Med Term Chapter 10: The Nervous System and Mental Health

caus/o

burning, burn

myel/o

spinal cord

cerebr/o

cerebrum, brain

concuss/o

shaken together, violently agitated

contus/o

bruise

encephal/o

brain

-esthesia

sensation, feeling

esthet/o

feeling, nervous sensation, sense of perception

-mania

madness

mening/o

membranes, meninges

neur/i, neur/o

nerve, nerve tissue

-phasia

speak or speech

phobia

abnormal fear

psych/o

mind

radicul/o

root or nerve root

-tropic

having an affinity for

acrophobia (ack-roh-FOH-bee-ah)

an excessive fear of heights.

Alzheimer’s disease (ALTZ-high-merz)

a group of disorders involving the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language.

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ah-my-oh-TROH-fick LAT-er-al skleh-ROH-sis)

a rapidly progressive neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles.

anesthetic (an-es-THET-ick)

medication used to induce anesthesia.

anesthetist (ah-NES-theh-tist)

a medical professional who specializes in administering anesthesia but is not a physician, for example, a nurse anesthetist.

anorexia nervosa (an-oh-RECK-see-ah ner-VOH-sah)

an eating disorder characterized by a false perception of body appearance that leads to an inability to maintain a healthy body weight.

anxiety disorders

mental condition characterized by excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, or fear that is out of proportion to the real danger in a situation.

autism spectrum disorder (AW-tizm)

a condition with different levels of symptom severity in which a person has difficulty developing normal social relationships and a condition with different levels of symptom severity in which a young child has difficulty developing normal social relationships and communication skills, may compulsively follow repetitive routines, and has narrowly focused, intense interests that are sometimes unusual

Bell’s palsy (PAWL-zee)

temporary paralysis of the seventh cranial nerve that causes paralysis only on the affected side of the face.

carotid ultrasonography (kah-ROT-id ul-trah-son-OG-rah-fee)

an ultrasound study of the carotid artery performed to predict or diagnose an ischemic stroke.

causalgia (kaw-ZAL-jee-ah)

persistent, severe, burning pain that usually follows an injury to a sensory nerve.

cerebral contusion (SER-eh-bral kon-TOO-zhun)

bruising of brain tissue as the result of a head injury that causes the brain to bounce against the skull.

cerebral palsy (seh-REE-bral PAWL-zee)

a group of disorders characterized by poor muscle control, spasticity, and other neurologic deficiencies.

cerebrovascular accident (ser-eh-broh-VAS-kyou-lar)

brain damage that occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted.

cervical radiculopathy (rah-dick-you-LOP-ah-thee)

nerve pain caused by pressure on the spinal nerve roots in the neck region.

claustrophobia (klaws-troh-FOH-bee-ah)

abnormal fear of being in small or enclosed spaces.

cognition (kog-NISH-un)

the mental activities associated with thinking, learning, and memory.

coma (KOH-mah)

a deep state of unconsciousness marked by the absence of spontaneous eye movements, no response to painful stimuli, and no vocalization.a violent shaking up or jarring of the brain.

concussion (kon-KUSH-un)

a violent shaking up or jarring of the brain.

cranial hematoma (hee-mah-TOH-mah)

a collection of blood trapped in the tissues of the brain.

delirium (deh-LEER-ee-um)

an acute condition of confusion, disorientation, disordered thinking and memory, agitation, and hallucinations.

delirium tremens (deh-LEER-ee-um TREE-mens)

a disorder involving sudden and severe mental changes or seizures caused by abruptly stopping the use of alcohol.

delusion (dih-LOO-zhun)

a false personal belief that is maintained despite obvious proof or evidence to the contrary.

dementia (dih-MEN-shah)

a slowly progressive decline in mental abilities including memory, thinking and judgment that is often accompanied by personality changes.

dura mater (DOO-rah MAH-ter)

the thick, tough, outermost membrane of the meninges. Dura means hard, and mater means mother.

dyslexia (dis-LECK-see-ah)

a learning disability characterized by substandard reading achievement due to the inability of the brain to process symbols correctly.

electroencephalography (ee-leck-troh-en-sef-ah-LOG-rah-fee)

the process of recording the electrical activity of the brain through the use of electrodes attached to the scalp.

encephalitis (en-sef-ah-LYE-tis)

inflammation of the brain.

