Nursing Flashcards
(197 cards)
1
Q
What is an absence seizure?
A
A small seizure in which there is a sudden temporary loss of consciousness lasting only a few seconds.
2
Q
Define acetylcholine.
A
A chemical substance in the body tissue that facilitates the transmission of nerve impulses from one nerve to another.
3
Q
What are afferent nerves?
A
Transmitters of nerve impulses toward the CNS; also known as sensory nerves.
4
Q
What does agnosia refer to?
A
Loss of mental ability to understand sensory stimuli even though the sensory organs themselves are functioning properly.
5
Q
What is agraphia?
A
The inability to convert one’s thoughts into writing.
6
Q
What is alexia?
A
Inability to understand written words.
7
Q
Describe Alzheimer’s disease.
A
Deterioration of a person’s intellectual functioning, progressive from minor memory loss to complete loss of mental, emotional, and physical functioning.
8
Q
What is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)?
A
A severe weakening and wasting of the involved muscle groups, usually beginning with the hands and progressing to the shoulders, upper arms, and legs.
9
Q
Define analgesia.
A
Without sensitivity to pain.
10
Q
What is anencephaly?
A
Absence of the brain and spinal cord at birth, a congenital disorder.
11
Q
What does anesthesia mean?
A
Without feeling or sensation.
12
Q
What is an anesthetic?
A
Pertaining to partially or completely numbing or eliminating sensitivity with or without loss of consciousness.
13
Q
Define aneurysm.
A
Localized dilatation in the wall of an artery that expands with each pulsation of the artery.
14
Q
What is aphasia?
A
Inability to communicate through speech, writing, or signs because of an injury to or disease in certain areas of the brain.
15
Q
What does apraxia refer to?
A
Inability to perform coordinated movements or use objects properly; not associated with sensory or motor impairment or paralysis.
16
Q
What is the arachnoid membrane?
A
The weblike middle layer of the three membranous layers surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
17
Q
What is an astrocyte?
A
A star-shaped glial cell of the central nervous system.
18
Q
Define astrocytoma.
A
A tumor of the brain or spinal cord composed of astrocytes.
19
Q
What is ataxia?
A
Lack of muscle coordination.
20
Q
What is an aura?
A
A sensation experienced prior to a seizure; serves as a warning sign that a seizure is about to occur.
21
Q
What does the autonomic nervous system control?
A
The glands and the muscles of the internal organs.
22
Q
What is an axon?
A
The part of the nerve cell that transports nerve impulses away from the nerve cell body.
23
Q
What is Babinski’s reflex?
A
Tested by firmly stroking the sole of the foot; normal response is flexion of the great toe.
24
Q
Define Bell’s palsy.
A
A temporary or permanent unilateral weakness or paralysis of the muscles in the face.
25
What is the blood-brain barrier?
A protective characteristic of the capillary walls of the brain that prevents the passage of harmful substances from the bloodstream into the brain tissue.
26
What is bradykinesia?
Abnormally slow movement.
27
What is the brain?
Largest organ in adults; weighs approx 3 pounds.
28
What is a brain abscess?
Localized accumulation of pus located anywhere in the brain tissue due to an infectious process.
29
What is a brain scan?
A nuclear counter scanning of cranial content two hours after an intravenous injection of radioisotopes.
30
What is the brain stem?
Stem like portion of the brain that connects the cerebral hemisphere with the spinal cord.
31
What is Brudzinski's sign?
A positive sign of meningitis, in which there is an involuntary flexion of the arm, hip, and knee when the patient's neck is passively flexed.
32
What is a burr hole?
A hole drilled into the skull using a form of drill.
33
What is carpal tunnel syndrome?
Compression of the median nerve as it passes between the ligament and the bones and tendons of the wrist.
34
What is the cauda equina?
The lower end of the spinal cord and the roots of the spinal nerves that occupy the spinal canal below the level of the first lumbar vertebra.
35
Define causalgia.
A sensation of an acute burning pain along the path of a peripheral nerve.
