The Nervous System

Front 1

Accounts for 80% of the brain's mass.

Back 1

cerebrum

Front 2

The second major structure of the brain.

Back 2

cerebellum

Front 3

Contains some of the most vital centers of body activity.

Back 3

diencephalon

Front 4

contains structures associated with visual reflexes and hearing

Back 4

midbrain or mesencephalon

Front 5

functions as a relay center within the brain.

Back 5

The pons

Front 6

Together with the pons makes up the brain stem.

Back 6

medulla oblongata

Front 7

This is made up by the pons and medulla oblongata together.

Back 7

brain stem

Front 8

The three membranes which protect the brain and spinal cord.

Back 8

meninges

Front 9

The outermost layer of the meninges, which contacts the cranium.

Back 9

dura mater

Front 10

The thinner, more delicate, middle layer of the meninges.

Back 10

arachnoid

Front 11

The innermost layer of the meninges.

Back 11

pia mater

Front 12

Projections into the brain ventricles which produce cerebrospinal fluid.

Back 12

choroid plexus

Front 13

The raised portions of the cerebellar surface.

Back 13

gyri

Front 14

A triangular membrane separating the anterior horns of the lateral ventricles.

Back 14

septum pellucidum

Front 15

A general term meaning nerve cell.

Back 15

neuron

Front 16

Deep grooves which divide the lobes of the cerebral hemispheres.

Back 16

fissures

Front 17

The posterior rounded end of the corpus callosum; it conveys visual information.

Back 17

splenium of corpus callosum

Front 18

A general term for an arch-like structure or the vault created by such a structure.

Back 18

fornix

Front 19

Grooves between the gyri.

Back 19

sulci

Front 20

A site of union of common parts.

Back 20

commissure

Front 21

An arched mass of white matter found in the depths of the longitudinal fissure.

Back 21

corpus callosum

Front 22

Part of the hypothalamus formed by the crossing of the optic nerves.

Back 22

optic chiasm

Front 23

A general term used to describe any anatomical structure shaped like a knee.

Back 23

genu

Front 24

Located near the pituitary gland.

Back 24

mammillary body

Front 25

Part of the mesencephalon.

Back 25

corpora quadrigemina

Front 26

The "master gland."

Back 26

pituitary

Front 27

These merge with the basilar artery at the circle of Willis.

Back 27

Internal carotid arteries

Front 28

The sense of smell. There are numerous olfactory nerves which relay sensory impulses of smell from the membranes of the nasal cavity. Damage to these nerves results in a loss of smell.

Back 28

Cranial nerve I: olfactory nerve

Front 29

Vision. This is a sensory-only nerve which conducts impulses from the retina of the eye. It originates in the back of the eyeball. Damage to these nerves results in blindness.

Back 29

Cranial nerve II: optic nerve

Front 30

This nerve controls all movement of the eyeballs. It is primarily a motor nerve. It comes out of the midbrain and serves four of the six eye muscles, as well as the muscle of the eyelid, iris (which causes pupil dilation), and ciliary body. Damage to these nerves can cause a droopy eyelid, constant dilated pupil, or the inability to rotate the eyeball.

Back 30

Cranial nerve III: oculomotor nerve

Front 31

This is a very small nerve, both sensory and motor, which innervates the superior oblique muscle of the eye.

Back 31

Cranial nerve IV: trochlear nerve

Front 32

This is the largest of the cranial nerves. It is primarily sensory, but does send motor impulses to the muscles of mastication (chewing). It has three large sensory divisions the ophthalmic branch innervating the orbital region of the face, the maxillary branch innervating the nose and upper jaw, and the mandibular branch innervating the lower jaw.

Back 32

Cranial nerve V: trigeminal nerve

Front 33

This is a small nerve which provides both motor and sensory innervation to the lateral rectus eye muscle. Damage to this nerve causes the eyeball to be pulled medially, and makes it unable to move laterally at all.

Back 33

Cranial nerve VI: abducens nerve

Front 34

This is a mixed nerve. The motor fibers innervate facial, scalp, and superficial neck muscles. The salivary glands are also innervated by this. The sensory fibers arise from the taste buds on the tongue. Damage to these nerves distorts taste perception, particularly with sweets, and causes the face to sag.

