Chapter 10 Terms: Nervous System Flashcards
ambul/o ambulat/o
to walk
cephal/o
head
concuss/o
shaken
contus/o
bruise
dendr-
branching as in the nervous system
ech/o
sound
encephal/o
brain
-esthesia, -esthesi/o
sensation, feeling
glial
glue, glia
kelpt/o
to steal
mening/o
membrance, meninges
myel/o
marrow, spinal cord
narc/o
numbness, stupor
neu/i, neur/o
nerve, nerve tissue
-phobia
abnormal fear
psych/o
mind
somni/o
sleep
caus/o
burning, burn
cerebr/o
cerebrum, brain
contus/o
bruise
-graphy
process of producing picture
radicul/o
root or nerve root
-tropic
having an affinity for
acrophobia
excessive fear of heights.
Alzheimer’s disease
AD. Group of disorders involving the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. Leading form of dementia and is marked by progressive deterioration that affects memory and reason.
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Lou Gehrig’s disease, rapidly progressive neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles.
anesthetic
medication used to induce anesthesia. Possibly topical, local, regional or general.
anesthetist
medical profession who specializes in administering anesthesia but is not a physician.
anorexia nervosa
characterized by false perception of body appearance. Leads to an intense fear of gaining weight and inability to maintain a healthy body weight. Voluntary starvation and or excessive exercise cause pt to become very thin.
anxiety disorder
mental conditions characterized by excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations or fear that is out of proportion to the real danger in a situation.
autism
significant delays including speech and language. Lack normal social relationships and very minimal verbal skills.
Bell’s palsy
temporary paralysis of the 7th cranial nerve that causes paralysis of the face only on the affected side. Including the inability to close eye, pain, tearing, drooling, and hypersensitivity to sound, impairment of taste.
carotid ultrasonography
ultrasound study of carotid artery. Diagnostic test is performed to detect plaque buildup in the artery and to predict or diagnose an ischemic stroke.
causalgia
persistent, severe burning pain that usually follows an injury to a sensory nerve.
cerebral contusion
bruising of the brain tissue as a result of head injury that causes the brain to bounce againist the rigid bones of the skull.
cerebral palsy
condition characterized by poor muscle control, spasticity (continual muscle contractions), speech defects and other neuro deficiencies due to damage of the cerebrum.
cerebrovascular accident
stroke, CVA is damage to the brain that occurs when the blood flow to the brain is disrupted because a blood vessel is either blocked or ruptured. Leading cause of long term disability.
cervical radiculopathy
nerve pain caused by pressure on the spinal nerve roots in the neck region.
claustrophobia
abnormal fear of being in small or enclosed spaces.
cognition
mental activities associated with thinking, learning and memory.
coma
profound deep state of unconsciousness marked by the absence of spontaneous eye movements, no response to painful stimuli and lack of speech.
concussion
violent shaking up or jarring of the brain. May result in temporary loss of awareness and function.
cranial hematoma
collection of blood trapped in the tissues of the brain. Named for their location- epidural, subdural.
delirium
acute condition of confusion, disorientation disordered thinking and memory, agitation and hallucination. Usually caused by treatable physical condition such as a high fever.
delirium tremens
disorder involving sudden and severe mental changes or seizures caused by abruptly stopping the use of alcohol.
delusion
false personal belief that is maintained despite obvious proof or evidence of the contrary. Typically not accepted accepted by individuals culture or religious faith.
dementia
slowly progressive decline in mental abilities, including memory, thinking and judgement. Often accompanied by personality changes.
dura mater
thick, tough, outermost membrane of the meninges. Inner surface of the skull is lined with the dura mater.
dyslexia
learning disability characterized by substandard reading achievement due to the inability of the brain to process symbols correctly.
echoencephalopgraphy
use of ultrasound imaging to create a detailed visual image of the brain for diagnostic purposes.
electroencephalography
rocess of recording the electrical activity of the brain through the use of electrodes attached to the scalp. produces an EEG.
encephalitis
inflammation of the brain can be caused by a viral infection such as rabies.
epidural anesthesia
regional anesthesia produced by injecting medication into the epidural space of the lumbar or scaral region of the spine. Administered during childbirth it numbs the nerves from the uterus and birth passages without stopping labor.
epilepsy
chronic neurological condition characterized by recurrent episodes of seizures of varying severity.
factitious disorder
condition in which an individual acts as if he or she has a physical or mental illness when he or she is not really sick.