36
What is the cell body?
Part of the cell that contains the nucleus and the cytoplasm.
37
What is the central nervous system?
One of the two main divisions of the nervous system, consisting of the brain and the spinal cord.
38
What is cephalalgia?
Pain in the head; headache.
39
What is the cerebellum responsible for?
Coordinating voluntary muscular movement; located behind the brain stem.
40
What is cerebral angiography?
Visualization of the cerebral vascular system via x-ray after the injection of a radiopaque contrast medium.
41
What is a cerebral concussion?
Brief interruption of brain function, usually with a loss of consciousness lasting for a few seconds.
42
What is a cerebral contusion?
Small scattered venous hemorrhages in the brain; better described as a 'bruise' of the brain tissue.
43
What is the cerebral cortex?
Thin outer layer of nerve tissue, known as gray matter, that covers the surface of the cerebrum.
44
Define cerebral palsy.
A congenital condition characterized by poor muscle control, spasticity, speech defects, and other neurologic deficiencies.
45
What is cerebrospinal fluid?
The fluid flowing through the brain and around the spinal cord that protects them from physical blow or impact.
46
What is cerebrospinal fluid analysis?
CSF obtained from a lumbar puncture analyzed for the presence of bacteria, blood, or malignant cells.
47
What is a cerebrovascular accident (CVA)?
Death of a specific portion of brain tissue, resulting in decrease in blood flow to that area of the brain.
48
What is the cerebrum?
Largest and uppermost portion of the brain, controlling consciousness, memory, sensations, emotions, and voluntary movements.
49
What is cervical radiculopathy?
Any disease of the spinal nerve roots in the neck; caused by pressure on the nerve roots.
50
What are Cheyne-Stokes respirations?
An abnormal pattern of breathing characterized by periods of apnea followed by deep rapid breathing.
51
What is a chordotomy?
A neurosurgical procedure for pain control accomplished through a laminectomy.
52
What is a cisternal puncture?
The insertion of a short, beveled spinal needle into the cisterna magna to drain CSF.
53
What is a cluster headache?
Typically occurs 2 or 3 hours after falling asleep; described as extreme pain around one eye.
54
What is a coma?
A deep sleep in which the individual cannot be aroused and does not respond to external stimuli.
55
What does comatose mean?
Pertains to being in a coma.
56
What is contracture?
A permanent shortening of a muscle causing a joint to remain in an abnormally flexed position.
57
What is a convolution?
One of the many elevated folds of the surface of the cerebrum; also called a gyrus.
58
What is a craniotomy?
A surgical incision into the cranium or skull.
59
What does CT scan of the brain analyze?
A three-dimensional view of brain tissue obtained as x-ray beams pass through successive horizontal layers.
60
What is a deficit?
Any deficiency or variation of the normal.
61
What is a degenerative disk?
The deterioration of the intervertebral disk, usually due to constant motion and wear.
62
What is dementia?
A progressive irreversible mental disorder with deteriorating memory, judgment, and ability to think.
63
What is demyelination?
Destruction or removal of the myelin sheath that covers a nerve or nerve fiber.
64
What is a dendrite?
A projection that extends from the nerve cell body, receiving impulses and conducting them on to the cell body.
65
What is the diencephalon?
The part of the brain located between the cerebrum and the midbrain.
66
What is diplopia?
Double vision; also called ambiopia.
67
What is the dura mater?
Thick, outermost layer of the meninges surrounding and protecting the brain and spinal cord.
68
What is dyslexia?
A condition characterized by an impairment of the ability to read.
69
What does dysphasia mean?
Difficult speech.
70
What is echoencephalography?
Ultrasound used to analyze the intracranial structures of the brain.
71
What are efferent nerves?
Transmitters of nerve impulses away from the CNS; also known as motor nerves.
72
What is electroencephalography (EEG)?
Measurement of electrical activity produced by the brain recorded through electrodes placed on the scalp.
73
What is electromyography?
Process of recording electrical activity in the muscle.
74
Define embolism.