Back 34

Cranial nerve VII: facial nerve

Front 35

Hearing and equilibrium. This is also called the acoustic nerve. It is a sensory nerve which arises within the inner ear. The vestibular branch controls equilibrium and balance, while the cochlear portion controls hearing. Damage to these nerves can cause deafness or dizziness and inability to maintain balance.

Back 35

Cranial nerve VIII: vestibulocochlear nerve acoustic nerve

Front 36

This is a mixed nerve which innervates the tongue and pharynx. The sensory portion transmits impulses from the tonsils, salivary gland, and back third of the tongue. The motor fibers innervate the muscles of the pharynx which help with swallowing. Damage to these nerves would result in a loss of bitter and sour taste or could cause difficulty swallowing.

Back 36

Cranial nerve IX: glossopharyngeal nerve

Front 37

This arises from the medulla and has both motor and sensory fibers which serve autonomic organs of the thoracic and abdominal cavities. It is associated with such functions as breathing, heartbeat, hunger pangs, and peristalsis. One of its branches supplies the larynx and controls speech. Damage to both of these nerves would result in death; with damage to one, only speech and swallowing would be affected.

Back 37

Cranial nerve X: vagus nerve

Front 38

This is a motor nerve only. It innervates the muscles of the pharyngeal region as well as the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles. Damage to this nerve would make it difficult to rotate the head or shrug the shoulders.

Back 38

Cranial nerve XI: accessory nerve

Front 39

This supplies motor fibers to the muscles of the tongue. Damage would cause difficulty speaking, swallowing, or sticking out the tongue.

Back 39

Cranial nerve XII: hypoglossal nerve

Front 40

Nerves which resemble a horse's tail.

Back 40

cauda equina

Front 41

Nerve controlling the sense of smell.

Back 41

olfactory

Front 42

Innervates the thoracic and abdominal cavities.

Back 42

vagus nerve

Front 43

The impulse originates in the organ and is transmitted to the central nervous system.

Back 43

afferent

Front 44

The largest of the cranial nerves.

Back 44

trigeminal

Front 45

Controls hearing and balance.

Back 45

vestibulocochlear

Front 46

A fatty white material supporting a neuron.

Back 46

myelin

Front 47

Point at the second lumbar vertebra, where the spinal cord tapers. It is cone-shaped.

Back 47

conus medullaris

Front 48

A small nerve to the lateral rectus eye muscle.

Back 48

abducens

Front 49

Supplies motor fibers to the muscles of the tongue.

Back 49

hypoglossal

Front 50

A band of connective tissue which extends to the coccyx.

Back 50

filum terminale

Front 51

Controls all the movements of the eyeball.

Back 51

oculomotor nerve

Front 52

Another name for a motor neuron, which originates in the central motor system.

Back 52

efferent

Front 53

A mixed nerve of the tongue and pharynx.

Back 53

glossopharyngeal

Front 54

Lack or loss of memory; the inability to remember past experiences.

Back 54

amnesia

Front 55

Defect or loss of the power of expression, especially speech, but also writing or signing, or of comprehending either spoken or written language due to an injury or disease of the brain.

Back 55

aphasia

Front 56

The loss of the ability to carry out familiar, purposeful movements in the absence of paralysis or another motor or sensory impairment.

Back 56

apraxia

Front 57

A coarse, slow, nonrhythmic movement, usually of the outstretched hands, but also other muscle groups when there is sustained contraction of them. This is also called "liver flap" because it is associated with hepatic comas; however, it is observed in other conditions as well.

Back 57

asterixis

Front 58

Failure of muscular coordination resulting in a reeling, wide-based gait (the manner or style of walking).

Back 58

ataxia

Front 59

A form of dyskinesia marked by ceaseless slow, sinuous, writhing movements, especially of the hands (picture a pianist just before he touches the keys, but slower) which is involuntary.

Back 59

athetosis

Front 60

A psychomotor disturbance usually (but not always) associated with schizophrenia. It can take on different forms and severity, including a decrease in reactivity to the environment, resistance to all instructions or attempts to be moved, maintenance of a rigid posture, excited, uncontrollable and purposeless motor activity, or the assumption of bizarre fixed postures.

