medical terms ch 6

Central nervous system

the brain and spinal cord

Brain

the part of the central nervous system contained within the cranium

Basal ganglia

group of nerve cell bodies linked to the thalamus, involved with the coordination and movement

Brainstem

connects the brain to the spinal cord; assists in breathing, heart rhythm, vision, and consciousness; composed of the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata

Midbrain, mesencephalon

part of the brainstem that contains reflex centers associated with eye and head movements

Pons

part of the brainstem between the medulla and midbrain that is that is a relay station from the peripheral nerves to the brain

Medulla oblongata

part of the brainstem that connects the brain and the spinal cord and contains reflex centers for the heart, blood vessels, and breathing

Cerebellum, hindbrain

posterior portion of the brain that coordinates the voluntary muscles and maintains balance and muscle tone

Cerebrum

largest and uppermost part of the brain; divided into right and left halves (called cerebral hemispheres) and subdivided into lobes

Cerebral cortex

outer layer of the cerebrum; controls higher mental functions

Frontal lobe

front portion of the cerebrum that is involved with voluntary muscle movement and emotions

Gyrus

elevated ridge (raised convolution) on the surface of the cerebrum

occipital lobe

posterior portion of the cerebrum involved with vision

parietal lobe

middle-top portion of the cerebrum; involved in perception of touch, temperature, and pain

Sulcus

groove or depression on the surface of the brain

Temporal lobe

portion of the cerebrum below the frontal lobe; involved with the senses of hearing, smell, and memory, emotion, speech and behavior

Diencephalon

area deep within the brain that contains the thalamus and hypothalamus and is the link between the cerebral hemispheres and the brainstem; responsible for directing sensory information to the cortex

cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

colorless liquid that circulates in and around the brain and spinal cord transports nutrients

Meninges

three membranous coverings of the brain and spinal cord

Dura mater

tough, fibrous outermost layer of the meninges

Arachnoid mater

delicate fibrous membrane that attaches directly to the brain and spinal cord

Pia mater

thin inner layer of the meninges that attaches directly to the brain and spinal cord

Spinal cord

portion of the central nervous system contained in the vertebral canal that conducts nerve impulses to and from the brain and body

Ventricle

one of four interconnected cavities within the brain that secrete cerebrospinal fluid

Peripheral nervous system

part of the nervous system external to the brain and spinal cord that consists of all the other nerves throughout the body

Nerve

whitish cord like structure that transmits stimuli from the central nervous system to another area of the body or from the body to the central nervous system

Ganglion

group of nerve cell bodies located along the pathway of a nerve

Neuroglial

cells that support and protect nervous tissue

Neuron

nerve cell; cell that makes up the basic structure of the nervous system and conducts impulses

Cranial nerves

12 pairs of nerves that emerge from the brain

Spinal nerves

31 pairs of nerves that emerge from the spinal cord

cerebell/o

cerebellum (little brain)

cerebr/o

brain, cerebrum

cortic/o

outer portion of an organ, cortex

crani/o

cranium, skull

dur/o

hard, dura mater

encephal/o

brain

esthesi/o

sensation, perception

gangill/o, ganglion/o

ganglion

gili/o

glue, neuroglia

mening/o, meningl/o

meninges

myel/o

bone marrow, spinal cord

narc/o

stupor, numbness, sleep

neur/o

nerve

phas/o

speech

poli/o

gray matter

radicul/o

nerve root

somn/o, somn/i

sleep

spin/o

spine

spondyl/o

vertebrae

ventricul/o

ventricle

vertebr/o

vertebra

anxi/o

fear, worry

hallucin/o

to wonder in one’s mind

hypn/o

sleep, hypnosis

ment/o

mind, mental

phren/o

mind

psych/o

mind and mental

schiz/o

split

soci/o

social, society

thym/i, thym/o

mind, soul, emotion

Lepsis, lepsy

seizure

Paresis

partial or incomplete paralysis

Phrenia

the mind

Plegia

paralysis

Mania

excited state, obsession

Phile, philia

attraction to

Bipolar

having two ends or extremes

Cerebral

pertaining to the cerebrum

Cerebellar

pertaining to the cerebellum

Cranial

pertaining to the cranium or skull

Dural

pertaining to the dura mater

Epidural

pertaining to on or outside the dura

Glial

pertaining to the glia

Ictal

pertaining to or caused by a stroke or seizure

Ischemic

pertaining to lack of blood flow

Meningeal

pertaining to the meninges

Mental

pertaining to the mind

Neural

pertaining to the nerves or any structure composed of nerves

Postictal

following a seizure

Radicular

pertaining to a nerve root

Subdural

deep in dura mater

Alzheimer disease

a progressive degenerative disease that results in memory impairment and dementia

Amnesia

loss of memory

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig disease

fatal degenerative disease of the motor neurons marked by muscle weakness and atrophy

Aphasia

impaired comprehension or formulation of speech, reading, or writing caused by damage to the brain

Ataxia

lack of muscle coordination; may involve the limbs, head or trunk

Bell palsy

paralysis of facial muscles, usually on one side of the face, caused by dysfunction of facial nerve

Cerebral aneurysm

widening of blood vessel in the brain, usually due to a weakness in the wall of the artery

Cerebral embolism

obstruction or occlusion of a vessel in the brain by an embolus (blood clot, air bubble, or fat deposit in a blood vessel)

Cerebral palsy (CP)

term for various types of nonprogressive movement dysfunction present at birth or in early childhood

Cerebral thrombosis

thrombus (blood clot) within a blood vessel of the brain

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA), stroke

damage to the brain caused by an interruption of blood supply to a region of the brain

Clonus

repeated muscular spasms seen with seizure disorders

Coma

prolonged state of deep unconsciousness

Concussion

injury to the brain resulting from violent shaking or a blow to the head

Disorientation

loss of sense of familiarity with one’s surroundings (time, place, self)

Encephalitis

inflammation of the brain

Epilepsy

disorder of the central nervous system that is usually characterized by seizure activity and some alteration of consciousness

Hemiparesis

partial or incomplete paralysis affecting one side of the body