Neurology Terms

Question 1

Dyskinesia

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Bradykinesia

Answer 2

Slow movement

Slowness in the execution of movement

Question 3

Akinesia

Answer 3

Inability to initiate movement

Due to problems selecting and activating motor programs in the brain

Question 4

Chorea

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Rigidity

Answer 5

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)

Question 6

Ballism

Answer 6

Severe chorea
Slight movements become thrashing motions
Odd postures
Leg movements

Question 7

Dysarthria

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

Allodynia

Answer 8

condition in which an ordinarily painless stimulus is experienced as being painful

Question 9

Akathisia

Answer 9

motor restlessness; inability to sit still

Question 10

Cataplexy

Answer 10

sudden loss of postural tone, often triggered by an emotional stimulus and resulting in falls to the floor; seen in narcolepsy.

Question 11

Cogwheeling

Answer 11

ratchety movement due to superimposition of tremor on rigidity

Question 12

Facial masking (hypomimia)

Answer 12

decreased facial expression due to rigidity of facial muscles

Question 13

Fasciculation

Answer 13

spontaneous firing of an axon resulting in a visible twitch of all the muscle fibers it contacts; indicative of denervation

Question 14

Korsakoff syndrome

Answer 14

chronic phase of thiamine deficiency characterized by impairment in establishing new memories and retrieving previous memories, occurring most commonly in alcoholics

Question 15

Freezing

Answer 15

sudden, brief cessation of movement; common in Parkinsons disease

Question 16

Festination

Answer 16

an involuntary tendency to take short accelerating steps in walking that can occur in Parkinsons disease

Question 17

Myoclonus

Answer 17

sudden, shock-like, jerking contraction of a group of muscles

Question 18

Oculogyric crisis

Answer 18

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

Question 19

on-off phenomenon

Answer 19

sudden, unpredictable changes in motor performance by patients on levodopa therapy

Question 20

Penumbra

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Tardive

Answer 21

symptoms that develop slowly or appear long after inception, e.g., tardive dyskinesia occurring after chronic exposure to dopamine antagonists

Question 22

Tic

Answer 22

repetitive, stereotyped, simple or complex movements that can be voluntarily suppressed for short periods of time (e.g., eye blinking or throat clearing)

Question 23

Torticollis

Answer 23

form of dystonia in which the neck muscles contract involuntarily, causing the head to turn

Question 24

Wearing off phenomenon

Answer 24

waning of the effects of a dose of levodopa prior to the scheduled time for the next dose, resulting in decreased motor performance

Question 25

Fluent aphasia (Wernicke’s or receptive aphasia)

Answer 25

impairment of language comprehension including impaired repetition due to lesion of the posterior left superior temporal gyrus

Question 26

Athetosis

Answer 26

Twisting and writhing movements

Question 27

Dystonia

Answer 27

Sustained muscle contractions causing twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures.

Question 28

Oromandibular dystonia

Answer 28

Muscle of jaw and tongue

Distortion of mouth and tongue

Question 29

Blepharispasm

Answer 29

Muscles around the eyes

Repetitive blinking

Question 30

Spastic dystonia

Answer 30

Muscles of the larynx

Voice is broke or whispered