Back 60

catatonia

Front 61

A burning pain due to injury of a peripheral nerve.

Back 61

causalgia

Front 62

A headache. There are many different types of headaches which occur for many different reasons. A few of these are stress headaches, cluster headaches, and one of the most severe, migraine headaches.

Back 62

cephalalgia

Front 63

The ceaseless occurrence of a wide variety of rapid, highly complex, jerky, dyskinetic movements that appear to be well coordinated, but are performed involuntarily. There are several specific types of this.

Back 63

chorea

Front 64

A violent jar or shock to the brain or the condition which results from such an injury.

Back 64

concussion

Front 65

A violent, involuntary contraction or series of contractions of the usually voluntary muscles. Sometimes used interchangeably with seizure.

Back 65

convulsion

Front 66

An acute mental syndrome characterized by a reduced ability to maintain attention to external stimuli, disorganized thinking, rambling and incoherent speech, a reduced level of consciousness, incorrect sensory perceptions, disorientation to time, place, or person, and memory impairment. This is a reversible condition.

Back 66

delirium

Front 67

A false belief which is firmly maintained despite irrefutable evidence to the contrary and in spite of members of the culture not sharing the belief. For example, an individual experiencing delusions might believe that he or she is a famous person.

Back 67

delusion

Front 68

An organic mental syndrome characterized by a loss of intellectual abilities including impairment of memory, judgment, and abstract thinking, as well as changes in personality. This does not include functional lapses due to depression or clouding of consciousness as in delirium. It is caused by a large number of conditions, some reversible and some progressive, which cause widespread cerebral damage. The most common cause is Alzheimer disease.

Back 68

dementia

Front 69

A process whereby specific internal mental contents, such as memories, ideas, feelings, perceptions, are lost to conscious awareness and become unavailable to voluntary recall. This is a defense mechanism where such mental processes are separated from the rest of a person's mental activity in order to avoid emotional distress.

Back 69

dissociation

Front 70

Slurring and inappropriate phrasing during speech, as well as inability to control speech volume, due to disturbances of muscular control. This is a result of central or peripheral nerve damage.

Back 70

dysarthria

Front 71

The inability to perform rapid alternating movements.

Back 71

dysdiadochokinesia

Front 72

Inability to control muscular range of motion.

Back 72

dysmetria

Front 73

Impairment of speech, specifically lacking coordination and ability to arrange words in their proper order.

Back 73

dysphasia

Front 74

Disquiet, restlessness, malaise.

Back 74

dysphoria

Front 75

Brief, small irregular twitches of muscle visible through the skin, caused by a single motor filament.

Back 75

fasciculations

Front 76

A sense perception without a source in the external world. The perception of an object or sound when no such object or sound exists. These can involve all of the senses, but the most common are audio and visual hallucinations.

Back 76

hallucinations

Front 77

Sleep disorders consisting of the need for excessive amounts of sleep or causing extreme drowsiness when awake. This can be either psychogenic in origin, have an organic cause involving the nervous system, or be related to medication or drug use.

Back 77

hypersomnolence

Front 78

Abnormally decreased sensitivity, particularly to touch.

Back 78

hypesthesia

Front 79

Diminished tone of the skeletal muscles.

Back 79

hypotonia

Front 80

The formation of a mental concept or image.

Back 80

ideation

Front 81

Formulating thoughts about harming or killing oneself.

Back 81

suicidal ideation

Front 82

Formulating thoughts about harming or killing someone else.

Back 82

homicidal ideation

Front 83

The inability to sleep.

Back 83

insomnia

Front 84

A vague feeling of bodily discomfort and fatigue.

Back 84

malaise

Front 85

A brief, lightning-like contraction of a muscle, a portion of a muscle, or a group of muscles. This occurs in normal healthy people as they fall asleep. A hiccup is a diaphragmatic myoclonus.

Back 85

myoclonus

Front 86

Loss or impairment of motor function or sensation in a part.

Back 86

paralysis

Front 87

The term used to describe behavior characterized by systematic delusions of persecution, delusions of grandeur, or a combination of the two.