epidural anesthesia (ep-ih-DOO-ral an-es-THEE-zee-ah)

regional anesthesia produced by injecting medication into the epidural space of the lumbar or sacral region of the spine.

epilepsy (EP-ih-lep-see)

a chronic neurologic condition characterized by recurrent episodes of seizures of varying severity.

factitious disorder (fack-TISH-us)

a condition in which a person acts as if he or she has a physical or mental illness when he or she is not really sick.

hallucination (hah-loo-sih-NAY-shun)

a sensory perception experienced in the absence of external stimulation.

hemorrhagic stroke (hem-oh-RAJ-ick)

damage to the brain that occurs when a blood vessel in the brain leaks.

hydrocephalus (high-droh-SEF-ah-lus)

a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates within the ventricles of the brain.

hyperesthesia (high-per-es-THEE-zee-ah)

a condition of abnormal and excessive sensitivity to touch, pain, or other sensory stimuli.

ischemic stroke (iss-KEE-mick)

brain damage that occurs when the flow of blood to the brain is blocked by the narrowing or blockage of an artery.

lethargy (LETH-ar-jee)

a lowered level of consciousness marked by listlessness, drowsiness, and apathy.

meningitis (men-in-JIGH-tis)

inflammation of the meninges of the brain and spinal cord.

meningocele (meh-NING-goh-seel)

the congenital herniation of the meninges through a defect in the skull or spinal column.

migraine headache (MY-grayn)

a headache characterized by throbbing pain on one side of the head and sometimes preceded by a warning aura.

multiple sclerosis (skleh-ROH-sis)

a progressive autoimmune disorder characterized by inflammation that causes demyelination of the myelin sheath.

myelitis (my-eh-LYE-tis)

inflammation of the spinal cord; inflammation of bone marrow.

myelography (my-eh-LOG-rah-fee)

a fluoroscopic and CT study of the spinal cord after the injection of a contrast medium through a lumbar puncture.

narcolepsy (NAR-koh-lep-see)

a sleep disorder consisting of sudden and uncontrollable brief episodes of falling asleep during the day.

neurotransmitters (new-roh-trans-MIT-erz)

chemical substances that make it possible for messages to cross from the synapse of a neuron to the target receptor.

obsessive-compulsive disorder

a mental condition characterized by obsessions and/or compulsions.

panic attack

an unexpected, sudden experience of fear in the absence of danger, accompanied by physical symptoms such as shortness of breath and palpitations.

parasomnia (pair-ah-SOM-nee-ah)

general term for several categories of sleep disorders that occur while falling asleep, during sleep, or while waking from sleep.

paresthesia (pair-es-THEE-zee-ah)

a burning or prickling sensation with no apparent physical cause that is usually felt in the hands, arms, legs, or feet but can also occur in other parts of the body.

Parkinson’s disease

a chronic, degenerative central nervous system disorder characterized by fine muscle tremors, rigidity, and a slow or shuffling gait.

peripheral neuropathy (new-ROP-ah-thee)

a disorder of the peripheral nerves that carry information to and from the brain and spinal cord, producing pain, loss of sensation, and inability to control muscles.

post-traumatic stress disorder

may develop after an event involving actual or threatened death or injury to the individual or someone else, during which the person felt intense fear, helplessness, or horror.

Reye’s syndrome (RIZE SIN-drohm)

a potentially serious or deadly disorder in children characterized by vomiting and confusion, sometimes following a viral illness for which the child was treated with aspirin.

schizophrenia (skit-soh-FREE-nee-ah)

a psychotic disorder characterized by withdrawal from reality, illogical patterns of thinking, delusions, and hallucinations.

sciatica (sigh-AT-ih-kah)

inflammation of the sciatic nerve caused by pressure on the nerve roots that results in pain, burning, and tingling along the course of the affected nerve.

seizure (SEE-zhur)

a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain that affects how a person feels or acts for a short time.

shaken baby syndrome

syndrome that results from a child being violently shaken by someone.

syncope (SIN-koh-pee)

the brief loss of consciousness caused by the decreased flow of blood to the brain.

tremor

a repetitive, involuntary muscle movement usually involving the hands, arms, head, or face.

trigeminal neuralgia (try-JEM-ih-nal new-RAL-jee-ah)

a chronic pain condition characterized by severe, lightning-like pain due to an inflammation of the fifth cranial nerve; these sudden, intense, brief attacks of sharp pain affect the cheek, lips, and gums only on the side of the face innervated by the affected nerve.