An abnormal condition in which a blood clot becomes lodged in a blood vessel.
75
What is encephalitis?
Inflammation of the brain largely caused by a virus.
76
What is an epidural hematoma?
Collection of blood located above the dura mater and just below the skull.
77
What is the epidural space?
The space immediately outside the dura mater that contains a supporting cushion of fat.
78
What is epilepsy?
Neurological condition characterized by recurrent episodes of sudden brief attacks of seizures.
79
What is a fissure?
Deep groove on the surface of an organ.
80
What is a fontanelle or fontanel?
Space covered by tough membrane between the bones of an infant's cranium.
81
What does gait refer to?
Style of walking.
82
What is a ganglion?
Knotlike mass of nerve tissue found outside the brain or spinal cord.
83
What is a grand mal seizure?
Epileptic seizure characterized by a sudden loss of consciousness and generalized involuntary muscular contraction.
84
What is gray matter?
Part of the nervous system consisting of axons that are not covered with myelin sheath.
85
What is Guillain-Barre syndrome?
Acute polyneuritis of the PNS in which the myelin sheaths on the axons are destroyed.
86
What is a gyrus?
One of the many elevated folds of the surface of the cerebrum.
87
What is a headache (cephalalgia)?
Pain, varying in intensity from mild to severe, anywhere within the cranial cavity.
88
What is hemiparesis?
Slight or partial paralysis of one half of the body.
89
What is hemiplegia?
Paralysis of one half of the body.
90
What is a herniated disk?
Rupture or herniation of the disk center through the disk wall into the spinal canal.
91
What is herpes zoster?
Acute infection caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, characterized by painful vesicular lesions.
92
What is Huntington's chorea?
Inherited neurological disease characterized by rapid, jerky, involuntary movements.
93
What is hydrocephalus?
Abnormal accumulation of fluid (CSF) in the brain.
94
What is hyperesthesia?
Excessive sensitivity to sensory stimuli.
95
What is hyperkinesis?
Excessive muscular movement and physical activity; hyperactivity.
96
What is hypochondriasis?
Chronic abnormal concern about the health of the body.
97
What is the hypothalamus?
Part of the brain located below the thalamus that controls many functions.
98
What are interneurons?
Connecting neurons that conduct impulses from afferent nerves to or toward motor nerves.
99
What are intracranial tumors?
Tumors occurring in any structural region of the brain, classified as primary or secondary.
100
What is Kernig's sign?
A diagnostic sign for meningitis marked by the inability to extend the leg completely.
101
What is kinesiology?
The study of muscle movement.
102
What is laminectomy?
The surgical removal of the bony arches from one or more of the vertebrae.
103
What is lethargy?
State of being sluggish.
104
What is the longitudinal fissure?
Deep groove in the middle of the cerebrum that divides it into the right and left hemispheres.
105
What is a lumbar puncture?
Insertion of a hollow needle into the subarachnoid space.
106
What is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)?
A noninvasive diagnostic technique that produces images of internal body tissues.
107
What is the medulla oblongata?
Part of the brainstem; contains the cardiac, vasomotor, and respiratory centers.
108
What are the meninges?
Three layers of protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.
109
What is meningitis (bacterial)?
Serious bacterial infection of the meninges.
110
What is meningocele?
A cystlike sac protruding through the bony defect in the vertebrae containing meninges and CSF.
111
What is meningomyelocele?
A cyst-like sac protruding through the bony defect in the vertebrae that contains meninges, CSF, and spinal cord segments.
112
What are metastatic intracranial tumors?
Tumors that occur as a result of metastasis from a primary site.
113
What is microglia?
Small neuroglial cells found in the nervous system that engulf cellular debris.
114
What is the midbrain?
The uppermost part of the brain stem.
115
What is a migraine headache?
Recurring, pulsating, vascular headache usually developing on one side of the head.
116
What are motor nerves?
Also known as efferent nerves.
117
What is multiple sclerosis (MS)?
A degenerative inflammatory disease of the CNS attacking the myelin sheath.