Back 87

paranoia

Front 88

In general this is a gross impairment in the capacity for sexual activity between adult human partners. There are different types, and they are much more predominant in males. The major paraphilias include: fetishism, transvestism, pedophilia, exhibitionism, voyeurism, masochism, and sadism.

Back 88

paraphilia

Front 89

The use of physical objects as the preferred method of producing sexual excitement (such as shoes).

Back 89

fetishism

Front 90

The dressing by heterosexual males in female clothing.

Back 90

transvestism

Front 91

A preference for sexual activity with prepubescent children.

Back 91

pedophilia

Front 92

The intentional participation in an activity in which the individual is physically harmed or the individual's life is threatened in order to produce sexual excitement. Examples would be humiliation, bondage, or whipping.

Back 92

masochism

Front 93

The inflicting of physical or psychologic harm or suffering on a sexual partner as a method of stimulating sexual excitement or orgasm.

Back 93

sadism

Front 94

Slight or incomplete paralysis.

Back 94

paresis

Front 95

A test performed during physical examination where the patient reports whether a finger or toe is being moved up or down, and where the patient's stance and gait are examined.

Back 95

proprioception

Front 96

A test performed by having the patient stand with feet together or walk with his/her eyes closed to determine the presence of clumsiness in movements or gait.

Back 96

Romberg test

Front 97

An area of lost or depressed vision within the visual field, generally surrounded by normal vision. This is also used in psychiatry as mental _______ or a figurative blind spot, wherein the patient has no insight into his or her problems.

Back 97

scotoma

Front 98

Literally this means a sudden attack or recurrence of a disease. It is often used interchangeably with the term convulsion.

Back 98

seizure

Front 99

characterized by loss of consciousness and alternate muscular contraction and relaxation in rapid succession. (The contraction and relaxation is called clonus; tonic is the restoration of normal muscle tone.)

Back 99

tonic/clonic grand mal

Front 100

brief generalized seizures, manifested by a 10-30 second loss of consciousness with eye or muscle flutterings either with or without the loss of muscle tone, but without clonic activity.

Back 100

absence petit mal

Front 101

Sleepiness

Back 101

somnolence

Front 102

A lower level of consciousness. The patient responds only to vigorous stimulation. In psychiatry it is used to describe a disorder marked by reduced responsiveness.

Back 102

stupor

Front 103

An involuntary, compulsive, repetitive movement, usually involving the face or shoulders.

Back 103

tic

Front 104

A tingling sensation in the distal end of a limb when percussion is made over the site of a nerve. This is used to determine the presence of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Back 104

Tinel sign

Front 105

An involuntary trembling or quivering.

Back 105

tremor

Front 106

An illusory sense that either the environment or one's own body is revolving. It is mistakenly used synonymously with dizziness.

Back 106

vertigo

Front 107

An abnormal touch sensation such as burning, pricking, or feeling that something is crawling over your skin when no external stimulus is present.

Back 107

paresthesia

Front 108

A test on physical examination to determine the presence of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Back 108

Phalen sign

Front 109

Repetitive acts of exposing the genitals to an unsuspecting stranger for sexual excitation.

Back 109

exhibitionism

Front 110

Looking at unsuspecting people who are naked, undressing, or engaging in sexual activity for the purpose of sexual excitation.

Back 110

voyeurism

Front 111

Decreased sensitivity to touch.

Back 111

hypesthesia

Front 112

A burning pain, caused by injury to a nerve.

Back 112

causalgia

Front 113

A coarse, slow, nonrhythmic movement of the outstretched hand. "Liver flap."

Back 113

asterixis

Front 114

A defense mechanism to avoid emotional pain.

Back 114

dissociation

Front 115

A false belief which is firmly maintained despite irrefutable negating evidence.

Back 115

delusion

Front 116

A hiccup is an example of this.

Back 116

myoclonus

Front 117

A lower level of consciousness.

Back 117

stupor

Front 118

A reeling, wide-based gait.

Back 118

ataxia

Front 119

A sense perception without a source in the external world.

Back 119

hallucination

Front 120

A test for abnormal clumsiness.

