Nervous System Terms and Abbreviations

poly-

poly-

many, much

a-

absence of, without, no, not

an-

absence of, without, no, not

pan-

all, total

post-

after

para-

beside, beyond, around, abnormal

pre-

before

sub-

below, under

dys-

painful, abnormal, difficult, labored

intra-

within

hemi-

half

hyper-

above, excessive

inter-

between

agles/o

sensitivity to pain

cephal/o

head

cerebell/o

cerebellum

cerebr/o

cerebrum

dur/o

dura mater, hard

encephal/o

brain

esthesi/o

sensation, sensitivity

gangli/o

ganglion

ganglion/o

ganglion

gli/o

glia, gluey substance

mening/o

meninges

meningi/o

meninges

ment/o

mind

mon/o

one, single

myel/o

spinal cord

neur/o

nerve

phas/o

speech

poli/o

gray matter

pont/o

pons - structure in the brain

psych/o

mind

quadr/i

four

radic/o

nerve root

radicul/o

nerve root

rhiz/o

nerve root

thalam/o

thalamus

thec/o

sheath

vag/o

vagus nerve

-al

pertaining to

-algia

pain

-algesia

sensitivity to pain

-cele

hernia, protrusion

-cyte

cell

-ectomy

excision, surgical removal, cutting out

-genic

producing, originating, causing

-gram

the record, radiographic image

-graph

instrument used to record

-graphy

process of recording, radiographic imaging

-ia

condition of, diseased state or abnormal state

-ic

pertaining to

-iatrist

specialist, physician

-iatry

specialty, treatment

-ictal

seizure, attack

-itis

inflammation

-lepsy

seizure

-logist

specialist, physician

-logy

study of

-lysis

loosening, dissolution, separating

-malacia

softening

-oid

resembling

-oma

tumor

-osis

abnormal condition

-paresis

slight paralysis

-pathy

disease

-phasia

speech

-plasty

surgical repair

-plegia

paralysis

-praxia

to perform, action

-sclerosis

hardening

-rrhaphy

suturing, repairing

-tomy

incision, cut into

Anaesthesia (an/esthesi/a)

Without (loss of) feeling or sensation

Aphasia (a/phas/ia)

condition of without speaking

Cephalgia

Pain in the head (headache)

Cerebellitis (cerebell/itis)

Inflammation of the cerebellum

Cerebral (cerebr/al)

Pertaining to the brain

Cerebral angiography (cerebr/al angi/o/graphy)

Process of recording (blood) vessel pertaining to the cerebrum

Cerebral thrombosis (cerebr/al thromb/osis)

Abnormal condition of blood clot pertaining to the cerebrum (blood clot in a blood vessel in the brain)

Craniocerebral (crani/o/cerebr/al)

Pertaining to the cranium and cerebrum

CT myelography (CT myel/o/graphy)

process of recording the spinal cord with computed tomography

Duritis (dur/itis)

Inflammation of the dura mater

Dysphasia (dys/phas/ia)

Condition of difficulty speaking

Electroencephalograph (electr/o/encephal/o/graph)

Instrument used to record electrical activity of the brain

Electroencephalography (electr/o/encephal/o/graphy)

Process of recording the electrical activity of the brain

Electroencephalogram (electr/o/encephal/o/gram)

The record of electrical activity of the brain

Encephalitis (encephal/itis)

Inflammation of the bone

Encephalomalacia (encephal/o/malacia)

Softening of the brain

encephalomyelitis

Inflammation of Brain, spinal cord, and nerve roots

Encephalosclerosis (encephal/o/sclerosis)

Hardening of the brain

Ganglitis (gangli/itis)

Inflammation of the ganglion

Ganglionectomy (ganglion/ectomy)

Excision of a ganglion

Gliobastoma (Gil/o/blast/oma)

Tumor composed of developing glial tissue

Gliocyte (Gil/o/cyte)

Glial cell

Glioma (gil/oma)

Tumor composed of the glial tissue

Hemiparesis (hemi/paresis)

Slight paralysis of half (right or left) side of the body

Hemiplegia (hemi/plegia)

Paralysis of half (right or left) side of the body

Hyperesthesia (hyper/esthesi/a

Excessive sensitivity to stimuli

Interictal (inter/ictal)

Occurs between seizures or attacks