Agnosia
A condition of not knowing. The inability to recognize sensory stimuli. Color agnosia is the inability to recognize colors. Visual agnosia is the inability to recognize objects even though vision is intact.
Agraphia
An acquired condition of impaired/absent writing ability
Akinesia
A state of lowered motor activity
Alcoholism
Physical dependence on alcohol to the extent that stopping alcohol use will bring on withdrawal symptoms. In popular and therapeutic parlance, the term may also be used to refer to ingrained drinking habits that cause health or social problems. Treatment requires first ending the physical dependence, then making lifestyle changes that help the individual avoid relapse . In some cases, medication or hospitalization are needed. Alcohol dependence can have many serious effects on the brain , liver , and other organs of the body.
Alzheimer's disease
A dementia characterized by progressive mental impairment and the presence of excess neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques.
Aneurysm
A weak wall in a vein or artery that balloons out and may hemorrhage, resulting in the destruction of nearby brain tissue.
Angiogram
A series of images taken in rapid succession that can show the blood vessels in the brain, or other areas of the body, after the area has been injected with radiopaque material
Anomia
Word-finding problems
Aphasia
An acquired inability to use language. Aphasia can be expressive (sometimes called Broca's), receptive (sometimes called Wernicke's) or a combination of both.
Apraxia
An acquired inability to perform complex motor skills.
Arterioschlerotic Disease
Buildup of fatty deposits on the inner walls of blood vessels
Ataxia
Impaired muscle coordination. Movement, especially walking, is clumsy and appears uncertain.
Atrophy
Shrinkage of brain tissue
Attention
The ability to focus selectively on a selected stimulus, sustaining that focus and shifting it at will. The ability to concentrate.
Bradykinesis
A motor disorder resulting from rigidity of muscles and is characterized by poor fine motor control and halting movements. Often seen in Parkinson’s disease.
Brain
That part of the central nervous system that is located within the cranium ( skull ). The brain functions as the primary receiver, organizer and distributor of information for the body. It has two (right and left) halves called "hemispheres."
Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)
A stroke. Can be caused by either a disruption of blood flow (ischemic CVA) or a rupture of an aneurysm (hemorrhagic CVA)
Confabulation
Persons with severe S TM problems may unconsciously “fill in the gaps” in their memory with fantastic stories that generally bear little resemblance to the truth.
Contusion
A bruise (on the brain). Often the result of head injury.
Corpus Callosum
The brain structure that allows the right and left hemispheres to communicate.
Delerium
A sudden, global impairment of cognition. It is usually caused by either metabolic disturbances or medication side effects. It is usually reversible.
Dementia
Significant loss of intellectual abilities such as memory capacity, severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning.
Depression
An illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts, that affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things. A depressive disorder is not the same as a passing blue mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be wished away. People with a depressive disease cannot merely "pull themselves together" and get better. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people with depression.
Diagnosis
The identification of any problem.
Dysarthria
Difficulty in the motor aspects of speech. Language skills may be intact.
Dysphagia
Swallowing difficulties.
Edema
Accumulation of fluid in a body space. In the brain, may cause neural damage or death.
EEG:
Electroencephalogram, a technique for studying the electrical current within the brain. Electrodes are attached to the scalp. Wires attach these electrodes to a machine which records the electrical impulses. The results are either printed out or displayed on a computer screen. Electroencephalogram is abbreviated EEG.
Embolus
An object such as a blood clot or air bubble which becomes stuck in a blood vessel and causes a blockage of flow.
Encephalitis
Inflammation of the brain
Fronto-temporal dementia
Dementias caused by the damage to frontal lobe and temporal lobe areas. Usually in reference to Pick's Disease
Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus is an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles of the brain. The fluid is often under increased pressure and can compress and damage the brain.
Ischemia
Local deficiency of blood
Lewy Body Dementia
A type of dementia characterized by fluctuating confusion, delusions, visual hallucinations, and Parkinson’s like motor problems. There are “lewy bodies” throughout the cortex and subcortical nuclei.
Lability
State of being unstable or changeable
Lumbar
Referring to the 5 which are situated below the and above the in the spinal column. The 5 lumbar vertebrae are represented by the symbols L1 through L5. There are correspondingly 5 lumbar nerves.
Memory
The ability to recover information about past events or knowledge
Meninges
The three coverings of the brain
Micrographia
Tiny handwriting. Often seen with seizure disorders and CVA's
Motor
In medicine, having to do with the movement of a part of the body. Something that produces motion or refers to motion. For example, a motor neuron is a nerve cell that conveys an impulse to a muscle causing it to contract. The term "motor" today is also applied to a nerve that signals a gland to secrete. Motor is as opposed to sensory.
MRI
Abbreviation and nickname for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Multiple sclerosis
Abbreviated MS. A disease of the central nervous system (CNS) marked by numbness, weakness, loss of muscle coordination, and problems with vision, speech, and bladder control. MS is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks myelin, a key substance that serves as a nerve insulator and helps in the transmission of nerve signals. The progress, severity and specific symptoms in MS are unpredictable One never knows when attacks will occur, how long they will last, or how severe they will be. Most people with MS are characteristic between the ages of 20 and 40 at the time of diagnosis. The term "multiple" refers to the multiple places in the CNS that are affected and to the multiple relapses and remissions
Nystagmus
Spasmodic movement of the eyes
Paraphasia
Verbal output is disturbed. For instance, one may say the word “mendentia” for dementia or may substitute a word in the same class, i.e. “socks” for shoes
Parkinson's disease
Disease which affects the motor functions resulting in tremors and gait disturbances. There may or may not be cognitive deficits.
Schizophrenia
One of several brain diseases whose symptoms that may include loss of personality (flat affect), agitation, catatonia, confusion, psychosis , unusual behavior, and withdrawal. The illness usually begins in early adulthood.
Side effects
Problems that occur when treatment goes beyond the desired effect. Or problems that occur in addition
Subdural hematoma
A collection of blood between the skull and the brain that can lead to memory problems and loss of consciousness
Toxicity
The degree to which a substance can harm humans or animals
Ventricles
Spaces within the brain, CSF circulates
Vertigo
The sensation of spinning.