Back 120

Romberg test

Front 121

A test for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Back 121

Phalen maneuver

Front 122

A test performed on physical examination.

Back 122

proprioception

Front 123

A tonic/clonic seizure.

Back 123

grand mal

Front 124

A violent jar or shock to the brain, or the resulting condition.

Back 124

concussion

Front 125

A violent, involuntary contraction.

Back 125

convulsion

Front 126

An acute mental syndrome with rambling, disorganized thinking, incoherent speech.

Back 126

delirium

Front 127

An area of lost or depressed vision with surrounding normal vision.

Back 127

scotoma

Front 128

An illusory sense that the environment or your own body is rotating.

Back 128

vertigo

Front 129

An involuntary repetitive movement.

Back 129

tic

Front 130

An organic mental syndrome.

Back 130

dementia

Front 131

Behavior with delusions of persecution and/or grandeur.

Back 131

paranoia

Front 132

Brief small twitches of muscle visible through the skin.

Back 132

fasciculations

Front 133

Constant rapid, jerky, involuntary movements.

Back 133

chorea

Front 134

Decreased muscle tone.

Back 134

hypotonia

Front 135

Defect or loss of the power of expression.

Back 135

aphasia

Front 136

Gross impairment in normal sexual response.

Back 136

paraphilia

Front 137

Headache

Back 137

cephalalgia

Front 138

Inflicting harm or suffering on another for sexual excitation.

Back 138

sadism

Front 139

Intermittent involuntary contraction and relaxation of muscles.

Back 139

clonus

Front 140

Involuntary trembling or quivering.

Back 140

tremor

Front 141

Loss of memory.

Back 141

amnesia

Front 142

Loss of motor function and/or sensation.

Back 142

paralysis

Front 143

Psychomotor disturbance usually associated with schizophrenia.

Back 143

catatonia

Front 144

Sleepiness.

Back 144

somnolence

Front 145

Slow, writhing movements of the hands.

Back 145

athetosis

Front 146

Slurred and inappropriate speech.

Back 146

dysarthria

Front 147

The act of watching unsuspecting females for sexual excitation.

Back 147

voyeurism

Front 148

The formation of a mental concept or image.

Back 148

ideation

Front 149

The inability to perform rapid alternating movements.

Back 149

dysdiadochokinesia

Front 150

The inability to sleep.

Back 150

insomnia

Front 151

The loss of the ability to carry out purposeful movements without paralysis.

Back 151

apraxia

Front 152

The use of physical objects to produce sexual excitement.

Back 152

fetishism

Front 153

A progressive degenerative disease of the brain of unknown etiology, with atrophy of the cerebral cortex including plaques and tangles of neuron particles. It is manifested by memory loss, personality changes and eventually dementia. It occurs twice as often in women as in men.

Back 153

Alzheimer disease

Front 154

A congenital deformity which occurs when portions of the medulla oblongata and cerebellum protrude into the spinal canal.

Back 154

Arnold-Chiari malformation

Front 155

This is a congenital deformity of tangled, dilated blood vessels where arterial contents flow directly into veins. This produces a consistently enlarging vasculature which causes neurologic abnormalities by compressing neural tissue, the spinal cord, or interrupting blood supply to the brain.

Back 155

arteriovenous malformation

Front 156

A tumor composed of neuroglial cells. It is the most common type of primary brain tumor and is also found throughout the central nervous system. There are different classifications and grades of these tumors.

Back 156

astrocytoma

Front 157

A functional disorder of cranial nerve VII resulting in paralysis of one side of the facial muscles and distortion of taste. This is usually due to a lesion on the nerve.

Back 157

Bell palsy

Front 158

A mood/personality disorder where both depressive and excited/elated periods occur. It usually begins with depression and during at least one time during the illness there is an elated period.

Back 158

bipolar disorder

Front 159

A disorder caused by compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel which is characterized by pain and burning or tingling paresthesias in the fingers and hand, sometimes radiating up the arm.

Back 159

carpal tunnel syndrome

Front 160

A broad term which describes a number of motor disorders in young children resulting from brain damage, often in utero or during birth. Symptoms include delayed or abnormal motor development with spastic paraplegia, hemiplegia, seizures, ataxia, and resultant mental retardation.

