Ch. 15 Nervous System

afferent

carry or move inward or toward a central structure

blood-brain barrier

protective mechanism that blocks specific substances found in the bloodstream from entering delicate brain tissue

efferent

carry or move away from a central structure

limbic system

complex neural system located beneath the cerebrum that controls basic emotions and drives and plays an important role in memory

neurilemma

additional external myelin sheath that is formed by Schwann cells and found only on axons in the peripheral nervous system

ventricle

organ chamber or cavity that receives or holds fluid

cell body

enlarged structure of the neuron that contains the nucleus

cerebr/o

cerebrum

\-tomy

incision

cerebrotomy

incision of the cerebrum

crani/o

cranium (skull)

\-malacia

softening

craniomalacia

cranium softening

encephal/o

brain

\-cele

hernia, swelling

encephalocele

condition in which portions of the brain and meninges protrude (swell) through a bony midline defect in the skull

gangli/o

glue; neuroglial tissue

\-oma

tumor

glioma

neuroglial tumor

kinesi/o

movement

brady-

slow

\-ia

condition

bradykinesia

condition of slow movement

lept/o

thin, slender

\-pathy

disease

lepromeningopathy

include the pia mater and arachnoid, both of which are thin and delicate in structure, as opposed to the dura mater

lex/o

word, phase

dys-

bad; pain or difficult

dyslexia

difficulty reading or inability to read, including the tendency to reverse letters or words when reading or writing

mening/o

meningi/o

meninges (membranes covering the brain and spinal cord)

meningocele

swelling of meninges

myel/o

bone marrow; spinal cord

poli/o

gray; gray matter (of brain or spinal cord)

\-itis

inflammation

poliomyelitis

inflammation of gray matter

narc/o

stupor; numbness; sleep

\-tic

pertaining to

narcotic

drug that depress the central nervous system, thus relieving pain and producing sleep

neur/o

nerve

\-lysis

separation, destruction; loosening

neurolysis

performed using cryoablation or radiofrequency techniques to relieve intractable pain as a temporary or permanent measure

radicul/o

nerve root

\-algia

pain

radiculalgia

nerve root pain

sthen/o

strength

hyper-

excessive, above normal

thalam/o

thalamus

thalamotomy

incision of the thalamus

thec/o

sheath (usually referring to the meninges)

intra-

in, within

intrathecal

inside the sheath

ton/o

tension

dystonia

movement disorder characterized by sustained muscle contractions, resulting in a persistently abnormal posture

ventricul/o

ventricle (of heart of brain)

ventriculitis

inflammation of the ventricles

\-algesia

pain

an-

without

analgesia

without pain

syn-

untion, together, joined

synalgia

referred pain, pain felt in another part of the body other than the place of pathology

\-asthenia

weakness, debility

myasthenia

muscle weakness

\-esthenia

feeling

hyperesthesia

sensitivity to touch, pain or other stimuli

\-kinesia

movement

hyperkinesia

excessive movement

\-lepsy

seizure

narcolepsy

sudden uncontrollable urge to sleep at an inappropriate time

\-paresis

partial paralysis

hemi-

one half

hemiparesis

partial paralysis or motor weakness

\-phasia

speech

\-plegia

paralysis

\-taxia

order, coordination

a-

without, not

ataxia

poor muscle coordination

pachy-

thick

pachymeningitis

inflammation of the thick membrane that provides protection for the brain and spinal cord

para-

near, besides; beyond

paraplegia

partial paralysis

syn-

union, together, joined

dyskinesia

involuntary movement

psychiatry

brach of medicine concerned with mental illness

cerebrovascular disease

group of disorders affecting the vessels that supply blood to the brain

stroke

brain attack

cerebrovascular accident

brain tissue begins to die due to lack of oxygen

ischemic stroke

caused by emboli, thrombi, and atherosclerosis that limit blood flow to the brain tissue

carotid

arteries of the neck

intracerebral hemorrhage

occurs when there is a sudden rupture of an artery within the brain

subarachnoid hemorrhage

blood is released into the space between the brain and the tissues that surround the brain

transient ischemic attack (TIA)

is a type of stroke in which symptoms resolve within 24 hours and do not cause permanent damage

thrombolytic

“clot buster” medications administered within 3 hours of symptom onset to prevent permanent disability

epileptic seizures

seizures with no known cause, are chronic, and occur repeatedly

nonepileptic seizures

triggered by disorders or conditions that irritate the brain

partial seizures

only a portion of the brain is involved, there is a short alteration of consciousness of about 10 to 30 seconds with repetitive, unusual movements and confusion

generalized seizure

the entire brain is involved

tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizure

the body alternates between excessive muscle tone and rigidity (tonic) and jerking muscle contractions (clonic) in the extremities

postictal event

which commonly lasts for 5 to 30 minutes but may last longer with severe seizure

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

is an autoimmune disease that targets the myelin sheath on the nerves of the central nervous system, causes inflammation, hardening (sclerosing), and, finally, loss of myelin

demyelination

loss of myelin

affective disorder

Psychological disorder in which the major characteristic is an abnormal mood, usually mania or depression