Dual Credit Med Terms - Chapter 10

acrophobia

An excessive fear of heights

Alzheimers

Memory loss causing dementia

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Lou Gehrigs disease, weakens muscles

anesthetic

Medication used to induce anesthesia

anorexia nervosa

ED, fear of gaining weight

Anxiety disorders

irrational dread or fear of everyday situations

autism

developmentally delayed children

Bells palsy

paralysis of the cranial nerves that paralyze the affected side of the face

carotid ultrasonography

a study of the carotid artery to detect plaque buildup or predict an ischemic stroke

Causalgia

burning pain following a sensory nerve injury

Cerebral contusion

bruising of brain tissue as result of a head injury

Cerebral palsy

causes poor muscle control, speech deficiencies, other neurological deficiencies

Cerebrovascular accident

stroke, brain damage when blood flow is disrupted

cervical radiculopathy

nerve pain caused by pressure on spinal nerve roots around the neck

Claustrophobia

abnormal fear of being in small spaces

Cognition

The mental activities associated with thinking, learning, and memory

Coma

deep unresponsive unconsciousness

Concussion

violent shaking of the brain

Cranial hematoma

blood trapped in brain tissue

Delirium

confusion, disordered memory, hallucinations

Delirium tremens

sudden and severe mental changes and seizures caused by abrupt stopping of drinking

Delusion

False belief despite being obviously wrong

Dementia

slow progressive decline in mental abilities

Dura mater

thick outermost membrane of meninges

Dyslexia

a learning disability

Echoencephalography

use of ultrasound to create an image of the brain

electroencephalography

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

Encephalitis

inflammation of the brain

Epidural anesthesia

regional anesthetic

Epilepsy

reoccurring episodes of seizures

Factious disorder

faking illness

Guillain Barre syndrome

inflammation of peripheral nerves causing muscle weakness and possibly paralysis

Hallucination

a sensory perception experienced in abscesses of an external stimulation

Hemorrhagic stroke

when a brain blood vessel leaks or ruptures

Hydrocephalus

accumulation of excess cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain

Hyperesthesia

abnormal excessive sensitivity to stimuli

Ischemic stroke

occurs when flow of blood to brain is blocked in the carotid artery

Lethargy

a lowered level of consciousness, Drowsiness

Meningitis

inflammation of the meninges of the brain/spinal cord

Meningocele

congenital herniation of the meninges surrounding the central nervous system cause by a defect

Migraine headache

a headache of throbbing pain on one side of the head with nausea

Multiple sclerosis

autoimmune disorder characterized by inflammation that causes demyelination of the myelin sheath, resulting in scarring of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves

Myelitis

Inflammation of the spinal cord or bone marrow

Myelography

a type of radiographic examination that uses a contrast medium to detect pathology of the spinal cord.

Narcolepsy

a sleep disorder of random sleep during the day

Neurotransmitters

chemical substances that send messages from a neuron to the target receptor

OCD

an anxiety disorder of reoccurring or intrusive thoughts

Panic attack

unexpected freak out in normal circumstances

Paresthesia

fall asleep, burning sensation

Parkinsons disease

degenerative CNS disorder

Peripheral neuropathy

disorder of PNS causing pain, loss of sensation, or inability to control muscles

PTSD

past events causing anxiety, sleeping disorders, persistent reliving event

Reyes syndrome

Deadly child disorder of vomiting and confusion

Schizophrenia

withdrawal from reality including delusions and hallucinations

Sciatica

inflammation of the sciatic nerve

Seizure

short electrical surge affecting actions or feelings for a short time

Shaken baby syndrome

causes injury, blindness, fractures, seizures, death

Syncope

fainting

Trigeminal neuralgia

lightning pain and inflammation on the affected side of the face