SF: Terms

Question 1

Aphasia

Answer 1

the partial or total inability to produce and understand speech as a result of brain damage caused by injury or disease

Question 2

Agnosia

Answer 2

the total or partial loss of the ability to recognize familiar people or objects, usually caused by brain damage.

Question 3

Areflexia

Answer 3

absence of the reflexes

Question 4

Ataxia

Answer 4

the inability to coordinate the movements of muscles

Question 5

Autonomic dysreflexia

Answer 5

sudden onset of excessively high blood pressure, a reaction of the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system to overstimulation

Question 6

Bradykinesia

Answer 6

Extreme slowness in movement

Question 7

Brudzinski’s sign

Answer 7

Severe neck stiffness causes a patient’s hips and knees to flex when the neck is flexed.

Question 8

Clonus

Answer 8

is a series of involuntary, rhythmic, muscular contractions and relaxations

Question 9

Cogwheel rigidity

Answer 9

tension in a muscle that gives way in little jerks when the muscle is passively stretched.

Question 10

Decerebrate rigidity

Answer 10

a posture found in those with lesions of the upper part of the brainstem or severe bilateral lesions of the cerebrum;
the patient lies in rigid extension with the arms internally rotated at the shoulders, elbows, knees, and hips extended, and fingers, ankles, and toes flexed. The jaw may be clenched with the neck hyperextended

Question 11

Decorticate rigidity

Answer 11

abnormal flexor posturing of the limbs, indicative of a lesion in the cerebral hemispheres or disruption of the corticospinal tracts. The patient exhibits bilateral adduction of the shoulders, pronation and flexion of the elbows and wrists, and extension, internal rotation, and plantar flexion of the lower extremities

Question 12

Diplopia

Answer 12

double vision

Question 13

Dysarthria

Answer 13

difficulty in speaking caused by a lack of muscle control

Question 14

Dysphagia

Answer 14

difficulty in swallowing

Question 15

Dystonia

Answer 15

involuntary muscle spasm and twisting of the limbs

Question 16

Kernig’s sign

Answer 16

positive when the thigh is bent at the hip and knee at 90 degree angles, and subsequent extension in the knee is painful (leading to resistance)

Question 17

Hemianopsia, or hemianopia

Answer 17

a decreased vision or blindness (anopsia) in half the visual field, usually on one side

Question 18

Hemiparesis

Answer 18

weakness of the entire left or right side of the body, caused by different medical conditions, including congenital causes, trauma, tumors, or stroke.

Question 19

Hemiplegia

Answer 19

complete paralysis of half of the body

Question 20

Hyperreflexia

Answer 20

exaggerated deep tendon reflexes, characteristic of neurological disease involving the upper motor neurons

Question 21

Neurogenic shock

Answer 21

A type of shock in which there is insufficient blood flow throughout the body, caused by the sudden loss of signals from the sympathetic nervous system that maintain the normal muscle tone in blood vessel walls

Question 22

Normotensive

Answer 22

normal blood pressure

Question 23

Nuchal rigidity

Answer 23

the inability to flex the neck forward due to rigidity of the neck muscles

Question 24

Paresis

Answer 24

muscular weakness or partial inability to move caused by disease of the nervous system. Paresis often used to describe weakness, and plegia to describe paralysis

Question 25

Ptosis

Answer 25

drooping or falling of the upper eyelid

Question 26

Spinal shock

Answer 26

a loss of sensation accompanied by motor paralysis

Question 27

Tachycardia

Answer 27

a heart rate that exceeds the normal resting rate

Question 28

Tachypnea

Answer 28

rapid shallow breathing, pathophysiological causes, tachypnea can be a symptom of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Question 29

Tinnitus

Answer 29

a continual noise in the ear, e.g. a ringing or roaring, usually caused by damage to the hair cells of the inner ear and

Question 30

Tonic-clonic seizures

Answer 30

Tonic phase -The patient will quickly lose consciousness, and the skeletal muscles will suddenly tense
Clonic - The patient’s muscles will start to contract and relax rapidly, causing convulsions.