Central Nervous System Disorders and Structure

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to central nervous system disorders, neurotransmitters, and spinal cord anatomy.

Glutamate

An excitatory neurotransmitter that plays a key role in learning and memory, but can act as an excitotoxin after brain injury.

Excitotoxin

A substance that is toxic to neurons, often acting by exciting them to death, as with glutamate following a lack of oxygen.

Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA)

The most successful treatment for stroke, which helps dissolve blood clots in the brain.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD)

A progressive degenerative disease of the brain characterized by memory loss, confusion, and ultimately dementia.

Beta-amyloid peptide

A protein that when accumulated in the brain can form plaques and is associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Neurofibrillary tangles

Twisted fibers of tau protein found inside neurons, associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Tau protein

A protein that stabilizes microtubules in neurons but misfolds in Alzheimer's, forming tangles.

Parkinson's Disease

A degenerative disease caused by the deterioration of dopamine-releasing neurons, leading to tremors and movement issues.

L-dopa

A medication that is a precursor to dopamine, used to alleviate symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Huntington's Disease

A hereditary disorder that causes progressive degeneration of brain cells, leading to uncontrolled movements and mental deterioration.

Cauda equina

A collection of nerve roots at the lower end of the spinal canal, resembling a horse's tail.

Dorsal root ganglion

A cluster of nerve cell bodies in a dorsal root of a spinal nerve that contains the sensory neurons.

Epidural space

The space between the dura mater and the walls of the vertebral column, often filled with fat and blood vessels.

Lumbar puncture

A medical procedure to withdraw cerebrospinal fluid from the spinal canal for testing.

Spinal reflex

An automatic response to a stimulus that is initiated and completed at the spinal cord level.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

Fluid that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord, filling the subarachnoid space.

Ventral horn

Regions of the spinal cord gray matter that house cell bodies of somatic motor neurons.

Dorsal horn

Regions of the spinal cord gray matter consisting entirely of interneurons.

Gray commissure

The crossbar of gray matter that encloses the central canal in the spinal cord.