Chap 10, Nervous System, Spelling Practice Quiz Flashcards
analgesia
Absence of sensitivity to pain.
an-: no, not, without
-algesia: excessive sensitivity to pain.
ataxic gate
Uncoordinated walk.
-ic: pertaining to
a-: no, not, without
tax/o: order, coordination
aneurysm
Weakening of an arterial wall, which may lead to hemorrhage and cerebrovascular accident (stroke).
acetylcholine
Neurotransmitter chemical released at the ends of nerve cells.
brainstem
Lower portion of the brain that connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord.
cerebral gyrus
Sheet of nerve cells that produces a rounded fold on the surface of the cerebrum or cerebral cortex; convolution.
cerebr/o: cerebrum
-al: pertaining to
cerebral sulci
Depression or groove in the surface of the cerebral cortex; fissure.
cerebr/o: cerebrum
-al: pertaining to
dopamine
Neurotransmitter in the central nervous system; deficient in patients with Parkinson disease.
dyskinesia
Impairment of the ability to perform voluntary movements.
dys-: bad, painful, difficult, abnormal
kinesi/o: movement
dysphasia
loss or deficiency in the power to use or understand language as a result of injury to or disease of the brain.
dys-: bad, painful, difficult, abnormal
-phasia: speech
demyelination
The state resulting from the loss or destruction of myelin; also: the process of such loss or destruction.
de-: lack of; down; less; removal of
myel/o: spinal cord or bone marrow
-ion: process
efferent nerve
Transmits information rather than receives information (motor nerve).
hemiparesis
Slight paralysis of the right or left half of the body.
-paresis: weakness
hemi-: half
embolus
Blood clot that is carried by the bloodstream from one area of the body to another where it blocks a blood vessel (travelling clot or thrombus that causes occlusion).
em-: in
-us: structure; thing
epilepsy
Brain disorder marked by recurrent attacks (seizures) of abnormal nervous impulses.
epi-: above, upon, on
-lepsy: seizue
hypothalamus
Region of the brain lying below the thalamus, but above the pituitary gland. It stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete and release hormones.
-us: structure; thing
hypo-: deficient, below, under, less than normal
thalam/o: thalamus
leptomeninges, pia-arachnoid, or leptomeninx
The pia mater and the arachnoid as distinct from the dura mater because of their thinner and more delicate structure.
lept/o-: thin, slender
mening/o: membranes, meninges
myelin sheath (verb form: myelin sheathe)
Covering of white fatty tissue that surrounds and insulates the axon of a nerve cell. Myelin speeds impulse conduction along axons.
myel/o: spinal cord or bone marrow
meningitis
Inflammation of the meninges.
mening/o: meninges, membranes
-itis: inflammation
meningomyelocele or myelomeningocele
Congenital hernia (protrusion) of the spinal cord and meninges through a defect (gap) in the vertebral column. This defect is often associated with spina bifida.
-cele: hernia
mening/o: meninges, membranes
myel/o: spinal cord or bone marrow
medulla oblongata
Lower part of the brain, closest to the spinal cord; controls breathing, heartbeat, and size of blood vessels.
medull/o: medulla (inner section); middle; soft, marrow
neuralgia
Nerve pain.
-algia: pain
neur/o: nerve
olfactory
of, relating to, or connected with the sense of smell; cranial nerve I, or 1st cranial nerve.
paresthesia (plural: paresthesias)
An abnormal nervous sensation occurring without apparent cause. Examples are numbness, tingling, or pricking sensations. [often used in the plural (paresthesias)]
-esthesia: feeling; nervous sensation
para-: along the side of
