Essentials of Medical Language - Chapter 10: The Nervous System and Mental Health

Comprehensive practice flashcards defining foundational anatomical divisions, word elements, disorders, diagnostic procedures, and psychiatric terminology presented in Chapter 10: The Nervous System and Mental Health.

Central nervous system (CNS)

The primary division of the nervous system consisting of the brain and the spinal cord.

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

The division of the nervous system consisting of all nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, including cranial nerves and spinal nerves.

Sensory division (PNS)

The division of the peripheral nervous system that carries afferent sensory impulses toward the central nervous system; consists of visceral and somatic nerves.

Motor division (PNS)

The division of the peripheral nervous system that carries efferent motor commands away from the central nervous system; includes the autonomic nervous system and the somatic motor division.

SAME

A mnemonic representing the primary nervous signal pathways: Sensory is Afferent, and Motor is Efferent.

Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

The involuntary branch of the peripheral motor division that regulates internal organ function; subdivided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions.

Sympathetic division

A subdivision of the autonomic nervous system responsible for activating the body's fight-or-flight responses.

Parasympathetic division

A subdivision of the autonomic nervous system that conserves energy and maintains body functions under resting conditions (rest and digest).

Functions of the nervous system

The five fundamental roles of the nervous system: sensory input, motor output, evaluation and integration, homeostasis, and mental activity.

neur

Medical root element meaning nerve.

sens

Medical root element meaning feeling or sensation.

surg

Medical root element meaning operate or surgery.

epilept

Medical root element meaning seizure.

nerv

Medical root element derived from Latin meaning nerve.

Neurologic

Term deconstructed into the elements neur/o- (combining form for nerve), -log- (root meaning study of), and -ic (suffix meaning pertaining to).

Electroencephalograph

Term deconstructed into the elements electr/o- (combining form for electricity), -encephal/o- (combining form for brain), and -graph (suffix meaning instrument for recording).

Electroneurodiagnostic

Term deconstructed into the elements electr/o- (electricity), -neur/o- (nerve), -diagnost- (decision/distinguishing), and -ic (pertaining to).

Afferent

Latin-derived term denoting nerve impulses directed inward or toward the central nervous system.

Efferent

Latin-derived term denoting nerve impulses directed outward or away from the central nervous system to effector organs.

Neuron

The functional cellular unit of the nervous system specialized for impulse conduction, consisting of dendrites, a cell body, and an axon.

Dendrites

Branching cellular processes of a neuron that receive incoming signals; these make up gray matter.

Axons

Elongated nerve fibers that carry outgoing electrical impulses away from the neuronal cell body; these bundle together to form white matter.

Gray matter

Nervous tissue composed largely of neuronal cell bodies, dendrites, and unmyelinated synapses.

White matter

Nervous tissue composed predominantly of myelinated axons, named for its whitish appearance.

Myelin

A lipid-rich insulating sheath surrounding many nerve fibers that accelerates impulse transmission.

Synapse

The anatomical junction across which a nerve impulse passes from an axon terminal to a neighboring neuron or muscle cell.

Neuroglia

Non-neuronal supporting and protective cells of the nervous system (derived from the Greek root glia, meaning glue).

Neurotransmitter

A chemical messenger released at a synapse to transmit, amplify, or modulate signals between neurons or effector cells.

Cerebrum

The largest division of the brain consisting of two cerebral hemispheres divided into frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes.

Cerebellum

The brain division situated inferior and posterior to the cerebrum, responsible for motor coordination and balance.

Brainstem

The brain region connecting the cerebrum and diencephalon with the spinal cord, controlling critical autonomic functions.

Frontal lobe

Anterior lobe of each cerebral hemisphere involved in motor control, executive functioning, planning, and personality.

Parietal lobe

Cerebral lobe located superior to the occipital lobe and posterior to the frontal lobe, primarily processing somatic sensations.

Temporal lobe

Lateral lobe of the cerebrum involved in hearing, language processing, and memory.

