Neuro Terms to Know

A non-pharmaceutical drug that is a naturally occurring in common beverages like coffee and teak. It works by blocking the brain's adenosine receptor and inhibits certain enzymes. It cause alertness, wakefulness, energy, appetite suppression. It is sometimes used to treat headaches and used by people world-wide for all-nighters.

A non pharmaceutical drug that stimulates a person's nervous system by acting as an agonist at the cannabis receptors in a person's nervous system. It causes unusual thoughts and feelings. You can feel calm, happy, and hungry with cannabis. Pills forms of the drug have now been legalized for medical purposes.

A type of neuropathy which is caused by compression of a person's median nerve within the a bony tunnel of the wrist made of tendon and small wrist bones called the carpal tunnel.

A sudden loss of muscle tone, either all over the body or in a part of the body, provoked by a person's intense positive emotion.

A disorder of aging of the eye, where the typically clear lens of a person's eye clouds up from protein buildup. This disorder can also be genetic.

A network of nerve fibers in your abdomen, controlled by the autonomic branch of the nervous system. These nerves send signals to and from organs such as the liver, spleen. stomach and pancreas.

A groove that separates your frontal lobe from your parietal lobe.

The brain and spinal cord. Your control center that manages incoming sensory information and executes your motor responses.

The part of your brain that controls smooth, coordinated muscle movements.

The outer layer of your brain that controls your creativity, planning, language and perception.

A neurological disorder associated with dysfunction of a person's motor function due to a direct injury to the developing brain. Symptoms manifest before age 3-5 years.

The plasma-like fluid within your nervous system that cushions, protects and nourishes your brain and nervous system tissues.

Your eight pairs of spinal nerves that originate from your spinal cord and shoot out between your first seven spine or vertebral column. Cervical nerves supply movement and feeling to the arms, neck and upper chest.

A neurological disease associated with intervertebral disc degeneration, disc space narrowing and cervical vertebral bone changes. More common with aging.

Your neural receptors that respond to the presence of chemicals.

A spectrum of brain structure variations that result in an abnormal position of the lower part of the brain called the cerebellum.

A group of pharmaceutical drugs that work by slowing down the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. These are used to treat dementia.

A movement disorder of the nervous system in which a person has involuntary, irregular jerky motions of their limbs, trunk or legs.

A type of neuropathy involving a person's peripheral nervous system. Also known as CIDP, this neurological disorder has either a long slow or recurrent  course.

A degenerative disease of the nervous system caused by frequent concussive brain injury. Also known as CTE, symptoms include depression, memory loss, aggression, confusion and early onset dementia.

The learning technique of dividing a large amount of information into smaller groups for the purpose of memorization.

The pattern of a living things that follows an approximate 24 hour period. It's nervous system function that controls your sleep-wake cycle.

Also called the cardiovascular system, which is involved in you blood circulation which allows your brain and other organs to get important nutrients and oxygen. Infection fighting cells and other substances circulate via the vascular system.

A process of learning behavior where a (previous) neural stimulus is paired with a stimulus that typically evokes a response or behavior.  Eventually, the (previous) neutral stimulus evokes the same response as the typical or desired response or behavior. It's what we use to train our pets.

A non pharmaceutical drug that stimulates a person's nervous system by inhibiting the natural process of re-uptake of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. It can cause euphoria, energy, abnormal thought patterns and behaviors, as well as sense of heightened emotion and contentment.

Your single pair of nerve cells that originate from your coccyx, or tailbone. This nerve supplies feeling to the skin between the coccyx and the anus.

These are your hearing receptors located in the inner ear that facilitate processing of sound waves. The receptor components move in response to vibrations entering your ear, which are then transmitted to the brain stem via your auditory (hearing) nerve.

A neurological disorder of unconsciousness in which a person can not be awakened and does not respond to stimuli.

A chronic neurological disorder which causes swelling, pain, and abnormal skin color and temperature changes, usually in a limb or a body region.

A series of X-rays of the head which are shot from many different directions to generate an image of your brain and skull.

A high-velocity impact injury to the brain which causes nervous system problems, such as movement, balance, speech and memory. Can cause short and long-term effects.

A neurological disorder of mental functioning when a person unintentionally fabricates occurrences to fill gaps in his or her own memories with the understanding that the confabulations are accurate.

When a person has symptoms that are suggestive with a physical disorder but, following medical investigation, there are no identifiable medical problems.  The symptoms are not intentionally enacted by a person and the disorder is often associated with underlying psychological distress.

A thick band of nerve fibers that allows the left and right halves of your brain to communicate.

Your specific brain cortex areas that have ate  linked to specific motor, sensory, and integrative functions. The neuro chemical reactions of specific domains can be seen on functional imaging studies such as PET scans and functional MRI scans.

A group of pharmaceutical drugs that work by preventing inflammation. They are formulated based on your naturally occurring hormone cortisol.

A hormone, also known as CRH, that is released by your hypothalamus. This hormone puts the body "on alert" and is a signaling molecule within the "flight or fight" response. CRH signals adrenaline and cortisol (the stress hormone) to be released in the nervous system.

A hormone released by the adrenal gland during periods in which you are experiencing extended stress, also has anti-inflammatory properties.

A non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, a.k.a. NSAID, used to treat pain.

Relays information to and from your brain. All cranial nerves terminate in the head and neck, except for the vagus nerve.

The fused bones that encase and protect your brain and its attachments. Also called your skull.

A rare and fatal degenerative brain disease with symptoms of rapid progressive dementia.