Nervous System Flashcards
cerebr/o (cerebr/o/tomy)
cerebrum
crani/o (crani/o/malacia)
cranium (skull)
encephal/o (encephal/o/cele)
brain
gangli/o (gangli/ectomy)
ganglion (knot or knotlike mass)
gli/o (gli/oma)
glue; neuroglial tissue
kinesi/o (brady/kines/ia)
movement
lept/o (lept/o/mening/o/pathy)
thin, slender
lex/o (dys/lex/ia)
word, phrase
mening/o (mening/o/cele)
meninges
meningi/o (meningi/oma)
meninges
myel/o (poli/o/myel/itis)
bone marrow; spinal cord
narc/o (narc/o/tic)
stupor; numbness; sleep
neur/o (neur/o/lysis)
nerve
radicul/o (radicul/algia)
nerve root
sthen/o (hyper/sthen/ia)
strength
thalam/o (thalam/o/tomy)
thalamus
thec/o (intra/thec/al)
sheath
ton/o (dys/ton/ia)
tension
ventricul/o (ventricul/itis)
ventricle
-algesia (an/algesia)
pain
algia (syn/algia)
pain
syn-
union, together, joined
-asthenia (my/asthenia)
weakness, debility
-esthesia (hyper/ethesia)
feeling
-kinesia (hyper/kinesia)
movement
-lepsy (narc/o/lepsy)
seizure
-paresis (hemi/paresis)
partial paralysis
-phasia (a/phasia)
speech
-plegia (quadri/plagia)
paralysis
-taxia (a/taxia)
order, coordination
pachy- (pachy/mening/itis)
thick
para- (para/plegia)
near, beside; beyond
agnosia
Inability to comprehend auditory, visual, spatial, olfactory, or other sensations, even though the sensory sphere is intact
“The type of agnosia is usually identified by the sense or senses affected, such as visual agnosia. Agnosia is common in parietal lobe tumors.”
“Alzheimer disease (AD)”
Type of age- associated dementia caused by small lesion called plaques that develop in the cerebral cortex and interrupt the passage of electrochemical signals between cells; and celled cerebral degeneration
“anencephaly”
Congenital deformity in which some or all of the fetal brain is missing
“In anencephaly, the infant is usually stillborn or dies shortly after birth. This deformity can be detected through amniocentesis or ultrasonography early in pregnancy.”
closed head trauma
Injury to the head in which the dura mater remains intact and brain tissue is not exposed
“In closed head trauma, the injury site may occur at the impact site, where the brain hits the inside of the skull (coup), or at the rebound site, where the opposite side of the brain strikes the skull (contrecoup).”
coma
Abnormally deep unconsciousness with an absence of voluntary response to stimuli
concussion
Traumatic injury to the brain that causes unconscoiousness and is commonly of a temporary nature
“Symptoms of concussion may include headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and blurred vision, but symptoms may not appear for days or weeks after the injury.”
convulsion
Any sudden and violent contraction of one or more voluntary muscles that is commonly associated with such brain disorders as epilepsy
dementia
Broad term that refers to cognitive deficit, including memory impairment
dyslexia
Inability to learn and process written language, despite adequate intelligence, sensory ability, and exposure
Guillain-Barré syndrome
Autoimmune condition that causes acute inflammation of the peripheral nerves damaging their myelin sheaths, resulting in decreased nerve impulses, loss of reflex response, and sudden muscle weakness; also called infective or idiopathic polyneuritis
herpes zoster
Acute inflammatory eruption of highly painful vesicles on the trunk of the body or, occasionally, the face that is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox; also called shingles
Huntington chorea
CNS disorder characterized by quick, involuntary movements, speech disturbances, and mental deterioration; also called neurodegenerative genetic disorder
“Onset of Huntington chorea commonly occurs between ages 30 and 50.”
“hydrocephalus”
“Accumulation of fluid in the ventricles of the brain, causing increased intracranial pressure (ICP), thinning of brain tissue, and separation of cranial bones
The two forms of hydrocephalus are acquired hydrocephalus, which occurs after birth, and congenital hydrocephalus, which occurs during fetal development and is found at birth.
“lethargy”
Abnormal inactivity or lack of response to normal stimuli
myasthenia gravis (MG)
Chronic, progressive disorder in which a loss of neurotransmitter receptors produces increasingly severe muscle weakness
spina bifida
Congenital deformity of the neural tube (embryonic structure that becomes the fetal brain and spinal cord), which fails to close during fetal development; also called neural tube defect
“The most common forms of spina bifida are meningocele, meningomyelocele, and occulta.”
