path/textbook terms not on slides

• absence seizure

  form of seizure consisting of momentary clouding of consciousness and loss of awareness of surrounding
• aneurysm

  enlarged, weakened area in an arterial wall which may rupture, leading to hemorrhage and CVA
• astrocytoma

  malignant brain tumor of astrocytes (glial brain cells)
• aura

  peculiar symptom or sensation occurring before the onset of an attack of migraine or epileptic seizure
• dementia

  mental decline and deterioration
• demyelination

  destruction of myelin on axons of neurons (from MS)
• dopamine

  CNS neurotransmitter, deficient in patient with Parkinson disease
• embolus

  clot of material that travels through the bloodstream and suddenly blocks a vessel
• gait

  manner of walking
• ictal event

  pertaining to a sudden, acute onset, as with the convulsions of an epileptic seizure
• occlusion

  blockage
• palliative

  relieving symptoms but not curing them
• thymectomy

  removal of the thymus gland for MG patients
• TIA

  transient ischemic attack

  • occur with all three types of strokes: thrombolytic, embolic, and hemorrhagic
  • limited time course of neurologic deficits
• tic

  involuntary movement of a small group of muscle from tourettes
• tonic-clonic seizure

  major (grand mal) convulsive seizure marked by sudden loss of consciousness, stiffening of muscle, twitching and jerking movements
• stereotactic radiosurgery

  use of a specialized instrument to locate and treat targets in the brain
• PCA

  patient-controlled analgesia
• PSRS

  proton stereotactic radiosurgery
• TENS

  transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation