Medical Terminology Ch. 10

Front 1

analgesia

Back 1

the inability to feel pain

Front 2

aphasia

Back 2

a speech disorder marked by a loss or defect in the ability to speak, write, or comprehend spoken or written language

Front 3

ataxia

Back 3

1. an abnormal condition characterized by failure of muscle coordination

2. a condition of a lack of coordination

Front 4

bradykinesia

Back 4

abnormally slow muscle movement

Front 5

causalgia

Back 5

nerve pain, described by patients as burning pain

Front 6

comatose

Back 6

of or in a state of deep unconsciousness for a prolonged or indefinite period, especially as a result of severe injury or illness

Front 7

cerebrovascular accident

Back 7

an abnormal condition of the brain characterized by ischemia of the brain tissues as a result of occlusion by a thrombosis, embolism, or cerebrovascular hemorrhage; CVA symptoms may include weakness, paralysis, speech defect, aphagia, and sensory changes; also called stroke or brain attack

Front 8

dendrite

Back 8

1. one of the threadlike extensions of the cytoplasm of a neuron, which usually branch into treelike processes

2. a dendritic ulcer

Front 9

dyslexia

Back 9

impairment of the ability to write, spell, or read words, in spite of the ability to recognize letters; familial disorder that occurs more often in males

Front 10

encephalitis

Back 10

an inflammatory condition of the brain, usually caused by an arbovirus infection transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito

Front 11

epidural hematoma

Back 11

the collection of blood in the epidural space

Front 12

epilepsy

Back 12

any of a group of disorders characterized by paroxysmal transient disturbances of brain function; manifestations include loss of consciousness, abnormal behavior, and sensory disturbances; a single episode is called a seizure

Front 13

hemiparesis

Back 13

muscular weakness or partial paralysis of one side of the body

Front 14

hemiplegia

Back 14

paralysis of one side of the body

Front 15

hyperkinesis

Back 15

hyperactivity; also called hyperkinesis

Front 16

meninges

Back 16

the three membranes enveloping the spinal cord and brain, namely, the pia mater, the dura mater, and the arachnoid

Front 17

meningioma

Back 17

slow growing, usually benign tumor of the meninges

Front 18

myasthenia gravis

Back 18

a disorder of neuromuscular function characterized by muscle weakness, especially of the throat and face, and chronic fatigue, caused by the presence of antibodies to acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction

Front 19

myoneural

Back 19

relating to both muscle and nerve; denoting specifically the synapse of the motor neuron with striated muscle fibers: myoneural junction or motor endplate

Front 20

meningitis

Back 20

an inflammatory condition of the meninges, usually caused by a virus or a bacterium

Front 21

narcolepsy

Back 21

a syndrome characterized by sudden, uncontrollable brief episodes of sleep, commonly associated with sleep paralysis, cataplexy, and hypnagogic hallucinations

Front 22

neuralgia

Back 22

pain extending along one or more nerves

Front 23

neurasthenia

Back 23

a virtually obsolete term used to refer to a syndrome thought to be caused by exhaustion of the nervous system and characterized by chronic fatigue and weakness

Front 24

neuron

Back 24

any of the basic conducting cells of the nervous system, classified according to the number of processes they extend or according to the direction in which they conduct impulses

Front 25

neuropathy

Back 25

disease or dysfunction of one or more peripheral nerves, typically causing numbness or weakness

Front 26

paraplegia

Back 26

paralysis of the legs and the lower portion of the body

Front 27

paresis

Back 27

a condition of muscular weakness caused by nerve damage or disease; partial paralysis

Front 28

paresthesia

Back 28

feeling of prickling, burning, or numbness

Front 29

quadraplegia

Back 29

paralysis of all four limbs, usually caused by spinal cord injury

Front 30

syncope

Back 30

fainting or sudden loss of consciousness caused by lack of blood supply to the cerebrum

Front 31

aneurysm

Back 31

a sac filled with fluid or clotted blood formed by the dilation of a weakened wall of an artery, a vein, or the heart

Front 32

lumbar puncture

Back 32

the introduction of a hollow needle and stylet into the subarachnoid space of the lumbar portion of the spinal canal; performed to obtain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for diagnostic purposes, to measure CSF pressure, to evaluate the spinal canal for the pressure of a tumor, and to inject substances for radiographic visualization

Front 33

dementia

Back 33

a progressive mental disorder characterized by a general loss of cognitive abilities, including impairment of memory, personality disintegration, confusion, and disorientation

Front 34

embolus

Back 34

1. a mass, such as a blood clot, foreign object, quantity of air, or piece of thrombus, that circulates in the bloodstream until it becomes lodged in a vessel or bifurcation too small to allow it to pass

2. a small mass lying between the dentate nucleus and globus nucleus and contributing to the cranial cerebellar peduncles; also called nucleus emboliformis

Front 35

hydrocephalus

Back 35

a congenital or acquired condition characterized by dilation of the cerebral ventricles accompanied by an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid within the skull; also called hydrocephaly

Front 36

neurotransmitter

Back 36

any of a group of substances that travel across the synaptic cleft to inhibit or stimulate a target cell; neurotransmitters are released on excitation from the axon terminal of a neuron of the peripheral or central nervous system

Front 37

synapse

Back 37

the point of functional contact between neurons or between a neuron and an effector organ, across which nerve impulses are transmitted, usually by a chemical neurotransmitter released by the axon terminal of the stimulated cell

Front 38

spina bifida

Back 38

a congenital fissure of one or more vertebrae; also called rachischisis

Front 39

polyneuritis

Back 39

inflammation of numerous peripheral nerves at the same time