CSD 5120 Aphasia and other neurogenic disorders terminology

Agnosia

inability to recognize or interpret sensory input

Agrammatism

a deficit in formulating and processing syntax

Anomia

a problem with word finding

Aneurysm

a bulging out at a weakened spot along an arterial wall

Anosognosia

a lack of awareness of an illness or deficit

Aphasia

an acquired language disorder, caused by brain injury (stroke, traumatic brain injury, neoplasm, surgical ablation of brain tissue, infections, and metabolic problems) affecting all modalities of language (speaking, listening, reading, and writing), it is not the result of an intellectual, sensory, motor, or psychiatric problem

Atherosclerosis

a buildup of lipids (fatty acids and cholesterol) and cellular debris within the arteries; primary cause of stroke

Atrophy

the reduction in size or wasting away of an organ or tissue due to disease, injury, or lack of use.

Confabulation

unintentional misrepresentation of the truth

Carotid endarterectomy

a surgical procedure to remove plaque from the carotid arteries to prevent strokes.

Circumlocution

word or words other than the intended word; used to express the meaning of an intended word

Contrecoup injury

injury to the brain located opposite the site of impact between the head and an object.

Coup injury

injury to the brain located at the site of impact between the head and an object

Diagnosis

determination of the nature of a cause of a disease

Diaschisis

a phenomenon in which functions associated with brain structures that are remote from the injured area become impaired due to disruptions in neuronal pathways.

Differential diagnosis

process of discerning which disorder, disease, or disability labels apply or do not apply to an individual according to an evaluation of their body structure and function

Diffuse axonal injury

a common form of brain trauma involving axonal damage (tearing, sheaving of axon clusters, reactive swelling of surrounding tissues) resulting from acceleration or deceleration movements of the brain matter with accompanying fast rotational forces of the brain and the skull.

Edema

swelling caused by excess fluid

Emesis

the act of vomiting

Empty speech

type of language disorder characterized by difficulty retrieving and using nouns and verbs in speech

Executive speech

impaired executive functions, like problem-solving and flexibility, affect a person’s ability to communicate

Fluency

any type of aphasia in which spoken language production in terms of morphemes or words per unit of time is normal or excessive

Homonymous hemianopsia

a visual field deficit affecting the same visual field in each eye (the temporal half of one field and the nasal half of the other), resulting from a lesion of the optic tract (after the fibers have passed through the optic chiasm) on one side of the brain

Jargon

a type of aphasia characterized by the tendency to produce nonwords; sometimes used to describe Wernicke’s aphasia.

Neologism

nonwords; literally “new words.”

Paraphasia

substitution of an unintended word or nonword for an intended word

Perseveration

type of language disorder that occurs after a brain injury; characterized by the persistent repetition of words, phrases, or sounds, even when they are no longer appropriate or relevant to the conversation

Polypharmacy

when a person takes multiple medications

Proprioception

the body’s internal sense of its own position and movement in space and force

Prosopagnosia

impairment in the ability to recognize faces

Transient ischemic attack

a temporary blockage of the blood supply to any area of the brain; a common lay term is “mini-stroke”