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Alzheimer disease
- a disease that may begin in late middle life
- characterized by progressive mental deterioration that includes loss of memory and visual and spatial orientation
- named after German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in 1906
- (ALZ-hy-mur)
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amnesia
- loss of memory
- a- (without)
- -mnesia (memory)
- (am-NEE-zah)
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aneurysm
localized dilation of an artery, due to vessel wall weakness
Gr. ana (up) - eurys (broad)
- (AN-ur-izm)
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anxiety disorder
a feeling of apprehension or uneasiness that results from anticipation of danger
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aphasia
loss of speech
a- (absence of) - Gr. phases (speech)
- (uh-FAY-jhah)
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astrocytoma
star-shaped tumor that usually develops in the cerebrum; frequently in people younger than 20 years old
Gr. astron (star) - cyt/o (cell)
- -oma (tumor)
- (A-stroh-sy-TOH-mah)
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ataxia
lack of muscular coordination
a- (without) - Gr. taxis (order)
- (ah-TAK-see-ah)
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bipolar disorder
clinical course characterized by manic episodes alternating with depressive episodes
bi- (twice, double) - L. polus (the end of an axis)
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cerebral thrombosis
blood clot in the brain
cerebr/o (brain); -al (adjective suffix) - thromb/o (of or relating to a blood clot); -sis (abnormal condition)
- (seh-REE-bruhl throm-BO-sihs)
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cerebrovascular accident (CVA)
- a synonym for cerebral stroke
- an acute clinical event, related to impairment of cerebral circulation, lasting more than 24 hours
- cerebr/o (brain)
- vascul/o (blood vessel)
- -ar (adjective suffix)
- (seh-REE-bro-VAS-ku-lahr)
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cerebrovascular disease
brain disorder involving a blood vessel
cerebr/o (brain); vascul/o (blood vessel); -ar (adjective suffix)
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concussion
- cerebral concussion: violent shaking of the brain
- temporary loss of consciousness followed by short period of amnesia
- dizziness, nausea, headache
- result from a fall or blow to the head
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delirium
impaired consciousness
L. deliro (to be crazy) - (duh-LEER-ee-uhm)
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delusion
false belief or wrong judgement despite evidence to the contrary
L. ludere (to play) - (deh-LOO-shun)
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dementia
impaired intellectual function
L. de (apart, away) - mens (mind)
- (duh-MEN-shah)
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demyelination
patchy loss of the myelin sheath
de- (loss of) - myelin (refers to myelin sheath)
- -tion (state of)
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depression
prolonged period where there is a loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities
L. depressio
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dysphasia
impaired speech
dys- (bad, difficult) - Gr. phases (speaking)
- (DISS-fay-jhah)
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encephalitis
inflammation of the brain
encepal/o (of or pertaining to the brain) - -itis (inflammation)
- (en-seff-uh-LY-tiss)
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epidural hematoma
a collection of blood in the space between the skull and dura mater
epi- (above) ; dural (relating to the dura mater) ; hemat/o (blood) ; -oma (tumor) - (EH-pih-dur-ahl hee-mah-TOH-ma)
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epilepsy
CNS disorder often characterized by seizures
Gr. epilepsia (seizure) - (EPP-ih-lepp-see)
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glioblastoma
a cerebral tumor occurring most frequently in adults
glio (glue) - Gr. blastos (germ)
- -oma (tumor)
- (GLY-oh-blass-TOH-mah)
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glioma
tumor of glial tissue
glio- (glue) - -oma (tumor)
- (gly-OH-muh)
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grand mal seizure
type of severe seizure with tonic-clonic convulsion
Fr. meaning big illness - (grahn-mahl SEEZ-yuhr)
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hallucination
subjective perception of an object or voice when no such stimulus exists
L. alucinor (to wander in mind) - (hah-LOO-sih-nay-shun)
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hemiparesis
partial paralysis of one side of the body
hemi- (one-half) - -paresis (slight paralysis)
- (heh-mee-puh-REE-suhs)
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hemiplegia
paralysis of one side of the body
hemi- (half) - -plegia (paralysis)
- (hehm-ee-PLEE-jee-ah)
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Huntington disease
hereditary disorder of the CNS
named after American physician George Huntington who described the disorder in 1872 - (HUN-ting-tuhn)
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hydrocephalus
excessive cerebrospinal fluid in the brain
hydro- (water) - cephal/o (of or pertaining to the head)
- (hy-dro-SEFF-uh-lehs)
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hyperesthesia
abnormal sensitivity to touch
hyper- (extreme or beyond normal) - esthesi/o (sensation)
- (hy-per-ess-THEE-zyuh)