118
What is myasthenia gravis?
A chronic progressive neuromuscular disorder causing severe skeletal muscle weakness.
119
What is the myelin sheath?
A protective sheath that covers the axons of many nerves in the body.
120
What is myelography?
The introduction of contrast medium into the lumbar subarachnoid space to visualize the spinal cord.
121
What is narcolepsy?
Uncontrolled, sudden attacks of sleep.
122
What is a nerve?
A cordlike bundle of nerve fibers that transmit impulses to and from the brain.
123
What is the myelin sheath?
A protective sheath that covers the axons of many nerves, acting as an electrical insulator and speeding up the conduction of nerve impulses.
124
What is myelography?
The introduction of contrast medium into the lumbar subarachnoid space through a lumbar puncture to visualize the spinal cord and vertebral canal through X-ray examination.
125
Define narcolepsy.
Uncontrolled, sudden attacks of sleep.
126
What is a nerve?
A cordlike bundle of nerve fibers that transmit impulses to and from the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body.
127
What is a nerve block?
The injection of a local anesthetic along the course of a nerve to eliminate sensation in the area supplied by the nerve(s).
128
Define neuralgia.
Severe, sharp, spasm-like pain that extends along the course of one or more nerves.
129
What is neurectomy?
A neurosurgical procedure to relieve pain in a localized area by incision of cranial or peripheral nerves.
130
What does neuritis refer to?
Inflammation of a nerve.
131
What is neuroblastoma?
A highly malignant tumor of the sympathetic nervous system.
132
Define neuroglia.
The supporting tissue of the nervous system.
133
What is the role of a neurologist?
A physician who specializes in treating diseases and disorders of the nervous system.
134
What is neurology?
The study of the nervous system and its disorders.
135
What is a neuron?
A nerve cell.
136
What does a neurosurgeon do?
A physician who specializes in surgery of the nervous system.
137
Define neurosurgery.
Any surgery that involves the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, or peripheral nerves.
138
What is a neurotransmitter?
A chemical substance that activates or inhibits the transmission of nerve impulses at synapses.
139
What does nuchal rigidity indicate?
Rigidity of the neck, often seen in patients with meningitis.
140
Define occlusion.
Blockage.
141
What is an oligodendrocyte?
A type of neuroglial cell found in the interstitial tissue of the nervous system.
142
What does palliative mean?
Soothing.
143
Define paraplegia.
Paralysis of the lower extremities and trunk, usually due to spinal cord injuries.
144
What are parasympathetic nerves responsible for?
Regulating essential involuntary body functions such as slowing the heart rate and increasing glandular secretions.
145
What is a parasympathomimetic?
A substance that mimics the effects of the parasympathetic nerves.
146
What does paresthesia refer to?
Sensation of numbness or tingling.
147
What is Parkinson's disease?
Degenerative, slowly progressive deterioration of nerves in the brain stem's motor system.
148
What is the peripheral nervous system?
Part of the nervous system outside the CNS, consisting of cranial and spinal nerves.
149
Define peripheral neuritis.
Inflammation of one or more peripheral nerves, with effects depending on the particular nerve involved.
150
What is a petit mal seizure?
Small seizures characterized by a sudden, temporary loss of consciousness lasting a few seconds.
151
What is phagocytosis?
The process by which certain cells engulf and destroy microorganisms and cellular debris.
152
What is the pia mater?
The innermost of the three membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
153
What is the function of the pineal body?
Thought to regulate the body's biological clock and produce melatonin.
154
Define plexus.
A network of interwoven nerves.
155
What is poliomyelitis?
An infectious viral disease affecting the ability of spinal cord and brain motor neurons to receive stimulation.
156
What is a polysomnogram?
A sleep study that evaluates physical factors affecting sleep.
157
What is the pons?
Part of the brain located between the medulla oblongata and the midbrain, acting as a bridge to connect them.
158
What does a positron emission tomography (PET) scan do?