“meningocele”
Form of spina bifida in which the spinal cord develops properly but the meninges protrude through the spine
myelomeningocele
Most severe form of spina bifida in which the spinal cord and meninges protrude through the spine
occulta
Form of spina bifida in which one or more vertebrae are malformed, and the spinal cord is covered with a layer of skin
“palsy”
Paralysis, usually partial, and commonly characterized by weakness and shaking or uncontrolled tremor
Facial paralysis caused by a functional disorder of the seventh cranial nerve; also called facial nerve palsy
“Bell palsy is commonly associated with herpes virus, but other viruses may be implicated. It is self-limiting and usually resolves spontaneously in 3–5 weeks.”
cerebral palsy (CP)
Type of paralysis that affects movement and muscle coordination and may affect gross and fine motor skills
“CP commonly occurs because of trauma to the brain before or during the birthing process.
“paralysis”
Loss of voluntary motion in one or more muscle groups with or without loss of sensation
paresthesia
Sensation of numbness, prickling, tingling, or heightened sensitivity
“Paresthesia can be caused by disorders affecting the central nervous system, such as stroke, transient ischemic attack, multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, and encephalitis.
Parkinson disease
Degenerative disorder in which the progressive loss of brain cells leads to impairment in motor function, including tremors, muscular rigidity, and a slowing of movement; also called paralysis agitans or shaking palsy
poliomyelitis
Inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord caused by a virus, commonly resulting in spinal and muscle deformity and paralysis
“Polio is preventable with standard vaccinations administered to children.”
radiculopathy
Disorder affecting one or more nerves at the location where the nerve root exits the spine and commonly the result of a herniated or compressed disk, degenerative changes, arthritis, or bone spurs; also called radiculitis.
Reye syndrome
Potentially fatal syndrome that commonly causes brain swelling and liver damage and is characterized by confusion, hyperventilation, violent behavior, seizures, and possibly coma; also called acute noninflammatory encephalopathy and fatty degenerative liver failure
“Reye syndrome primarily affects children and teenagers recovering from a viral infection, most commonly flu or chickenpox, especially when aspirin products have been used.”
syncope
Brief loss of consciousness and posture caused by a temporary decrease of blood flow to the brain; also called fainting
“Syncope may be associated with a sudden decrease in blood pressure, a decrease in heart rate, or changes in blood volume or distribution. The person usually regains consciousness and becomes alert right away but may experience a brief period of confusion.”
electroencephalography (EEG)
Recording of electrical activity in the brain, whose cells emit distinct patterns of rhythmic electrical impulses
electromyography (EMG)
Recording of electrical signals (action potentials) that occur in a muscle when it is at rest and during contraction to assess muscular disease or nerve damage
lumbar puncture (LP)
Needle puncture of the spinal cavity to extract spinal fluid for diagnostic purposes, introduce anesthetic agents into the spinal canal, or remove fluid to allow other fluids (such as radiopaque substances) to be injected; also called spinal puncture and spinal tap
nerve conduction velocity (NCV)
Test that measures the speed at which impulses travel through a nerve
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis
Laboratory test to examine a sample of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord that helps diagnose disorders of the central nervous system, including viral and bacterial infections, tumors, and hemorrhage
computed tomography angiography (CTA, CT angiography)
Radiographic image of the interior of a vessel in combination with a CT scan to produce high-resolution, three-dimensional images of blood vessels
discography
CT scan of the lumbar region after injection of a contrast medium to detect problems with the spine and spinal nerve roots
echoencephalography
Ultrasound technique used to study intracranial structures of the brain and diagnose conditions that cause a shift in the midline structures of the brain
magnetic source imaging (MSI)
Noninvasive neuroimaging technique to pinpoint the specific location where seizure activity originates and enable custom surgical treatment for tumor and epileptic tissue resection; also called magnetoencephalography (MEG)
myelography
Radiographic examination to detect pathology of the spinal cord, including the location of a spinal cord injury, cysts, and tumors following injection of a contrast medium
positron emission tomography (PET)
Computed tomography that records the positrons (positively charged particles) emitted from a radiopharmaceutical and produces a cross-sectional image of metabolic activity of body tissues to determine the presence of disease
cryosurgery
Technique that exposes abnormal tissue to extreme cold to destroy it
thalamotomy
Partial destruction of the thalamus to treat intractable pain; involuntary movements, including tremors in Parkinson disease; or emotional disturbances
tractotomy
Transection of a nerve tract in the brainstem or spinal cord
trephination
Technique that cuts a circular opening into the skull to reveal brain tissue and decrease intracranial pressure
ventriculoperitoneal shunting
Relieves intracranial pressure due to hydrocephalus by diverting (shunting) excess cerebrospinal fluid from the ventricles into the peritoneal or thoracic cavity
intravenous (IV) tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)
Treatment for ischemic stroke using tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a potent clot-busting drug, injected directly into a vein
plasmapheresis
Extracorporeal procedure to treat patients with autoimmune diseases by removing their plasma containing the offending antibodies and replacing it with donor plasma or plasma substitutes
stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)
Procedure that uses three-dimensional imaging (stereotactic) along with high doses of highly focused radiation to destroy tumors and other abnormal growths in the brain, spinal column, and other body sites with minimal exposure to surrounding healthy tissue
