Neuroglossary
Terms used in brain injury, spinal cord injury and other neurotrauma treatment and rehabilitation
M (macroglia - myotome)
macroglia - Part of the connective tissue of the nervous system.
macrophages - Large, mononuclear highly phagocytic cells with small, oval, sometimes indented nuclei and inconspicuous nucleoli, occurring in the walls of blood vessels (adventitial cells) and in loose connective tissue (histiocytes, phagocytic reticular cells). They are usually immobile (fixed macrophages, resting wandering cells), but when stimulated by inflammation become actively mobile (free macrophages, wandering histiocytes).
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - Non-invasive exploratory diagnostic technique that uses a strong magnetic field to detect differences in healthy and unhealthy tissues. It uses the hydrogen component of hua tissues. Also called nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).
malingering - Faking or conscious deception; voluntary production of symptoms for a rationally considered goal, such as financial recompense, avoidance of responsibility, etc.
manic-depressive illness - See bipolar disorder.
medulla - A brain stem structure which controls and regulates essential life support functions such as heart beat.
meninges - Brain coverings, including dura, arachnoid, and pia mater.
meningomyelocele - A condition in which the nerve root or part of the spinal cord goes into a sac that protrudes through the opening of the vertebra and appears on the babyﾒs back as a big mass. The baby is paralyzed, since the nerves do not go to the legs or hands. The word meningomyelocele is derived from three root words: meningo applies because the membrane of the meninges covers the nerves; myelo means marrow, often used in a specifi reference to the spinal cord; and cele means hernia and relates to a tumor, swelling or cavity.
meniscus - A crescent-shaped disc of fibrocartilage attached to the articular surfaces, usually referred to the tibia.
mental status exam - A part of the psychiatric examination which may be (a) formal, in which very specific questions are asked in order to identify various aberrant functions or (b) informal, in which similar information is garnered from an extended interview.
meniscus - A crescent-shaped disc of fibrocartilage attached to the articular surfaces, usually referred to the tibia.
mesenchyma- Netting of embryonic connective tissue in the mesoderm. The connective tissues of the body are formed from this, as are the blood vessels and the lympathic vessels.
mesoderm - Middle layer of the three primary germ layers of the embryo. It lies between the ectoderm and endoderm. From this, the connective tissue, bone, and cartilage, muscles, blood and blood vessels, lymphatics, lymphoid organs, notochord, pleura, pericardium, peritoneum, kidney, and gonads are derived.
metabolism - Complex physical and chemical processes going on within a living cell, by which living organized substance is produced and maintained (anabolism) for maintaining life. Also, the breaking down of some substances to produce energy for the vital processes (catabolism).
metaplasia - Normal transformation of tissue from one type to another, as in the ossification of cartilage to form bone; transformation of cells from a normal to an abnormal state.
microglia- Small cells of connective tissue of the central nervous system.
midsagittal - Plane dividing the left and right sides of the body lengthwise, symmetrically, along the midline from the nose to the occiput or back of the head, into two sections.
migraine - A type of headache presumed to be related to abrupt changes in caliber of blood vessels, typically characterized by severe, pulsating, one-sided head pains, often with visual disturbances, nausea and unusual or bizarre body sensations.
migration - The change of place, from one location to another, of a tissue, a part of a tissue, or symptoms. When we refer to a herniated disc, migration means that the disc material has moved out of its normal place (migrated).
mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) - A patient with MTBI is a person who has had a traumatically induced physiological disruption of brain function, as manifested by at least one of the following:
- any period of loss of consciousness
- any loss of memory for events immediately before or after the accident;
- any alteration in mental state at the time of the accident (e.g. feeling dazed, disoriented, or confused); and
- focal neurological deficit(s) that may or may not be transient; but where the severity of the injury does not exceed the following:
- loss of consciousness of approximately 30 minutes or less;
- after 30 minutes, an initial Glascow Coma Scale (GCS) of 13-15; and
- postraumatic amnesia (PTA) not greater than 24 hours.
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) - The most widely used and extensively validated test which describes various aspects of personality and detects various psychological vulnerabilities.
miosis - That stage of disease, during which the intensity of the symptoms diminishes.
mitosis - Process in which the cells multiply in a normal or abnormal way. In the embryo, the cells have a normal mitosis resulting in growth and development. In malignant tumors, the cancer cells have an exuberant increase of mitotic changes.
molecular genetics - The study of how genes function to control cellular activies. (Genetic engineering involves the application of knowledge about molecular genetics in order to change living things by modifying their DNA, so they will produce desired strains).
monocytes - Mononuclear, phagocytic leukocytes. They form in the bone marrow from promonocytes and are transported to tissues such as the lung and liver, where they develop into macrophages.
morphology - Science dealing with the form and structure of organisms, not considering the function; the form and structure of a particular organism, organ, or part.
motor- Muscle, nerve or center that affects or produces movement.
motor development - The gradual acquisition of full control of all voluntary motor movements common to the species.
motor fibers - Fiber in a mixed nerve that transmits impulses to a muscle fiber.
MRA - Magnetic resonance imaging of the arteries.
MRI - See magnetic resonance imaging
MRN - Magnetic resonance imaging of the nerves.
Munchausen syndrome(pseudologica fantastica) - A form of factitious disorder in which the individual is continually preoccupied with being admitted to hospitals by presenting a wide range of allegedly disabling symptoms, all of psychological origin.
muscles - Organs, which by contraction and relaxation, produce the movements of limbs and certain other organs.
myelin - A fatty white coating or sheath of neurons which facilitates nerve conduction. Myelin gives the "white matter" of the central nervous system its characteristic color.
myelin sheath - Tubular structure surrounding the axon of the myelinated nerve cells, consisting of concentric layers of myelin, formed in the peripheral nervous system by the plasma membrane of Schwann cells, and in the central nervous system by oligodendrocytes. It is interrupted at intervals along the length of the axon by gaps known as nodes of Ranvier. Myelin is an electrical insulator that serves to speed the conduction of nerve impulses.
myelogram, myelography - Radiographic study of the spinal cord after injection of the contrast media into the subarachnoid space.
myelopathy- General term for damage to the spinal cord.
myoclonus- Involuntary, sharp, jerking muscular contractions, often painful
myofascial sprains - Injuries in a joint wherein the bands of fibruous tissue that form an investment for fibers of a supporting ligament are ruptured, yet the continuity of the ligament remains intact.
myofascial syndrome - Pain that occurs in the soft tissues after an injury and is characterized by its local tenderness, with some irradiation to points removed from the original injury site, where it is called referred pain.
myofibroblast - Specialized muscle connective tissue cells that help keep the body stable as wounds heal.
myotome - Group of muscles innervated from neurons coming out of a single spinal segment.