Guillain- Barre syndrome
infectious polyneuritis is an inflammation of the myelin sheath of peripheral nerves, characterized by rapidly worsening muscle weakness that can lead to temporary paralysis. Rare condition is an autoimmune reaction that can occur after certain viral infections of immunization.
hallucination
sensory perception experienced in the absence of external stimulation.
hemorrhagic stroke
occurs when a blood vessel in the brain leaks, can occur when aneurysm ruptures. Less common and often fatal.
hydrocephalus
condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the ventricles of the brain. Condition can occur at birth or develop later in life from obstructions related to meningtitis, brain tumors, and other causes.
hyperesthesia
condition of abnormal and excessive sensitivity to touch, pain or other sensory stimuli.
ischemic stroke
most common type of stroke occurs when flow of blood to the brain is blocked by narrowing or blockage of carotid artery.
lethargy
lowered level of consciousness marked by listlessness, drowsiness and apathy (indifference and reduced level of activity)
meningitis
is an inflammation of the meninges of the brain and spinal cord. Can be caused by bacterial or viral infection elsewhere in the body. Characterized by intense headache and flu like symptoms. Bacterial is less common but sometimes fatal.
meningocele
congenital herniation of the meninges through a defect in the skull or spinal column.
migraine headache
may be preceded by a warning aura. characterized by throbbing pain on one side of the head. Migraine headaches primarily affect women and are sometimes accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound.
multiple sclerosis
progressive autoimmune disorder characterized by inflammation that causes demyelination of myelin sheath. Scarring the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves and disrupts the transmission of nerve impulses. Pt will have varying degrees of pain plus physical and cognitive problems.
myelitis
inflammation of the spinal cord.
myelography
radiographic study of the spinal cord after the injection of contrast medium through a lumbar puncture.
narcolepsy
sleep disorder consisting of sudden and uncontrollable brief episodes of falling asleep during the day.
neurotransmitters
chemical signals that make it possible for messages to be passed across a synapse to receiving receptor.
obsessive-complusive disorder
characterized by recurrent obsessions- repetitive, intrusive, distressing thoughts or impulses and or compulsions - repeatedly feeling compelled to do things like wash or pray. OCD makes someone feel he or she must do compulsive behaviors to prevent harm or stop obsession.
panic attack
unexpected sudden experience of fear in the absence of danger, accompanies by physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, SOB, chest tightness, dizziness, sweating. Unneeded activation of body’s fight or flight response.
paresthesia
refers to burning of prickling sensation that is usually in the hands.
Parkinson’s disease
chronic, degenerative CNS disorder characterized by fine muscle tremors, rigidity, and slow or shuffling gait. Inadequate levels of dopamine.
peripheral neuropathy
disorder of the peripheral nerves that carry information to and from the brain and spinal cord. Produces pain, loss of sensation, and inability to control muscles of the arms and legs.
PTSD
may develop after an event involving actual or threatened death or injury to the individual or someone else during which the person felt intense fear, helplessness or horror. War, natural disaster or other life threatening situations can cause PTSD. Symptoms include emotional numbing, hyperarousal, reliving event, sleep disorder.
Reye’s syndrome
serious and potentially deadly disorder in children that is characterized by vomiting and confusion. Sometimes follow a viral illness in which the child was treated with aspirin.
schizophrenia
psychotic disorder usually characterized by withdrawal from reality, illogical patterns of thinking, delusions and hallucination accompanied in varying degrees by other emotional, behavioral or intellectual disturbances.
sciatica
inflammation of the sciatic nerve resulting in pain burning and tingling along the course of the affected nerve through the thigh leg and sometimes into the foot.
seizure
sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain that affects how a person feels or acts for a short time.
shaken baby syndrome
describes the results of a child being violently shaken by someone. Can cause brain injury, blindness, fractures, seizures, paralysis, death.
syncope
fainting, brief loss of consciousness caused by decreased blood to the brain
trigeminal neuralgia
characterized by severe, lightning like pain due to inflammation of the 5th cranial nerve. Sudden, intense, brief attacks of sharp pain affect the cheek, lips, and gums only on one side of the face.
