SLP 4210- Neurological Disorder

Agnosia

Rare neurological condition where a person cannot recognize objects, people, shapes, smells, or sounds, even though their primary senses (like sight or hearing) and basic memory are working normally

Aphasia

A communication disorder that impairs a person’s ability to speak, write, and understand language due to damage in the brain’s language centers; brain has difficulty understanding/producing language

Dysarthria

A motor speech disorder caused by weakness, paralysis, or poor coordination of the muscles used for speaking (such as the lips, tongue, vocal cords, and diaphragm) due to nervous system damage- physical impairment of speech

Apraxia

A neurological disorder in which a person is unable to perform learned, purposeful physical movements or tasks, even though they understand the command and want to do it, and have the physical muscle strength and coordination to do so; the brain has difficulty planning and coordinating the movements needed to produce speech

Akinesia

The loss or impairment of voluntary muscle movement, often described as a “freezing” or the inability to start a movement

Hyperkinetic

An abnormal increase in muscular activity or excessive, uncontrolled, and unwanted involuntary movements

Bradykinesia

Slowness of movements (not a muscle weakness, rather, reduced dopamine, in the brain that disrupts how nerve cells communicate and control the body)

Ballismus

A rare, hyperkinetic (excessive movement) neurological disorder characterized by involuntary, continuous, large-amplitude, and often violent flinging, throwing, or jerking movements of the limbs (think ballistic)

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter produced in the substantia nigra; important for addiction and movement 

Hemiplegia

The complete paralysis of one entire side of the body

Diplegia

A neurological condition that causes symmetrical paralysis, weakness, or muscle stiffness (spasticity) on both sides of the body, most commonly affecting the lower extremities - legs 

Quadriplegia

Paralysis in legs and arms (usually torso from the neck down)

Pyramidal Decussation:

The point in the lower medulla oblongata where about 90% of motor nerve fibers cross to the opposite side of the brainstem.

Hydrocephalus

Condition where excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up deep within the brain's ventricles (cavities), increasing pressure inside the skull and potentially damaging brain tissue

Venous System

The network of blood vessels that returns deoxygenated blood from the body's tissues and organs back to the heart

Homunculus

Latin for “little man”; a distorted map of the human body on the cerebral cortex showing how much brain area controls movement or processes sensation for each body part.

Gyri

The raised ridges or convoluted folds on the surface of the cerebral cortex of the brain (HILLS)

Sulci

Marks the boundaries between gyri and the different lobes (VALLEYS)

Hemispheric Specialization

The separation of cognitive, motor, sensory functions 

Hemispheric Specialization: Left Hemisphere

Language and speech, broca/wernicke, logic and analysis, controls right side of body 

Hemispheric Specialization: Right Hemisphere

Spatial reasoning, big picture concepts, emotional tone in speech/nonverbal cues, social-emotional contexts, controls left side of body 

Perceiving

Noticing something with your senses 

Remembering

Storing information gathered through perception

Judging

To form an opinion on the correctness of information 

Reasoning

To do something with the information (ex. making an argument)

Sustained Attention:

Focused on a stimulus over a period of time (ex. reading a book, listening to a lecture)

Selective Attention

Focusing on a stimulus while filtering out competing stimuli (ex. listening to a lecture while actively ignoring the texts coming into your phone or your annoying neighbors laughing - nothings funny) 

Alternating Attention

Shifting focus from one task to another and then back (ex. focusing on the lecture THEN discussing with your neighbor THEN focusing again) 

Divided Attention

Focusing on two stimuli at the same time (ex. taking notes while listening to the lecture) 

Working Memory

A cognitive executive function that temporarily holds and actively manipulates a small amount of information in your mind 

Episodic Memory

A type of long-term explicit memory that allows you to consciously recall personally experienced events (what happened, where it took place, when it happened, and emotions attached to it)

Procedural Memory

An unconscious long-term type of memory that helps you perform specific skills, habits, and physical actions without needing to think about them

Corona Radiata

Radiating crown; fibers between the cortical surface and the thalamus create a fan-shaped sheet of axons (makes up the subcortical WHITE matter b/c its all the axons from the somas in the cerebral cortex)

Internal Capsule

All the fibers (corona radiata) gather into a narrow bundle to form the internal capsule 

Stages of speech and language processing- communication disorders that can occur when each stage is impaired: Sensation

Hearing loss

Stages of speech and language processing- communication disorders that can occur when each stage is impaired: Recognition

Agnosia

Stages of speech and language processing- communication disorders that can occur when each stage is impaired: Language

Aphasia

Stages of speech and language processing- communication disorders that can occur when each stage is impaired: Planning

Apraxia

Stages of speech and language processing- communication disorders that can occur when each stage is impaired: Execution

Dysarthria

Pure Word Deafness

When an individual hears but cannot understand speech, speaking, reading, and writing are intact, can recognize nonspeech sounds such as a doorbell ringing. Occurs when there is damage to the temporal lobe- primary auditory cortex.