nervous system disorders Flashcards
multiple sclerosis (MS)
slowly progressing degenerative disease characterized by demyelination of the nerve fibers of brain and spinal cord; MS slows the impulse being transmitted along axon due to lesions that eventually block the impulse altogether
encephal/o
brain
cerebr/o
cerebrum
cerebell/o
cerebellum
Epilepsy
group of CNS disorders that involve abnormal discharge of electrical activity from the nerve cells of the cerebral cortex; sudden burst of activity from neurons result in seizures may cause sensory distubances, involuntary contractions and syncope
syncope
fainting
concussion
brief loss of consciousness as a result of an injury to the head
glioblastoma
malignant brain tumour arising from glial cells (-blatoma= immature tumour)
Alzheimer Disease (AD)
a brain disorder marked by deterioration of mental capacity (dementia)
myelin sheath
structure that covers the axons of some nerves in the body; in MS this slowly gets destroyed and replaced with plaques of hard (sclerotic) tissue;
cerebrovascular accident (CVA) (aka stroke, brain attack)
abnormal condition of the brain characterized by ischemia of the brain tissues as a result of occlusion by thrombosis, embolism or cerebrovascular hemorrhage; symptoms include weakness, paraylsis, speech defect, aphagia, sensory changes
transient ischemic attack (TIA)
a brief, sudden episode of cerebrovascular deficiency; commonly associated with partial occlusion of an artery; causes impaired vision, dizziness, numbness, weakness or syncope
hemiplegia
paralysis experienced on only one side of body
paraplegia
paralysis affecting lower half of body
CT
shows cross sections of x-ray images of the brain
cerebral angiography
x-ray images are taken of blood vessels within the cerebrum with help of contrast material injected into artery
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
fluid that flows through and protects four ventricles of the brain, the spinal canal and the subarachnoid spaces
CSF anaylsis
fluid withdrawn by inserting needle into spinal cavity during lumbar puncture (LP)
Seizure
hyperstimulation of neurons in the brain resulting in sudden violent uncontrollable series of contractions of a group of muscles
Electroencephalography (EEG)
records electrical activity within the brain
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
used to identify areas of ischemia in the brain
Stereotactic radiosurgery
locating a target in brain, then using high energy radiation beam (gamma knife) to destroy the tissue
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS)
delivers stimulation to nerves to relieve acute and chronic pain
physical therapy
help to recover and regain abilities