Back 160

cerebral palsy

Front 161

Often used synonymously with a stroke. CVA is a nonspecific term for ischemic (cutting off the blood supply) or hemorrhagic (bleeding) lesions which affect the brain. Technically, a stroke is an ischemic-type lesion.

Back 161

cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

Front 162

A mood disorder characterized by depressed feelings (being sad, feeling down in the dumps) with a loss of interest or pleasure from one's usual activities, which persists for two or more years. This differs from major depression because the symptoms typically last longer (sometimes ongoing for many, many years) and are not as severe as in depression.

Back 162

dysthymia

Front 163

Inflammation of the brain.

Back 163

encephalitis

Front 164

Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

Back 164

encephalomyelitis

Front 165

Any degenerative disease of the brain.

Back 165

encephalopathy

Front 166

A recurrent paroxysmal disorder of cerebral function characterized by sudden brief attacks of altered consciousness, motor activity, sensory phenomena, or inappropriate behavior. One episode is generally called a seizure. Any recurrent seizure pattern may be called epilepsy.

Back 166

epilepsy

Front 167

A tumor composed of tissue which represents neuroglia. The term is sometimes used to describe any tumor of the brain or spinal cord.

Back 167

glioma

Front 168

An acute, usually rapidly progressive form of inflammatory polyneuropathy (usually lesions affecting many peripheral nerves simultaneously) characterized by muscle weakness and mild sensory loss. This usually occurs between five days and three weeks after an infectious disorder, surgery, or an immunization.

Back 168

Guillain-Barre syndrome

Front 169

A herniated, ruptured, or prolapsed intervertebral disc. Spinal vertebrae are separated by cartilage discs which consist of an outer anulus fibrosus and an inner nucleus pulposus. Degenerative changes can cause the nucleus to rupture or protrude through the anulus fibrosus, where it irritates the nerve root and causes back pain. (Note: annulus is an acceptable alternative spelling.)

Back 169

herniated nucleus pulposus

Front 170

A condition marked by dilatation of the cerebral ventricles, usually secondary to obstruction in the pathways for cerebrospinal fluid with a subsequent accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid within the skull. This is typically characterized by an enlarged head, prominence of the forehead, brain atrophy, mental deterioration, and/or convulsions.

Back 170

hydrocephalus

Front 171

Also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A motor neuron disease of unknown cause characterized by muscular weakness and atrophy, cramps, visible fasciculations, spasticity, hyperactive reflexes, dysarthria and dysphagia. This is more common in men than women. 50% of patients die within three years of onset; 20% live five years, and 10% live for ten years.

Back 171

Lou Gehrig disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Front 172

Inflammation of the meninges.

Back 172

meningitis

Front 173

A hernia protrusion of the meninges through a bony defect.

Back 173

meningocele

Front 174

Smallness of the head, usually associated with mental retardation.

Back 174

microcephaly

Front 175

A disease in which there are foci of demyelination throughout the white matter of the central nervous system, sometimes extending into the gray matter. Symptoms of these lesions include weakness, incoordination, paresthesias, speech disturbances, and visual complaints. The disease is usually prolonged.

Back 175

multiple sclerosis

Front 176

The repeated fabrication of illness, usually acute, dramatic, and very convincing, by a person who wanders from hospital to hospital for treatment. Patients are often able to mimic serious disorders with great skill. There is a variation of this illness called Munchausen by proxy wherein the affected person uses a child as the patient, falsifying history and even injuring the child or using drugs, adding blood or bacterial components to urine specimens, and other means to simulate a disease.

Back 176

Munchausen syndrome

Front 177

A disease characterized by episodic muscle weakness, primarily in muscles innervated by the cranial nerves.

Back 177

myasthenia gravis

Front 178

A hernia protrusion of the spinal cord and its meninges through a defect in the vertebral canal.

Back 178

myelomeningocele

Front 179

Recurrent, uncontrollable, brief episodes of sleep. Also associated with sudden loss of muscle tone, sleep paralysis, or hypnogogic hallucinations.