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kleptomania
uncontrollable impulse to steal
Gr. klepto- (to steal) - L. -mania (insanity)
- (klep-toh-MAY-knee-yah)
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meningioma
- benign tumor of the meninges
- mening/o (membrane)
- -oma (tumor)
- (meh-nihn-jee-OH-muh)
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meningitis
inflamed meninges
mening/o (membrane) - -itis (inflammation)
- (meh-nihn-JY-tiss)
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multiple sclerosis
disease of the CNS characterized by the formation of plaques in the brain and spinal cord
multiple (many) - scler/o (hardness)
- -osis (abnormal condition)
- (skleh-RO-sihs)
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myasthenia gravis
muscle weakness, lack of strength
my/o (muscle) - astheneia (weakness)
- (MY-ahs-THEE-nee-ah GRA-viss)
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myelitis
inflammation of the spinal cord
myel/o (bone marrow or spine) - -itis (inflammation)
- (my-eh-LY-tiss)
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myelomeningocele
protrusion of the membranes of the brain or spinal cord through a defect in the cranium or vertebral column
myel/o (bone marrow or spine) - meningi/o (membrane)
- -cele (hernia)
- MY-loh-mih-NIHN-gee-oh-seel)
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neuralgia
pain in a nerve
neur/o (nerve) - -algia (pain)
- (nuh-RALL-jah)
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neuropathy
a disease involving the cranial, central, or autonomic nervous systems
neur/o (nerve) - -pathy (disease)
- (nuh-ROP-ah-thee)
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obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
type of anxiety disorder characterized by persistent thoughts and impulses with repetitive responses that interfere with daily activities
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paralysis
loss of one or more muscle functions
para- (abnormal, alongside) - -lysis (destruction)
- (pah-RALL-ih-sihs)
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paranoia
a serious mental disorder characterized by unreasonable suspicion or jealousy, along with a tendency to interpret everything others do as hostile
para- (abnormal, alongside) - Gr. noeo (to think)
- (pahr-ah-NOY-ya)
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paraplegia
paralysis of the lower extremities, and often, the lower trunk of the body
para- (abnormal, alongside) - -plegia (paralysis)
- (pahr-ah-PLEE-jee-ah)
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paresthesia
numbness
para- (abnormal) - esthesi/o (sensation)
- (per-ess-THEE-zyuh)
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Parkinson disease
disease of the nerves n the brain due to an imbalance of dopamine
named for English physician James Parkinson, who described it in 1817 - (PAR-kin-suhn)Parkinson's, parkinsonism
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petit mal seizure
milder form of seizure lasting only a few seconds and does not include convulsive movements; also known as absence seizures
French words meaning small illness - (petty-mahl-SEEZ-yuhr)
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phobia
a fear of something that is not a hazard from a statistical point of view
phob/o (exaggerated fear) - -ia (noun suffix)
- (FOH-bee-ah)
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plegia
paralysis
-plegia (paralysis) - (PLEE-jee-uh)
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poliomyelitis
inflamed gray matter of the spinal cord
- polio- (denoting gray color)
- myel/o (bone marrow or spine)
- -itis (inflammation)
- (pohl-ee-oh-MY-eh-LY-tiss)
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psychosis
- a serious disorder involving a marked distortion of, or sharp break from, reality
- general term covering severe mental or emotional disorders
- psych/o (of or pertaining to the mind); -sis (condition of)
- (sy-KOH-sihs)
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quadriplegia
paralysis of all four limbs
quadr/i (four) - -plegia (paralysis)
- (kwad-rih-PLEE-jee-ah)
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schizophrenia
a severe mental illness characterized by auditory hallucinations, paranoia, and an inability to distinguish reality from fiction
schiz/o (denoting split or double sided) - Gr. phren (mind)
- (skits-oh-FREN-ee-ah)
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seizure
sudden disturbance in brain function sometimes producing a convulsion
(SEE-zhur)
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somnambulism
sleep walking
L. somnus (sleep) - L. ambulo (walk)
- -ism (a medial condition)
- (sahm-NAM-bu-lih-sm)
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subdural hematoma
a collection of blood trapped in the space beneath the dura matter, between the dura and arachnoid layers of the meninges
sub- (beneath); dura (hard); -al (adjective suffix) - hemat/o (blood); -oma (tumor, collection)
- (SUB-dur-ahl hee-mah-TOH-ma)
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syncope
fainting
Gr. syncope (a cutting short, a swoon) - (SIN-kuh-pee)
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transient ischemic attack
temporary interruption in the blood supply to the brain
Gr. ischo (to keep back) - Gr. hamia (blood)
- (TRANS-ee-ent IH-skee-mik)
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vertigo
- dizziness
- L. verto (turn)
- (VER-tih-goh)
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