Occipital lobe

The posterior lobe of each cerebral hemisphere dedicated to visual processing.

Ventricles

A communicating system of fluid-filled cavities located within the brain that produce and circulate cerebrospinal fluid.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

The clear, protective fluid circulating through the brain ventricles, subarachnoid space, and central canal of the spinal cord.

Thalamus

A central cerebral relay station that processes and routes sensory information to the cerebral cortex.

Hypothalamus

Brain region situated beneath the thalamus that links the nervous and endocrine systems and regulates autonomic balance, temperature, hunger, and thirst.

Gyrus

A rounded elevation or fold on the surface of the cerebral cortex.

Sulcus

A shallow groove or furrow separating the gyri of the cerebral cortex.

Pons

A Latin-derived term (meaning bridge) describing the part of the brainstem connecting the medulla oblongata with the midbrain.

Cranial nerves study hint

Mnemonic sentence used to memorize the twelve cranial nerves in order: 'Oh, once one takes the anatomy final, very good vacations are heavenly!'

Spinal cord regions

The four anatomical segments of the spinal cord: cervical (C1 to C8), thoracic (T1 to T10/T12), lumbar (L1 to L5), and sacral (S1 to S5).

Meninges

The three protective membrane envelopes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, consisting of the dura mater, arachnoid mater, and pia mater.

Dura mater

The tough, fibrous, outermost layer of the meninges lining the inside of the skull and vertebral canal.

Arachnoid mater

The web-like intermediate layer of the meninges located beneath the dura mater.

Pia mater

The thin, vascular, innermost layer of the meninges that adheres tightly to the surface of the brain and spinal cord.

Subarachnoid space

The fluid-filled space between the arachnoid mater and pia mater containing cerebrospinal fluid and major blood vessels.

Epidural

Pertaining to the space above or external to the dura mater.

Dementia

A chronic progressive mental disorder characterized by cognitive decline and memory loss; types include senile, Alzheimer disease, vascular, and frontotemporal dementia.

Alzheimer disease

A progressive degenerative brain disease characterized radiographically by significant cerebral atrophy and shrunken brain mass compared to a normal brain.

Delirium

An acute, fluctuating state of confusion and cognitive disturbance often accompanied by hallucinations.

Status epilepticus

A medical emergency characterized by a persistent seizure lasting longer than 5 minutes or repeated seizures without recovery of consciousness between them.

Tourette syndrome

A neurological disorder characterized by involuntary, recurring, sudden body movements (motor tics) and vocal utterances.

Narcolepsy

A chronic sleep disorder characterized by sudden, irresistible, and uncontrollable daytime episodes of falling asleep.

Ictal

Pertaining to or caused by a seizure or acute stroke attack.

Postictal

The transient altered state of consciousness and confusion that occurs immediately following a seizure.

Tonic-clonic seizure

A generalized seizure (formerly grand mal) marked by an initial phase of muscle rigidity (tonic) followed by violent rhythmic contractions (clonic).

Atonic

Pertaining to a temporary lack or complete loss of normal muscle tone, as seen in atonic 'drop' seizures.

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

Commonly termed a stroke; damage to brain tissue caused by interruption of cerebral blood supply through ischemic or hemorrhagic events.

Embolus

A blood clot, air bubble, or piece of foreign debris traveling through the bloodstream that lodges in a vessel and causes an arterial occlusion.

Transient ischemic attack (TIA)

A brief episode of neurological dysfunction caused by focal brain ischemia without permanent tissue infarction; often called a mini-stroke.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)

A rapid, fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by infectious prions; human counterpart to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

Syncope

Temporary loss of consciousness and postural tone caused by transient insufficient blood flow to the brain (fainting).

Traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Damage to the brain resulting from external physical force, presenting in forms such as coup, contrecoup, contusion, concussion, or shaken baby syndrome (SBS).

Coup and contrecoup

Mechanisms of closed head injury where tissue damage occurs directly at the point of impact (coup) and on the directly opposite side of the brain as it recoils within the skull (contrecoup).

