Chapter 8 G (Pathology) Flashcards
Absence seizure
Mild epileptic seizure consisting of brief disorientation with the environment
Agnosia
Inability to receive and understand outside stimuli
Alzheimer’s disease
A type of degenerative brain disease causing thought disorders, gradual loss of muscle control, and eventually, death
Amnesia
Loss of memory
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Degenerative disease of the motor neurons leading to loss of muscular control and death
Aneurysm
Abnormal widening of an artery wall that bursts and releases blood
Aphasia
Loss of speech
Apraxia
Inability to properly use familiar objects
Aura
Group of symptoms that precede a seizure
Bacterial meningitis
Meningitis caused by a bacteria; pyrogenic meningitis
Bell’s palsy
Paralysis of one side of the face; usually temporary
Brain contusion
Bruising of the surface of the brain without penetration
Cerebral infarction
Neurological incident caused by disruption in the normal blood supply to the brain; stroke; CVA
Coma
Abnormally deep sleep with little or no response to stimuli
Concussion
Brain injury due trauma
Dementia
Deterioration in mental capacity, usually in the elderly
Demyelination
Destruction of myelin sheath, particularly in MS
Dopamine
Substance in the brain or manufactured substance that helps relieve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
Duritis
Inflammation of the dura matter
Dysphasia
Speech difficulty
Embolic stroke
Sudden stroke caused by an embolus
Embolus
Clot from somewhere in the body that blocks a small blood vessel in the brain
Epilepsy
Chronic recurrent seizure activity
Ganglion
Any group of nerve cell bodies forming a mass or a cyst in the peripheral nervous system; usually forms in the wrist
Glioblastoma multiforme
Most malignant type of glioma
Glioma
Tumor that arises from neuroglia
Grand mal seizure
tonic-clonic seizure; Severe epileptic seizure accompanied by convulsions, twitching, and loss of consciousness
Hemorrhagic stroke
Stroke caused by blood escaping from a damaged cerebral artery
Huntington’s chorea
Hereditary disorder with uncontrollable, jerking movements
Hyrocephalus
Overproduction of fluid in the brain
Lou Gehrig’s disease
ALS
Meningioma
Tumor that arises from the meninges
Meningocele
In spina bifida cystica, protrusion of the spinal meninges above the surface of teh skin
Meningomyelocele
In spina bifida cystica, a protrusion of the meninges and spinal cord above the surface of the skin
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Degenerative disease with loss of myelin, resulting in muscle weakness, extreme fatigue, and some paralysis
Myasthenia gravis
Disease involving overproduction of antibodies that block certain neurotransmitters; causes some muscle weakness
Narcolepsy
Nervous system disorder that causes uncontrollable, sudden lapses into deep sleep
Palsy
Partial or complete paralysis
Paresthesia
Abnormal sensation, such as tingling
Parkinson’s disease
Degenerative of nerves in the brain caused by lack of sufficient dopamine
Petit mal seizure
Absence seizure, mild epileptic seizure consisting of brief disorientation with the enviroment
Radiculitis
Inflammation of the spinal nerve roots
Sciatica
Inflammation of the sciatic nerve
Shingles
Viral disease affecting the peripheral nerves
Somnambulism
Sleepwalking
Somnolence
Extreme sleepiness caused by a neurological disorder
Spinal bifida
Congenital defect of the spinal column
Syncope
Loss of consciousness due to a sudden lack of oxygen in the brain
Tay-Sachs disease
Hereditary disease that causes deterioration in the central nervous system and eventually death
Tics
Twitching movements that accompany some neurological disorders
Tonic-clonic seizure
Severe epileptic seizure accompanied by convulsions, twitching, and loss of consciousness
Tourette syndrome
Neurological disorder that causes uncontrollable speech sounds and tics
Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
Short neurological incident usually not resulting in permanent injury, but usually signaling that a larger stroke may occure
Viral meningitis
Meningitis caused by a virus and not as severe as pyrogenic meningitis