Back 179

narcolepsy

Front 180

A familial condition characterized by developmental changes in the nervous system, muscles, bones, and skin with the formation of multiple soft tumors distributed over the entire body.

Back 180

neurofibromatosis

Front 181

Paralysis of the legs and lower part of the body.

Back 181

paraplegia

Front 182

A slowly progressive and degenerative central nervous system disorder with four characteristic features: slowness and poverty of movement, muscular rigidity, resting tremor, and postural instability.

Back 182

Parkinson disease

Front 183

Any traumatic, toxic, inflammatory, or degenerative changes in the peripheral nerves. Results in sensory loss, muscle weakness and atrophy, decreased deep tendon reflexes, and vasomotor symptoms occurring either individually or in any combination. This can afflict a single nerve or many nerves simultaneously (polyneuropathy).

Back 183

peripheral neuropathy

Front 184

These are disordered patterns of behavior characterized by relatively fixed, inflexible, and stylistic reactions to stress. These disorders are rigid and not adaptive and damage social, interpersonal and work relationships. These disorders can be classified into several different types. Following is a list of some of the most common personality disorders.

Back 184

personality disorders

Front 185

Also called psychopathic or sociopathic personality. Individuals with these disorders act out their conflicts and ignore normal rules of social behavior. They are impulsive, irresponsible, amoral, and unable to forego immediate gratification. They cannot form sustained relationships with others but use charm to get their way. They cannot tolerate frustration, and opposition will likely elicit hostility, aggression, or serious violence. They show little to no remorse or guilt and rationalize and blame others for their behavior.

Back 185

antisocial

Front 186

These individuals are extremely sensitive to rejection, and they fear beginning relationships but have a strong desire for affection and acceptance. They appear shy and timid and are distressed by their inability to relate to others.

Back 186

avoidant

Front 187

These types are unstable in many areas including self-image, mood, behavior, and relationships. They are characterized by frequent mood shifts, impulsivity, inappropriate and uncontrolled intense anger. These people are extremists—the world is either black or white, hated or loved, but never neutral.

Back 187

borderline

Front 188

These individuals fluctuate in their moods between high-spiritedness and gloom and pessimism, each sustained for weeks or longer. Their mood changes are often rhythmic and predictable and can be set off by trivial or no external causes.

Back 188

cyclothymic

Front 189

These people surrender responsibility for their lives to others and allow the needs of those they are dependent upon to take precedence over their own needs. They lack self-confidence and initiative, and they are extremely uncomfortable with being alone for more than brief periods.

Back 189

dependent

Front 190

These people are very egocentric. Winning the esteem and admiration of others is important to them, so they have attention-seeking and theatrical behavior. Emotional immaturity is evident with exaggerated childish responses to any wounding of their vanity. Their behavior is inconsistent because they adopt whatever conduct will place them in a favorable light. In their relationships they have an insatiable need for affection and exhibit sexually aggressive behavior with an underlying wish for nonsexual affection.

Back 190

histrionic (hysterical)

Front 191

These individuals have an exaggerated sense of their own importance and are absorbed by fantasies of unlimited success. They also tend to be preoccupied with envy. They constantly seek attention, tend to exploit others, and are overly sensitive to failure or criticism. They also tend to have multiple somatic complaints.

Back 191

narcissistic

Front 192

These people are conscientious and have high aspirations but tend to be perfectionists and cannot gain satisfaction from their achievements. They are reliable, dependable, orderly, and methodical, but they are also completely inflexible and thus cannot adapt to a change in circumstances. They are cautious, have anxiety over responsibility (which they take very seriously), and pay attention to every detail. They have difficulty with interpersonal relationships because they lose total control over their feelings and must rely on others.

Back 192

obsessive-compulsive

Front 193

These people project their own conflicts and hostilities onto others. They are markedly sensitive in relationships and tend to find hostile and malevolent intentions behind trivial and even kindly acts by others. Their suspicions often lead to aggressive feelings or behavior. They have a sense of superiority and often belittle others.

