Nervous System

Cerebr/o

Brain, cerebrum

Encephal/o

Brain

Myel/o

Spinal cord

Neur/i, neur/o

Nerves

Caus/o

Burning, burn

Cephal/o

Head

Concuss/o

Shaken together, violently agitated

Contus/o

Bruise

Crani/o

Skull

-esthesia

Feeling, sensation

Esthet/o

Feeling, nervous sensation, sense of perception

Mening/o

Membranes, meninges

-phasia

Speech

Radicul/o

Root, nerve root

-tropic

Having an affinity for

Alzheimer’s disease

A group of disorders involving the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language

Alzheimer’s disease

AD

Amnesia

A memory disturbance characterized by total or partial inability to recall past experiences

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Lou Gehrig’s Disease

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

A rapidly progressive neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles

Anesthetic

A medication used to induce lack of feeling

Anesthetist

A medical professional other than a physician who specializes in administering anesthesia (ie: nurse anesthetist)

Bell’s palsy

A temporary paralysis of the seventh cranial nerve that causes paralysis of the face, only on the affected side

Causalgia

A persistent, severe burning pain that usually follows an injury to a sensory nerve

Central nervous system

Made up of the brain and spinal cord

Cerebral contusion

The bruising of brain tissue as the result of a head injury that causes the brain to bounce against the rigid bone of the skull

Cerebral palsy

CP

Cerebral palsy

A group of disorders characterized by poor muscle control, spasticity, speech defects, and other neurological deficiencies due to damage of the cerebrum

Spasticity

A neurological condition where muscles become stiff and difficult to move, often due to damage or irritation in the brain and spinal cord

Cerebrovascular accident

CVA

Cerebrovascular accident

Stroke

Cerebrovascular accident

Brain damage that occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted because a blood vessel either is blocked or has ruptured

Cerebrum

• The largest and uppermost portion of the brain that consists of four lobes

• Controls the highest level of thought, including judgement, memory, association, and critical thinking

• Controls all voluntary muscle activity

Cervical radiculopathy

Nerve pain caused by pressure on the spinal nerve roots in the neck region

Cognition

The mental activities associated with learning, thinking, and memory

Coma

A deep state of unconsciousness marked by the absence of spontaneous eye movement, no response to painful stimuli, and lack of speech

Concussion

A violent shaking up of the brain

Cranial hematoma

A collection of blood trapped in the tissues of the brain

Delirium

An acute condition of confusion, disorientation, disordered thinking and memory, agitation, and hallucinations

Dementia

A slowly progressive decline in mental abilities, including memory, thinking, and judgement, that is often accompanied by personality changes

Dura mater

The thick, tough outermost membrane of the meninges

Dyslexia

A learning disability characterized by substandard reading achievement due to the inability of the brain to process symbols correctly

Electroencephalography

EEG

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, which can be caused by viral infection such as rabies

Epidural anesthesia

Regional anesthesia produced by injecting medication into the epidural space of the lumbar or sacral region of the spine

Epilepsy

A chronic neurological condition characterized by recurrent episodes of seizures of varying severity

Ganglion

A nerve center made up of a cluster of nerve cell bodies outside the central nervous system

Hallucination

A sensory perception experienced in the absence of external stimulation

Hemorrhagic stroke

Occurs when a blood vessel in the brain leaks

Hydrocephalus

A condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the ventricles of the brain

Hyperesthesia

A condition of abnormal and excessive sensitivity to touch, pain, and other sensory stimuli

Ischemic stroke

• The most common type of stroke in older people

• Occurs when the flow of blood to the brain is blocked by narrowing or blockage of an artery

Lethargy

A lowered level of consciousness marked by listlessness, drowsiness, and apathy

Meningitis

Inflammation of the meninges of the brain and spinal cord

Meningocele

The congenital herniation of the meninges through a defect in the skull or spinal column

Migraine headache

• Characterized by throbbing pain on one side of the head

• May be preceded by a warning aura

Multiple sclerosis

MS

Multiple sclerosis

A progressive autoimmune disorder characterized by inflammation that causes demyelination of the myelin sheath

Myelin sheath

The protective covering made up of glial cells

Myelitis

Inflammation of the spinal cord

Myelography

A fluoroscopic and CT study of the spinal cord after the injection of contrast medium through a lumbar puncture

Neurons

The basic cells of the nervous system that allow different parts of the body to communicate with each other

Neurotransmitters

Chemical substances that make it possible for messages to cross from the synapse of a neuron to the target receptor

Paresthesia

A burning or prickling sensation with no apparent physical cause that is usually felt in the hands, arms, legs, or feet

Parkinson’s disease

PD

Parkinson’s disease

A chronic, degenerative central nervous system disorder characterized by fine muscle tremors, rigidity, and a slow or shuffling gait

Peripheral nervous system

PNS

Peripheral nervous system

Includes the 12 pairs of cranial nerves extending from the brain and the 31 pairs of peripheral spinal nerves extending outward from the spinal cord

Peripheral neuropathy

A disorder of the peripheral nerves that carry information to and from the brain and spinal cord

Reye’s syndrome

RS

Reye’s syndrome

A serious and potentially deadly disorder in children that is characterized by vomiting and confusion

Sciatica

Inflammation of the sciatic nerve caused by pressure on the nerve roots that result in pain, burning, and tingling along the course of the affected nerve through the thigh, the leg, and sometimes into the foot

Seizure

Sz

Seizure

A sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain that affects how a person feels or acts for a short time

Syncope

Fainting

Tetanus

• Lockjaw

• An acute and potentially fatal infection of the CNS caused by a toxin produced by the tetanus bacterium

Tourette syndrome

TS

Tourette syndrome

A complex neurological syndrome characterized by involuntary tics, grunts, and compulsive utterances

Transient ischemic attack

TIA

Transient ischemic attack

Temporary interruption of blood flow to the brain

Tremor

A repetitive, involuntary muscle movement usually involving the hands, arms, head, or face

Trigeminal neuralgia

A chronic pain condition characterized by severe, lightning-like pain in the face due to an inflammation of the fifth cranial nerve

Unconscious

The state of being unaware and unable to respond to any stimuli, including pain

Ascending nerve tracts

Carry nerve impulses toward the brain

Descending nerve tracts

Carry nerve impulses from the brain

Innervation

The supply of nerves to a specific body part

Plexus

A network of intersecting spinal nerves

Receptors

• Sites in the sensory organs that receive external stimulation

• Send the stimulus through sensory neurons to the brain for interpretation

Stimulus

Anything that excites a nerve and causes an impulse

Impulse

A wave of excitation transmitted through nerve fibers and neurons

Afferent neurons

Sensory neurons that emerge from sensory organs and the skin to carry sensory impulses toward the brain and spinal cord

Connecting neurons

Associative neurons that link afferent and efferent neurons

Efferent neurons

Motor neurons that carry impulses away from the brain and spinal cord toward the muscles and glands

Dendrites

Root-like processes that receive impulses and conduct them to the cell body

Axon

• A process that conducts impulses away from the nerve cell

• Can be more than 3 feet long

• Usually protected by a myelin sheath

Myelin sheath

A fatty, insulating layer that surrounds the axons of nerve cells

Terminal end fibers

Branching fibers at the end of the axon that lead the nerve impulse from the axon to the synapse

Synapse

The space between two neurons or between a neuron and a receptor organ

Acetylcholine

Neurotransmitter responsible for muscle action