Subdural hematoma

A collection of blood occurring between the inner surface of the dura mater and the arachnoid mater.

Epidural hematoma

A collection of blood pooling between the skull bones and the tough outer dura mater.

Meningitis

Inflammation of the protective meninges covering the brain and spinal cord, often caused by bacterial or viral infection.

Bell palsy

Unilateral facial muscle paralysis resulting from temporary dysfunction or inflammation of the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII).

Trigeminal neuralgia

A chronic pain disorder characterized by severe, sharp, episodic facial pain along the distribution of the trigeminal cranial nerve; also termed tic douloureux.

Acoustic neuroma

A benign, slow-growing tumor originating on the vestibulocochlear cranial nerve (CN VIII) that causes hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance impairment.

Demyelination

The destruction or loss of the protective myelin sheath surrounding nerve fibers in the central or peripheral nervous system.

Multiple sclerosis (MS)

A chronic autoimmune disease characterized by demyelination and plaque formation along nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord.

Paresthesia

An abnormal sensation of prickling, tingling, or numbness in the skin caused by nerve damage or compression.

Syringomyelia

A disorder characterized by the development of a fluid-filled cyst or cavity (syrinx) within the spinal cord.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

A progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease that destroys the motor neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord.

Mononeuropathy

Damage or dysfunction localized to a single peripheral nerve, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar nerve palsy, or peroneal nerve palsy.

Teratogen

An external agent or factor (such as a drug, chemical, or virus) that causes malformation of an embryo or fetus during gestation.

Anencephaly

A severe congenital birth defect characterized by the absence of a major portion of the brain, skull, and scalp (elements: an- [without], -enceph- [brain], -aly [condition]).

Hydrocephalus

An abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the cerebral ventricles leading to increased intracranial pressure (elements: hydr/o- [water], -cephal- [head], -us [condition]).

Meningocele

A congenital sac-like protrusion of the meninges through an opening in the skull or vertebral column (elements: mening/o- [meninges], -cele [herniation/swelling]).

Cerebral palsy (CP)

A group of nonprogressive congenital motor disorders resulting from damage to the developing brain, categorized by limb involvement: monoplegia, paraplegia, quadriplegia, or hemiplegia.

Monoplegia

Paralysis affecting only a single limb or muscle group.

Paraplegia

Paralysis affecting the lower half of the body, including both legs.

Quadriplegia

Paralysis affecting all four limbs and the torso below the neck.

Hemiplegia

Total paralysis affecting one lateral half of the body.

Hemiparesis

Muscular weakness or partial loss of strength affecting one lateral half of the body.

Ataxia

Inability to coordinate voluntary muscle movements, leading to an unsteady gait (adjective: ataxic).

Athetosis

A continuous stream of slow, involuntary, writhing movements, especially of the hands and feet (adjective: athetoid).

Spasm

A sudden, involuntary muscle contraction or convulsive movement (adjective: spastic).

Lumbar puncture

A diagnostic procedure in which a needle is inserted into the subarachnoid space of the lumbar spine to collect cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Electroencephalography (EEG)

A noninvasive diagnostic test that records the electrical activity of the brain using scalp electrodes.

Craniotomy

A surgical operation in which a bone flap is temporarily removed from the skull to access brain tissue.

Carotid endarterectomy

A surgical procedure performed to remove atherosclerotic plaque from the carotid artery to prevent strokes.

Deep brain stimulation

A therapeutic neurosurgical procedure involving the implantation of electrodes within targeted brain areas to deliver electrical impulses.

Psychiatry

The branch of medicine practiced by physicians specializing in the diagnosis, medical management, and prevention of mental health disorders.

Psychology

The non-medical scientific discipline dedicated to the study of the mind, emotional processes, and human behavior.

Psychosis

A severe mental disorder characterized by loss of contact with external reality, typically presenting with delusions and hallucinations.