Neuro Terms to Know

The following are some neuro lingo that you may find throughout the site. It may be interesting also to you the glossary to put your knowledge of your nervous system and your health to the test.

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There are currently 26 names in this directory beginning with the letter A.
Acetylcholine
A neurotransmitter that makes your muscles contract. It also controls attention, memory and sleep. Alzheimer's drugs target this neurotransmitter.

Adrenaline
A hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It regulates metabolism, blood flow and volume. It is a signaling molecule in the "flight or fight response."

Aerobic Exercise
This type of exercise is defined by a specific intensity and duration of physical movement that causes the body to meet a threshold energy expenditure level.

Alcohol (Ethanol)
The most common social drug such as wine, beer, vodka, it causes the release of dopamine causing calmness, euphoria, loss of inhibitions.

Alpha Waves
A type of brain wave which corresponds to a relaxed, alert state as measured on an electroencephalogram (EEG). This states allows learning and processing information.

Alzheimer's Disease
A degenerative disease of the nervous system and the most common cause of dementia. Symptoms include problems with memory, thinking and reasoning. As the disease progresses, the whole brain and nervous system can become impaired.

Amphetamines
Drugs that cause increasing the release of and also stop the natural reuptake of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. As a result, these drugs cause euphoria, energy, increased work efficiency and concentration, alertness and reduced appetite. Examples are Adderall, which is often prescribed by doctors to  treats ADHD and Sudafed, which is an over-the-counter cold medicine.

Amygdala
A section in your forebrain which is a part of your limbic system and regulates your response to fear and terror.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease)
A neurodegenerative disease of unknown cause that affects motor function in the face and body.

Analgesic
A pharmaceutical or non-pharmaceutical substance that reduces pain.

Angiography
An invasive x-ray imaging of the brain's blood vessels using a catheter to directly inject contrast into a person's blood vessels.

Anticonvulsants
A group of pharmaceutical drugs that work by preventing seizures, and can also be used for other neurological conditions, such as pain.

Aphasia
A brain disorder affecting a person's ability to understand or express language. Causes include: stroke, brain trauma and dementia. It can be associated with impaired reading (alexia) and impairment writing (agraphia).

Apraxia
A nervous system disorder which interferes with a person's ability to perform coordinated muscle movements, such as writing or typing, even though the muscles, such as hands or legs, are not weak or damaged.

Arteriovenous Malformation
A congenital vessel abnormality in which a person artery are vein is connected. A typical vascular structure called a capillary bed lies in between the connected artery and brain.

Ascending Reticular Formation
Part of a branch of interconnected cells called nuclei located in your brain stem which are involved in keep you awake.

Associate Learning
A process in which learning occurs by associating an action with its consequence.

Ataxia
Incoordination of a person's movements, especially voluntary movements, balance, speech, eye movements and muscle tone. A person's gait speech and eye movements are typically abnormal when they have ataxia.

Atherosclerosis
A blood vessel disease associated with hardening of a person's artery walls due to the buildup of fatty deposits.

Athetosis
A movement disorder that is linked to an overstimulation of the basal ganglia causing slow, continuous movements of your body parts.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD)
A nervous system disorder in which you have difficulty concentrating and multi-tasking and are easily distracted. The prevalence is up to 5% in children and effects may continue into adulthood.

Attentional Blink
Your brain's inability to detect a new target object flashed milliseconds after the first object appears in your visual field.

Autism
A neurological disorder of development with symptoms of communication and social interaction impairment , including unusual interests and behaviors.

Autonomic Nervous System
Controls your involuntary nerve functions. This part of your nervous system consists of your motor never fibers that innervate your visceral organs, i.e. your heart, digestive tract and glands.

Autonomic Reflex Testing
This testing, also known a ART, is a  noninvasive neurological procedure designed to detect and quantify autonomic nerve failure by evaluating typical function of a person's autonomic nervous system.

Axon
An electrically sensitive fiber of a neuron responsible for the transmission of information away from the nerve cell.