Back 193

paranoid

Front 194

These personality types are characterized by helplessness, clinging dependency, and procrastination. The passivity is designed to gain attention, to avoid responsibility, or to control others. The behavior is often obstinacy, inefficiency, and sullenness, often disguised under apparent compliance. They tend to provoke and engage in arguments, especially with those in authority.

Back 194

passive-aggressive

Front 195

These individuals are withdrawn, solitary, introverted, emotionally cold, and distant. They are absorbed in their own thoughts and feelings and greatly fear intimacy of any kind with others. They tend to daydream and prefer speculation to action. Fantasy is a common coping mechanism.

Back 195

schizoid

Front 196

A neurotic disorder which occurs following exposure to an overwhelming environmental stress (very common in war veterans, for example). Symptoms include consistently reliving the experience, a numbing emotional responsiveness, and a general dysphoria.

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post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

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A mental disorder characterized by gross impairment of reality testing, including delusions, hallucinations, markedly incoherent speech, disorganized and agitated behavior. This term is also used in a general sense to refer to mental disorders where the patient's mental impairment interferes with his/her ability to deal with regular daily life.

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psychosis

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Paralysis of all four limbs.

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quadriplegia

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A mental disorder which is characterized by both schizophrenia and mood disturbances.

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schizoaffective disorder

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A group of mental disorders which are chronic, impair functioning, and are characterized by psychotic symptoms involving impairment of thought, perception, feelings, and behavior. There are six specific criteria which should be present for a diagnosis of schizophrenia: Certain psychotic symptoms, delusions, hallucinations, formal thought disorder; Deterioration from a previous level of functioning; Continuous signs of the illness for at least six months; Generally, an onset before age 45; Symptoms specifically not due to mood (affective) disorders; Symptoms not due to an organic mental disorder or mental retardation.

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schizophrenia

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Defective closure of the bony encasement of the spinal column.

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spina bifida

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If the cord and meninges protrude through the defect, it is called spina bifida cystica.

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spina bifida cystica

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If the cord and meninges do not protrude through, it is called spina bifida occulta.

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spina bifida occulta

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Forward displacement of one vertebra over another. The most common vertebrae affected are the fifth lumbar (over the sacrum) and the fourth lumbar (over the fifth lumbar).

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spondylolisthesis

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Immobility and consolidation of a vertebral joint, or a general term for degenerative changes of a vertebral joint due to osteoarthritis.

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spondylosis

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A collection of pus between the dura and the arachnoid membranes. This is most often a complication of sinus infection, but can also be due to ear infection, cranial trauma or surgery, and bacteremia.

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subdural empyema

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A slowly progressive syndrome in which fluid-filled neuroglial cavities form within the spinal cord. These may extend up into the medulla oblongata or down into the thoracic region. Symptoms include neurological deficits, including muscular weakness and atrophy with dissociated sensory loss (for example, loss of pain and temperature sensation but with preservation of the sense of touch). Thoracic scoliosis is often present.

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syringomyelia

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A fluid-filled neuroglial cavity. It also means a tube, pipe, or fistula.

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syrinx

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Tourette syndrome (or Gilles de la Tourette) is an autosomal multiple tic disorder that begins in childhood with simple facial and vocal tics, and progresses to multiple, complex jerking movements which can occur in any part of the body. In adolescence, the condition may worsen. The patient may grunt, snort, and shout involuntarily. It is more common in males by a ratio of 3:1.

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Tourette syndrome

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Neurologic abnormalities which occur suddenly, are brief (usually lasting only minutes) and are caused by dysfunction in the arterial distribution to the brain. These often occur as a precursor to a stroke.

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transient ischemic attack (TIA)

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A disorder of the trigeminal (5th) cranial nerve which causes bouts of severe pain lasting seconds to minutes in the distribution of one or more of the nerve's sensory divisions, but most commonly in the mandibular and/or maxillary portion.

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trigeminal neuralgia

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A series of changes which take place in a severed peripheral nerve fiber. This affects a portion of the neuron, which swells, becomes granular, and breaks up into irregular fragments which eventually disappear. The myelin sheath (if there is one) also fragments and forms irregular globules before disappearing. Because it affects the peripheral nervous system, it is possible to have some regeneration of the damaged nerve fibers.

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Wallerian degeneration