Produces computerized radiographic images of body structures when radioactive substances are inhaled or injected.
159
Define postpolio syndrome.
Progressive weakness occurring at least 30 years after the initial poliomyelitis attack.
160
What are primary intracranial tumors?
Tumors arising from gliomas and from tumors that arise from the meninges.
161
What is quadriplegia?
Paralysis of all four extremities and the trunk of the body, caused by spinal cord injury.
162
What is a radiculotomy?
The surgical resection of a spinal nerve root to relieve pain.
163
What is a receptor?
A sensory nerve ending that receives and relays responses to stimuli.
164
Define Reye's syndrome.
Acute brain encephalopathy along with fatty infiltration of the internal organs following acute viral infections.
165
What is a Romberg test used for?
To evaluate cerebellar function and balance.
166
What is sciatica?
Inflammation of the sciatic nerve characterized by pain radiating through the thigh and down the leg.
167
What does sensory refer to?
Pertaining to sensation.
168
What are sensory nerves?
Transmitters of nerve impulses toward the CNS, also known as afferent nerves.
169
What is shingles?
Acute viral infection characterized by painful, vesicular eruptions along nerve pathways.
170
Define shunt.
A tube or passage that diverts or redirects body fluid from one cavity or vessel to another.
171
What is a skull fracture?
A broken segment of the skull bone thrust into the brain due to direct force.
172
What is the somatic nervous system?
Part of the PNS providing voluntary control over skeletal muscle contractions.
173
What is spina bifida cystica?
A congenital defect of the CNS where the back portion of vertebrae is not closed normally and a cyst protrudes.
174
What is spina bifida occulta?
A congenital defect of the CNS where the back portion of vertebrae is not closed, sometimes with a dimpling over the area.
175
What are spinal cord injuries?
Severe injuries to the spinal cord resulting in impairment of spinal cord function below the injury level.
176
What is stereotaxic neurosurgery?
Surgery performed on a precise area within the brain that may involve destruction of brain tissue.
177
What is a stimulus?
Any agent or factor capable of initiating a nerve impulse.
178
Define stupor.
A state of lethargy.
179
What is the subarachnoid space?
Space located beneath the dura mater containing serous fluid.
180
What is a subdural hematoma?
A collection of blood under the dura mater.
181
What is a sulcus?
A depression or shallow groove on the surface of an organ.
182
Define sympathectomy.
A surgical procedure used to interrupt a portion of the sympathetic nerve pathway to relieve chronic pain.
183
What are sympathetic nerves responsible for?
Regulating involuntary body functions such as increasing heart rate and raising blood pressure.
184
What is a sympathomimetic?
A substance that mimics the effects of sympathetic nerves.
185
What is a synapse?
The space between the end of one nerve and the beginning of another, through which impulses are transmitted.
186
What is syncope?
Fainting.
187
Define Tay-Sachs disease.
A congenital disorder caused by altered lipid metabolism resulting from an enzyme deficiency.
188
What is a tension headache?
Occurs from long, endured contraction of skeletal muscles around the face, scalp, back, and neck.
189
What is the thalamus?
Part of the brain located between the cerebral hemispheres and the midbrain.
190
What is thrombosis?
An abnormal condition in which a clot develops in a blood vessel.
191
What characterizes a tonic-clonic seizure?
Presence of muscle contraction or tension followed by relaxation, creating a jerking movement of the body.
192
What is a tractotomy?
Involves a craniotomy where the anterolateral pathway in the brain stem is surgically divided to relieve pain.
193
What is transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)?
A form of cutaneous stimulation for pain relief supplying electrical impulses to nerve endings close to the pain site.
194
What is trigeminal neuralgia?
Short periods of severe unilateral pain radiating along the fifth cranial nerve.
195
What is a ventricle in the brain?
A small hollow within the brain filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
196
What is whiplash?
An injury to the cervical vertebrae due to sudden back-and-forth movement of the head and neck.
197
Define white matter.
The part of the nervous system consisting of axons covered with myelin sheath, giving a white appearance.
