hlth 354 ch 5

nervous system

cerebr/o, encephal/o

brain

cerebell/o

cerebellum

lob/o

lobe

cephal/o

head

crani/o

skull

mening/o, meningi/o

meninges (membranes covering brain and spinal cord)

dur/o

hard

neur/o

nerve

gangli/o

nerve bundle

myel/o

spinal cord, bone marrow

esthesi/o (combining form)

sensation

phas/o

speech

paren/o, psych/o

mind

somn/o, somn/i, hypn/o

to sleep

gnosi/o

to know

mania

excessive desire

phobia

fear

-paresis

slight or partial paralysis

ton/o

tone

tax/o

coordination, order

-plegia

paralysis

-asthenia

weakness

aphasia

inability to speak

ataxia

lack of muscle coordination during voluntary movement

catatonia

condition characterized by reduced muscle tone

delirium

brief loss of mental function

dementia

loss/decline in mental function

dyskinesia

difficulty movement

dyslexia

difficulty reading

dysphasia

difficulty speaking

dystonia

condition characterized by involuntary muscle movements

insomnia

inability to sleep

myoclonus

muscle twitching

myospasm

involuntary muscle contraction

neurasthenia

nerve weakness

somnambulism

sleep walking

syncope

fainting; losing consciousness due to temporary loss of blood flow to brain

cephalalgia

pain in the head

cephalodynia

head pain

ecephalalgia

brain pain

neuralgia

nerve pain

neurodynia

nerve pain

hemiparesis

SLIGHT paralysis or weakness affecting one side of the body

hemiplegia

TOTAL paralysis affecting only one side of the body

monoparesis

partial paralysis of one limb

paralysis

complete loss of sensation/motor and function

paresis

partial paralysis characterized by varying degrees of sensation and motor function

causalgia

painful sensation of burning

dysesthesia

bad feeling

hyperesthesia

increased sensation

paresthesia

abnormal sensation (usually numbness or tingling in the skin)

pseudesthesia

false sensation

synesthesia

condition where one sensation is experienced as another

acrophobia

fear of heights

agoraphobia

fear of outdoor spaces

hydrophobia

fear of water

kleptomania

desire to steal

photophobia

excessive sensitivity to light

pyromania

desire to set fire

echoencephalography

procedure used to examine the brain using sound waves

electroencephalogram (eeg)

procedure used to examine the electrical activity of the brain

lumbar puncture (lp)

inserting a needle into the lumbar region of the spine in order to collect spinal fluid, commonly called a “spinal tap”

cerebral angiography

procedure used to examine the blood vessels in the brain

magnetic resonance angiography (mra)

procedure used to examine blood vessels

myelogram

x-ray record of the spinal cord

positron emission tomography (pet)

an imaging procedure that uses radiation (positrons) to produce cross sections of the brain

transcranial dopper sonography (kray/dawp/nawg)

an imaging technique that produces an image of the brain using sound waves sent through the skull

cerebellitis

inflammation of the cerebellum

cerebral atrophy (ree/a)

wasting away of brain tissue

duritis (rai)

inflammation of the dura (thick, tough, and fibrous outermost layer of tissue that protects the brain and spinal cord)

encephalocele

hernia of the brain

hematoma

tumor of blood

cranial hematoma

a hematoma BENEATH the skull

epidural hematoma (ep/ dir/ hee/ toh)

hematoma up TOP the skull

intracerebral hematoma (in/ ree/ hee/ toh)

a hematoma located INSIDE the brain

subdural hematoma (dir/ hee/ toh)

a hematoma located BENEATH the dura

macrocephaly

abnormally LARGE head

microcephaly

abnormally SMALL head

meningocele

hernia of the meninges

myomalacia

softening of a muscle

myelomeningocele

hernia of the spinal cord and meninges

neuritis

inflammation of a nerve

neuroma

tumor composed of nerve

neurosclerosis

hardening of nerves

polyneuritis

inflammation of multiple nerves

agnosia

inability to comprehend

apathy

a lack of feeling, emotion, or interest

hyperkinesia

abnormally increased muscle function or activity

neurasthenia

nerve weakness

neuroglycopenia

deficiency of sugar that interferes with normal brain activity

nystagmus

eye shaking

prosopagnosia

inability to recognize faces

anesthesiologist (an/ thee/ awl)

doctor who specializes in anesthesiology

afferent nerves (af)

a nerve that carries impulses towards the central nervous system

efferent nerves (ef)

nerves that carry information out of the brain and spinal cord to other areas of the body

neurogenic

originating from/created by nerves

psychiatrist

medical doctor who has specialized in treating psychological disorders

psychiatry

branch of medicine that focuses on the treatment of the mind

psychogenic

originating in/created by the mind

psychologist

doctor who specializes in the study of the mind