Key Terms Flashcards
Agnosia
Loss of sensory comprehension, including facial recognition
Anomia
An inability to find words
Aphasia
Problems with speech (expressive aphasia) and/or language (receptive aphasia)
Apraxia
Inability to use words or objects correctly
Autonomic Dysreflexia
A potentially life-threatening condition in which noxious visceral or cutaneous stimuli cause a suffer, massive, uninhibited reflex sympathetic discharge in people with high-level spinal cord injury
Babinski Sign
Dorsiflexion of the great toe and fanning of the other toes that is abnormal in anyone older than 2 years and represents the presence of central nervous system disease
Bell Palsy
A peripheral nervous system disorder in which the patient has paralysis of all facial muscles on the affected side. The patient cannot close. his or her eye wrinkle the forehead, smile, whistle or grimace. Tearing may stop or become excessive. The face appears mask like and sags.
Bradykinesia (akinesia)
Slow movement/no movement
Cerebral Angiography (arteriography)
Clonus
Rhythmic jerking of all extremities during a seizure
Cough Assist
A technique in which an assistant places his or her hands on the patient’s upper abdomen over the diaphragm and below the ribs. Hands are placed one over the other, with fingers interlocked and away from the skin while the patient take a breath and coughs during expiration. The assistant locks his or her elbows and pushes inward and upward as the patient coughs.
Decortication (Decorticate posturing)
Abnormal motor movement seen in the patient with lesions that interrupt the corticospinal pathway
Decerebration (Decerebrate posturing)
Abnormal movement with rigidity characterized by extension of the arms and legs, pronation of the arms, plantar flexion, and opisthotonos (body spasm in which the body is bowed forward)
Dyskinesia
The inability to perform voluntary movement
Dysphagia
Difficulty swallowing
Electroencephalography (EEG)
A diagnostic test that records the electrical activity of the cerebral hemispheres of the brain. The frequency, amplitude, and characteristics of the brain waves are recorded
Electromyography (EMG)
A diagnostic test used to identify nerve and muscle disorders, such as myasthenia graves, as well as spinal cord disease
Ergonomics
An applied science in which the workplace is designed to increase worker comfort (reducing injury) while increasing efficiency and productivity
Glasgow Coma Scale
A tool used in many acute care settings to establish baseline data in each of these areas; eye opening, motor response and verbal response. The patient is assigned a numeric score for each of these areas. The lower the score, the lower the patient’s neurologic function
Heterotopic Ossification
Bony overgrowth, often into muscle; a complication of immobility
Hyperesthesia
Increased sensory perception
Hypoesthesia
Decreased sensory perception
Level of Consciousness (LOC)
The degree of alertness or amount of stimulation needed to engage a patient’s attention and can range from alert to comatose
Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
A noninvasive imaging technique used to measure the magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain via extremely sensitive devices such as superconducting quantum interference devices
Myasthenia Gravis
A rare progressive autoimmune disease characterized by muscle weakness as a result of impaired acetylcholine receptors
Paraparesis
Weakness that affects only the lower extremities as seen in lower thoracic and lumbosacral injuries or lesions
Paraplegia
Paralysis that affects only the lower extremities, as seen in lower thoracic and lumbosacral injuries or lesions
Parkinson’s Disease
A progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects mobility and is characterized by four cardinal symptoms tremor, muscle rigidity, bradykinesia/akinesia, and postural instability
PERRLA
Pupils should be Equal in size, Round and Regular in shape and react to Light and Accommodation
Phonophobia
A sensitivity to sound
Photophobia
A sensitivity to light
Proprioception
Awareness of body position
Quadriparesis
Weakness involving all four extremities, as seen in cervical cord and upper thoracic injury
Radiculopathy
Spinal verve root involvement
Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography
A diagnostic imaging study that uses a radiopharmaceutical agent to enable radioisotopes to cross the blood-brain barrier
Spinal Shock
A syndrome that occurs immediately as the cord’s response to the injury in which the patient has complete but temporary loss of motor, sensory, reflex and autonomic function. It typically last less than 48 hours but may continue for several weeks
Spinal Stenosis
Narrowing of the spinal canal, nerve root canals, or intervertebral foramina typically seen in people older than 50 years of age
Tetraplegia
Paralysis of all four extremities as seen in cervical cord and upper thoracic cord injury
Trigeminal Neuralgia
