Medical Terminology Terms and Definitions 5

Abductor

That which moves a limb away from the median plane of the body

Cryothalamotomy

Destruction of a portion of the brain with a hypothermic probe

Allodynia

Condition in which ordinarily non-painful stimuli produce pain

Myenteric Plexus

Network of un-myelinated fibers and post-ganglionic autonomic cell bodies that lies in the muscular coat of the esophagus, stomach and intestine

Epilepsy

Chronic disorder characterized by brain dysfunction due to excessive neuronal discharge; usually associated with some alteration of consciousness

Cryoscopy

Determination of the freezing point of a fluid, usually blood or urine, compared with that of distilled water

Anterolateral

Located in front and to one side

Eudiaphoresis

Normal free sweating

Eumelanosome

Pigment granule, generally oval and produced by melanocytes

Euryopic

Wide-eyed

Sulcate

Grooved or furrowed

Macrogyria

Condition in which the convolutions of the cerebral cortex are abnormally large, the number of sulci are less than normal, and, in some cases, the amount of brain substance is somewhat increased

Myodystony

Condition of slow relaxation, interrupted by a succession of slight contractions, following electrical stimulation of a muscle

Myodynamia

Strength of a muscle

Myofibril

Fine longitudinal small fiber that occurs in a skeletal or cardiac muscle fiber which is made of many regularly overlapped, ultramicroscopic, thick and thin muscular filaments

Durematoma

Accumulation of blood between the dura mater and the arachnoid membrane

Intrapsychic

Having a mental origin or basis, such as conflicts and complexes

Fascicle

Band or bundle of fibers, usually of muscle of nerve fibers; a nerve fiber tract

Gliomatosis

Formation of a relatively large neoplasm of neuroglial cells in the brain or spinal cord, or of multiple such growths

Mesencephalotomy

Surgical incision of the midbrain, usually with the purpose of relieving pain

Hypothalamus

Bottom (ventral) half of the diencephalon of the brain; regular of the essential homeostatic balance of body fluids, temperature, energy metabolism, and sale concentration

Hippocampus

Located within the medial temporal lobe of the brain and primarily involved in memory consolidation

Biciptial

Having two heads

Auricula

Pinna of the external ear; also, a small conical pouch projecting from the upper anterior portion of the right and left cardiac atria

Synergy

Acting together; cooperative action

Narcolepsy

Sleep disorder characterized by chronic excessive daytime sleepiness and recurrent, uncontrollable sleep attacks

Capitellum

Small, rounded articular end of a bone

Sinciput

Anterior upper half of the cranium; the upper half of the skull

Autism

Lifelong neurodevelopmental condition characterized by challenges in social communication and interaction, as well as repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior

Psychoanalysis

Method used to obtain a detailed account of a patient’s past and present mental and emotional experiences, to bring out the unconscious (often irrational) foundation of thought and behavior

Dementia

The loss, usually progressive, of cognitive and intellectual functions, without impairment of perception or consciousness

Myelomeningocele

A type of spina bifida characterized by a hernia of both the spinal cord and its meninges through a defect in the posterior vertebral column

Astrocytoma

Tumor of central nervous system composed of one type of neuroglial cells with arms projecting off it like a star

Hydrocephalus

Condition of excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid, resulting in the dilation of the cerebral ventricles and increased intercranial pressure

Anesthesiologist

Physician specializing in the control of acute and chronic panic through the management and physiology of the respiratory, cardiovascular, neuromuscular, and autonomic systems

Endarterectomy

Surgical procedure involving the removal of the inner lining of an artery, specifically to clear intra-arterial obstructions such as plaque or diseased intima

Epidural Hematoma

Accumulation of blood in the space outside the dura mater and the spinal cord

Radiculitis

Inflammation of a spinal nerve root

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Motor neuron disease, it is characterized by the steady, relentless, and progressive degeneration of the corticospinal tracts, anterior horn cells, and bulbar motor nuclei

Aneurysm

Localized, abnormal dilation of a blood vessel (esp. artery) caused by a congenital defect or weakness in the vessel wall

Hyperesthesia

Abnormal, acute sensitivity to touch, pain, or other sensory stimuli

Somnifacient

Producing or promoting sleep

Incipient

Not fully formed; vestigial

Monoparesis

Muscular weakness affecting a single extremity or part of an extremity

Calorific

Producing heat

Areflexia

Not having reflexes

Anterolateral

In front and near the side (in anatomy)

Kinanesthesia

Inability to perceive the extent of a movement or direction

Ekphorize

Bringing to mind a psychological experience so as to repeat the experience in memory

Autonomic

Self-controlling; functioning independently

Amblychromasia

A state in which a cell stains faintly

Oligodendroblast

Glial cell precursor that develops from a neuroectoderm cell in the neural tube and gives rise to a mature oligodendrocyte

Ventricle

One of the four interconnected, ependyma-lined cavities inside the brain; generate cerebrospinal fluid continously

Tenostosis

Transporting away from a central organ or section

Ablation

Removal of a body part, pathway or function