Ch. 8 Diagnostic Terms

Question 0

astereognosis

Answer 0

inability to judge the form of an object by touch

Question 1

agnosia

Answer 1

loss of neurologic function involving interpretation of sensory information

Question 2

atopognosis

Answer 2

inability to locate a sensation properly

Question 3

Alzheimer disease

Answer 3

disease of structural changes to the brain resulting in deterioration that progresses from forgetfulness to loss of all intellectual functions, total disability and death

Question 4

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Answer 4

progressive deterioration of motor nerve cells resulting in total loss of voluntary muscle control; aka Lou Gehrig disease

Question 5

cerebral palsy (CP)

Answer 5

condition of motor dysfunction caused by damage to the cerebrum during development or injury at birth

Question 6

cerebrovascular disease

Answer 6

disorder resulting from a change within one or more blood vessels of the brain

Question 7

cerebral arteriosclerosis

Answer 7

hardening of the arteries in the brain

Question 8

cerebral atherosclerosis

Answer 8

condition of lipid buildup in the arteries of the brain

Question 9

cerebral aneurysm

Answer 9

dilation of a blood vessel in the brain (aneurysm = dilation or widening)

Question 10

cerebral thrombosis

Answer 10

blood clot in a blood vessel of the brain

Question 11

cerebral embolism

Answer 11

obstruction of a blood vessel in the brain transported through the circulation

Question 12

cerebrovascular accident (CVA); stroke

Answer 12

damage to the brain caused by cerebrovascular disease, such as occlusion of a blood vessel by a thrombus or embolus (ischemic stroke) or intracranial hemorrhage after rupture of an aneurysm (hemorrhagic stroke)

Question 13

transient ischemic attack (TIA)

Answer 13

brief episode of loss of blood flow to the brain; often precedes a stroke

Question 14

encephalitis

Answer 14

inflammation of the brain

Question 15

epilepsy

Answer 15

disorder of the CNS characterized by recurrent seizures

Question 16

tonic-clonic seizure

Answer 16

stiffening-jerking; a major motor seizure involving all muscle groups (grand mal (big bad) seizure)

Question 17

absence seizure

Answer 17

seizure involving a brief loss of consciousness without motor involvment; aka petit mal (little bad) seizure

Question 18

partial seizure

Answer 18

seizure involving only limited areas of the brain with localized symptoms

Question 19

glioma

Answer 19

tumor of the glial cells

Question 20

herniated disc

Answer 20

protrusion of a degenerated or fragmented intervertebral disc so that the nucleus pulposus protrudes, causing compression of the nerve root

Question 21

herpes zoster

Answer 21

shingles

Question 22

Huntington chorea; Huntington disease

Answer 22

hereditary disease of the CNS characterized by bizzare, involuntary body movement and progressive dementia (choros = dance)

Question 23

hydrocephalus

Answer 23

abnormal accumulation of CSF in the ventricles of the brain

Question 24

meningioma

Answer 24

benign tumor of the meninges

Question 25

meningitis

Answer 25

inflammation of the meninges

Question 26

migraine headache

Answer 26

sudden periodic attacks of mostly unilateral headache, often accompanied by disordered vision, nausea, or vomiting, lasting for hours or days; caused by dilation of arteries in the brain

Question 27

multiple sclerosis (MS)

Answer 27

disease of the CNS characterized by demyelination of nerve fibers with episodes of neurologic dysfunction (exacerbation) followed by recovery (remission)

Question 28

myasthenia gravis

Answer 28

autoimmune disorder affecting the neuromuscular junction causing a progressive decrease in muscle strength; activity and strength resumes after a period of rest

Question 29

myelitis

Answer 29

inflammation of the spinal cord

Question 30

narcolepsy

Answer 30

sleep disorder characterized by a sudden, uncontrollable need to sleep

Question 31

neural tube defects

Answer 31

congenital deformities of the brain and spinal cord caused by incomplete development of the neural tube

Question 32

anencephaly

Answer 32

defect in the closure of the cephalic portion of the neural tube, resulting in incomplete development of the brain and bones of the skull

Question 33

spina bifida

Answer 33

defect in the development of the spinal column characterized by the absence of vertebral arches, often resulting in pouching of the meninges and/or spinal cord; most common neural tube defect (spina = spine; bifida = split in two parts)

Question 34

Parkinson disease

Answer 34

condition of slowly progressive degeneration of the substantia nigra resulting in decreased dopamine production; characterized by tremors; rigidity of muscles and slow movement; usually occurs later in life

Question 35

plegia

Answer 35

paralysis

Question 36

hemiplegia

Answer 36

paralysis of one side of the body

Question 37

paraplegia

Answer 37

paralysis from the waist down

Question 38

quadriplegia

Answer 38

paralysis of all four limbs

Question 39

poliomyelitis

Answer 39

inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord caused by a virus, often resulting in spinal and muscle deformity and paralysis (polio = gray)

Question 40

polyneuritis

Answer 40

inflammation involving two or more nerves

Question 41

sleep apnea

Answer 41

periods of breathing cessation that occur during sleep, often causing snoring