizure that starts in one area of the brain and can cause a variety of symptoms depending on the area affected.
Focal Seizure
What is Generalized Seizure?
A seizure that affects both sides of the brain from the start.
A condition in which the peripheral nerves are damaged, leading to weakness, numbness, or pain.
Neuropathy
A condition where neurons in the brain or peripheral nervous system progressively lose function or die.
Neurodegenerative Disease
A neurodegenerative disorder affecting movement, leading to symptoms like tremors, rigidity, and slow movements.
Parkinson’s Disease
A neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive memory loss, cognitive decline, and changes in behavior.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Twisted fibers found inside brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease, leading to cell dysfunction and death.
Neurofibrillary Tangles
A genetic neurodegenerative disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain.
Huntington’s Disease
A progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness and atrophy.
ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)
A rare disorder where the immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system, leading to muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome
An autoimmune disorder that causes weakness in the skeletal muscles, especially those responsible for breathing and moving body parts.
Myasthenia Gravis
A condition causing sudden weakness or paralysis in the muscles on one side of the face, usually temporary.
Bell’s Palsy
A chronic pain condition affecting the trigeminal nerve in the face, causing severe, sudden facial pain.
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Damage to the peripheral nerves, leading to pain, tingling, or numbness, often due to diabetes or injury.
Peripheral Neuropathy
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
A condition caused by compression of the median nerve as it travels through the wrist, leading to pain and numbness.
What is Sciatica?
Pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, which branches from the lower back down through the hips and legs.
narrowing of the spaces within the spine, which can put pressure on the nerves traveling through the spine.
Spinal Stenosis
A condition caused by compression, inflammation, or injury to a spinal nerve root, resulting in pain, numbness, or weakness.
Radiculopathy
A surgical procedure that removes part of the vertebrae to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves.
Laminectomy
Weakness on one side of the body, often caused by a stroke or brain injury.
Hemiparesis
Paralysis of the lower half of the body, typically resulting from spinal cord injury.
Paraplegia
Paralysis of all four limbs, usually caused by damage to the spinal cord in the cervical region.
Quadriplegia
A lack of muscle coordination during voluntary movements, often resulting from damage to the cerebellum.
Ataxia
Difficulty swallowing, often seen in patients with neurological conditions like stroke or Parkinson’s disease.
Dysphagia
Difficulty speaking due to weakness in the muscles used for speech, often caused by neurological conditions like stroke.
Dysarthria
A neurological disorder that affects the ability to perform skilled movements despite having the desire and physical capability to do so.
Apraxia
The loss of the sense of smell, which can be caused by head trauma, viral infections, or neurodegenerative diseases.
Anosmia
A condition where a person loses half of their field of vision in one or both eyes, often caused by brain injury or stroke.
Hemianopia
Inflammation of the optic nerve, causing vision loss, commonly associated with multiple sclerosis.
Optic Neuritis
Swelling of the optic disc due to increased intracranial pressure, often indicating a serious brain condition.
Papilledema
Abnormal, uncontrollable movements, often seen in patients with Parkinson’s disease as a side effect of treatment.
Dyskinesia
A neurological disorder characterized by an uncontrollable urge to move the legs, usually due to discomfort.
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)
