Neurology Terms Flashcards
Dyskinesia
Difficulty or abnormality in performing voluntary muscle movements
Impairment in ability to control movements
Characterized by spasmodic or repetitive motions or lack or coordination
Fragmented or jerky
Bradykinesia
Slow movement
Slowness in the execution of movement
Akinesia
Inability to initiate movement
Due to problems selecting and activating motor programs in the brain
Chorea
From Greek word “to dance”
Brief irregular contractions not repetitive or rhythmic, but appear to flow from one muscle to another
Occurs without conscious effort
Rigidity
An increase in resistance to passive movement
Responsible for characteristic flexed position
Slowness of voluntary movement (Swinging of the arms while walking)
Voluntary action may be briefly regained during an emergency (Patient is able to leap aside to avoid oncoming motor vehicle)
Ballism
Severe chorea
Slight movements become thrashing motions
Odd postures
Leg movements
Dysarthria
any of certain disorders of articulation caused by impairment of the muscles used in speech, such as stammering or stuttering, caused by a nerve defect.
Allodynia
condition in which an ordinarily painless stimulus is experienced as being painful
Akathisia
motor restlessness; inability to sit still
Cataplexy
sudden loss of postural tone, often triggered by an emotional stimulus and resulting in falls to the floor; seen in narcolepsy.
Cogwheeling
ratchety movement due to superimposition of tremor on rigidity
Facial masking (hypomimia)
decreased facial expression due to rigidity of facial muscles
Fasciculation
spontaneous firing of an axon resulting in a visible twitch of all the muscle fibers it contacts; indicative of denervation
Korsakoff syndrome
chronic phase of thiamine deficiency characterized by impairment in establishing new memories and retrieving previous memories, occurring most commonly in alcoholics
Freezing
sudden, brief cessation of movement; common in Parkinsons disease
Festination
an involuntary tendency to take short accelerating steps in walking that can occur in Parkinsons disease
Myoclonus
sudden, shock-like, jerking contraction of a group of muscles
Oculogyric crisis
acute dystonic reaction to neuroleptic drugs manifested by sudden sustained twisting of the head and upward deviation of the eyes; responsive to anticholinergic or antihistamine medications
on-off phenomenon
sudden, unpredictable changes in motor performance by patients on levodopa therapy
Penumbra
area surrounding the dense core of irreversibly damaged cells that has preserved ionic homeostasis and reduced neuronal electrical activity but that is capable of recovery
Tardive
symptoms that develop slowly or appear long after inception, e.g., tardive dyskinesia occurring after chronic exposure to dopamine antagonists
Tic
repetitive, stereotyped, simple or complex movements that can be voluntarily suppressed for short periods of time (e.g., eye blinking or throat clearing)
Torticollis
form of dystonia in which the neck muscles contract involuntarily, causing the head to turn
Wearing off phenomenon
waning of the effects of a dose of levodopa prior to the scheduled time for the next dose, resulting in decreased motor performance
Fluent aphasia (Wernicke’s or receptive aphasia)
impairment of language comprehension including impaired repetition due to lesion of the posterior left superior temporal gyrus
Athetosis
Twisting and writhing movements
Dystonia
Sustained muscle contractions causing twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures.
Oromandibular dystonia
Muscle of jaw and tongue
Distortion of mouth and tongue
Blepharispasm
Muscles around the eyes
Repetitive blinking
Spastic dystonia
Muscles of the larynx
Voice is broke or whispered
