What happens when the brain misbehaves?

Question 1

Lewy body

Answer 1

Circular fibrous structure found in several neurodegenerative disorders; forms within the cytoplasm of neurons and is thought to result from abnormal neurofilament metabolism.

Question 2

cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

Answer 2

Problem-focused, action-oriented, structured, treatment for eliminating dysfunctional thoughts and maladaptive behaviors.

Question 2

DSM

Answer 2

Abbreviation of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the American Psychiatric Association’s classification system for psychiatric disorders.

Question 3

phenylketonuria (PKU)

Answer 3

Behavioral disorder caused by elevated levels of the amino acid phenylalanine in the blood and resulting from a defect in the gene for the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase; the major symptom is severe mental retardation.

Question 3

type II schizophrenia

Answer 3

Disorder characterized by negative symptoms (behavioral deficits) and associated with chronic affliction, poor prognosis, poor response to neuroleptics, cognitive impairments, enlarged ventricles, and cortical atrophy, particularly in the frontal cortex.

Question 4

diaschisis

Answer 4

Neural shock that follows brain damage in which areas connected to the site of damage show a temporary arrest of function.

Question 4

focal seizure

Answer 4

Seizure that begins locally (at a focus) and then spreads out to adjacent areas.

Question 4

grand mal seizure

Answer 4

Seizure characterized by loss of consciousness and stereotyped motor activity.

Question 5

automatism

Answer 5

Unconscious, repetitive, stereo-typed movement characteristic of seizure.

Question 7

bipolar disorder

Answer 7

Mood disorder characterized by periods of depression alternating with normal periods and periods of intense excitation, or mania.

Question 7

postictal depression

Answer 7

Postseizure state of confusion and reduced affect.

Question 8

dementia

Answer 8

Acquired and persistent syndrome of intellectual impairment characterized by memory and other cognitive deficits and impairment in social and occupational functioning.

Question 8

neuropsychoanalysis

Answer 8

Movement within neuroscience and psychoanalysis to combine the insights of both to yield a unified understanding of mind and brain.

Question 9

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Answer 9

Syndrome characterized by physiological arousal symptoms brought on by recurring memories and dreams related to a traumatic event for months or years after the event.

Question 10

catatonic posture

Answer 10

Rigid or frozen pose resulting from a psychomotor disturbance.

Question 11

magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)

Answer 11

Modification of MRI to identify changes in specific markers of neuronal function; promising for accurate diagnosis of traumatic brain injuries.

Question 13

cognitive enhancement

Answer 13

Brain-function enhancement by pharmacological, physiological, or surgical manipulation.

Question 14

type I schizophrenia

Answer 14

type I schizophrenia

Question 16

deep brain stimulation (DBS)

Answer 16

Neurosurgery in which electrodes implanted in the brain stimulate a targeted area with a low-voltage electrical current to facilitate behavior.

Question 17

real-time fMRI (rt-fMRI)

Answer 17

Behavior-modification technique in which individuals learn to change their behavior by controlling their own patterns of brain activation.

Question 18

ischemia

Answer 18

Lack of blood to the brain as a result of stroke.

Question 19

petit mal seizure

Answer 19

Seizure of brief duration, characterized by loss of awareness with no motor activity except for blinking, turning the head, or rolling the eyes.

Question 20

neuroprotectant

Answer 20

Drug used to try to block the cascade of poststroke neural events.

Question 21

symptomatic seizure

Answer 21

Identified with a specific cause, such as infection, trauma, tumor, vascular malformation, toxic chemicals, very high fever, or other neurological disorders.

Question 22

tardive dyskinesia

Answer 22

Inability to stop the tongue or other body parts from moving; motor side effect of neuroleptic drugs.

Question 24

cognitive therapy

Answer 24

Psychotherapy based on the perspective that thoughts intervene between events and emotions, and thus the treatment of emotional disorders requires changing maladaptive patterns of thinking.

Question 25

virtual-reality (VR) exposure therapy

Answer 25

Controlled, virtual-immersion environment that, by allowing individuals to relive traumatic events, gradually desensitizes them to stress.

Question 27

behavioral therapy

Answer 27

Treatment that applies learning principles, such as conditioning, to eliminate unwanted behaviors.

Question 28

psychotherapy

Answer 28

Talking therapy derived from Freudian psychoanalysis and other psychological interventions.

Question 30

akathesia

Answer 30

Small, involuntary movements or changes in posture; motor restlessness.

Question 31

chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

Answer 31

Progressive degenerative disease caused by multiple concussions and other closed-head injuries, characterized by neurofibrillary tangles, plaques, and cerebral atrophy and expanded ventricles due to cell loss.

Question 32

festination

Answer 32

Tendency to engage in a behavior, such as walking, at faster and faster speeds.

Question 33

HPA axis

Answer 33

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal circuit that controls the production and release of hormones related to stress.

Question 34

idiopathic seizure

Answer 34

Appears spontaneously and in the absence of other diseases of the central nervous system.

Question 35

mania

Answer 35

Disordered mental state of extreme excitement.

Question 36

autoimmune disease

Answer 36

Illness resulting from the loss of the immune system’s ability to discriminate between foreign pathogens in the body and the body itself.