A persistently painful and debilitating disorder that involves the trigeminal l cranial nerve and affects women more often than men
Acalculia
The inability to perform math calculations
Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS)
A stroke caused by the occlusion (blockage) of a cerebral or carotid artery by either a thrombus or an embolus
Agnosia
The inability to use an object correctly
Agraphia
The inability to write
Alexia
The inability to read
Amnesia
Loss of memory
Aphasia
Problems with speech (expressive aphasia) and/or language (receptive aphasia)
Apraxia
Inability to perform previously learned motor skills or commands; may be verbal or motor
Ataxia
Lack of muscle control and coordination that affects gait, balance, and the ability to walk
Atherosclerotic Plaque
A buildup of fat and other substances that adhere to the arterial wall and obstruct or restrict blood flow
Carotid Bruit
A sound heard over an artery through a stethoscope that indicated turbulent blood flow usually due to a narrowed or partially obstructed blood vessel
Carotis Stenosis
The hardening and narrowing of the artery, which decrease blood flow to the brain
Cerebral Edema
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
An uncommon degenerative brain disease that occurs most often in military veterans, athletes, and others who experienced repetitive trauma to the brain
Concussion
A traumatic injury to the brain caused by a blow to the head; may or may not result in some period of unconsciousness
Cushing Triad
A classic but late sign of increased intracranial pressure that manifests with severe hypertension, a widened pulse pressure, and bradycardia
Diplopia
A condition in which the client has double vision
Dysarthria
Slurred speech caused by muscle weakness or paralysis
Dysphagia
Difficulty swallowing
Embolectomy
Surgical blood clot removal
Embolic Stroke
A stroke caused by an embolus
Emotional Lability
An uncontrollable emotional state that can occur in patients who have had a stroke or other brain injury
Epidural Hematoma
An accumulation of blood (clot) that results from arterial bleeding into the space between the dura and the inner skull
Expressive Aphasia (Broc or Motor)
Aphasia that is the result of damage in the Broca area of the frontal lobe. It is motor speech problem in which the patient generally understands what is said but cannot speak
Hemianopsia
A condition in which the vision of one or both eyes is affected
Hemiparesis
One-sided weakness of the body affecting the arm/or leg
Homonymous Hemianopsia
Blindness in the same side of both eyes
Hydrocephalus
A condition in which there is increased cerebrospinal fluid in the brain
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
An intervention that is used to provide high-dose oxygen to treat ischemia and hypoxia
Hyperventilation
Impaired Airway Defense
An inability to clear one’s airway
Increased Intracranial Pressure
Intracerebral Hemorrhage
The accumulation of blood within the brain tissue cause by the tearing of small arteries and veins in the subcortical white matter
Nystagmus
Involuntary movement of the eyes that can be vertical or horizontal
Organ Procurement
The process of donating an organ from a person who is designated as an organ donor and has been declared brain dead
Papilledema
Edema and hyperemia (increased blood flow) of the optic disc; a sign of increasing intracranial pressure
Photophobia
Sensitivity to light
Postconcussion Syndrome
The most secondary injury resulting from mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) in which the patient reports headaches, impaired cognition, and dizziness continue to occur for weeks to months after the initial brain injury
Ptosis
Eyelid drooping
Receptive Aphasia (Wernicke or Sensory)
Aphasia that is caused by injury involving the Wernicke area in the temporoparietal area. The patient cannot understand the spoken or written word. Although he or she may be able to talk, the language is often meaningless
Stroke
A neurologic health problem caused by interruption of perfusion to any part of the brain that results in infarction (cell death)
Stroke Center
An agency that is designated by The Joint Commission or other body for its ability to rapidly recognize and effectively treat strokes
Subdural Hematoma
An accumulation of blood (clot) that results from venous bleeding into the space beneath the dura and above the arachnoid
Thrombotic Stroke
A stroke that is caused by a thrombus
Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
A temporary neurologic dysfunction resulting from a brief interruption in cerebral blood flow
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Damage to the brain from an external mechanical force and not caused by neurodegenerative or congenital condition
Unilateral Neglect/Inattention
A client’s inability to recognize his or her physical impairment, especially on one side of the body
Vertigo
A feeling of spinning or dizziness