Neuroglossary
Terms used in brain injury, spinal cord injury and other neurotrauma treatment and rehabilitation
pannus - Inflammatory exudates overlying the lining layer of synovial cells on the inside of a joint, usually occurring in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or related articular rheumatism, and sometimes resulting in fibrous consolidation of the joint.
para- - Prefix meaning beside, beyond, accessory to, apart from, against, etc.
paracentral - Anatomic position in the back part of the spinal canal where the focal point of the lesion is to the side of the midline plane and to the center of the central margin of the pedicle. Synonyms: centrolateral and paramedian.
paramedian - See paracentral.
paraplegia - Loss of motor or sensory function in both lower extremities due to damage to the spinal cord.
parasagittal - Term describing cuts that go parallel and to the sides of sagittal.
paratnon - Fatty aerolar tissue that fills the interstices of the fascial compartment, in which a tendon is situated.
parasthesia - Abnormal sensation such as burning, prickling, or a feeling that small insects are crawling on the skin.
parenchyma - Organ tissue substance, exclusive of blood vessels, connective tissue and bone.
paresis - Weakness in voluntary muscle or slight paralysis.
parietal - Walls of a body cavity or the membrane lining the walls of a body cavity.
parietal bone- One of the two quadrilateral bones forming part of the superior and lateral surfaces of the skull, and joining each other in the midline at the sagittal suture.
parietal lobe - Lies behind the frontal lobe and above the temporal lobe. Identifies touch and three dimensions, governs reading, calculation ability, etc.
pars - General term for a particular portion of a larger area, organ, or structure.
pars interarticularis - Isthmic portion of an area situated between articular (joint) surfaces.
patella - Triangular sesamoid bone, about 5 cm in diameter, situated at the front of the knee in the tendon of insertion of the quadriceps extensor femoris muscle; also called knee cap.
patellar clonus (knee jerk) - Diagnostic reflex in which tapping the patellar tendon produces the contraction of the quadriceps femoris muscle, causing the lower leg to jerk upward.
patho-- Combining form meaning disease, injuries, disturbances, not within the range of normal.
pathology - Study of changes in diseased cells and tissues.
pectoral muscles- There are major pectoral muscles and minor pectoral muscles. The major ones are across the upper part of the chest, adducting, flexing, and rotating the arms medially. They originate in the clavicle, the sternum, the six upper ribs, and the aponeurosis of the obliquus externus abdominis. These origins are reflected in the subdivision of the muscle into clavicular, sternocostal, and abdominal parts. Their insertion is into the crest of the intertubercular groove of the humerus. Innervation is through the anterior thoracic. The minor pectoral muscles lie under the major pectoral muscles, drawing the shoulder downward. They originate in the third, fourth, and fifth ribs and insert into the coracoid process of the scapula, receiving innervation from the anterior thoracic.
pedicles of the vertebral arch - Short, sturdy, strong, projecting bones of the vertebral arch that are secured to the upper part of the vertebral body on each side. Paired, they project backwards, connecting the vertebral body, found in front of the posterior parts, the broad, flat laminae, the facets, and the spinous process. Part of the lateral side of the spinal canal is formed by the pedicles.
pelvis - Lower portion of the trunk of the body, bounded on the front and sides by the hip bones and in the back by the sacrum and the coccyx. It is basin-shaped; the front part is the pubis; and it rests on the lower limbs as it supports the spinal column.
penetrating or blunt trauma - Trauma inflected by a knife, machete, or bullet produces penetrating trauma; a blow to the neck with a pipe or baseball bat produces blunt trauma.
per- - Prefix meaning throughout, in space or time, or completely or extremely.
perceptual development - The process wherein the individual becomes capable of organizing various sensory stimuli into meaningful units of information.
perched facets - Displacement of facets to the extent that the tips of the facets on one level are touching but not making an even contact with the tips of the facets of the other level.
percutaneous rhizolysis - Pain-relieving procedure that destroys the nerve root. It does so by coagulation with radio frequency waves.
peri- - Prefix for all-around, about, round; near; enclosing or surrounding, such as tissue surrounding a specific part.
perikaryon - The cell body as distinguished from the nucleus and the processes; applied particularly to neurons.
perimetry - A method of mapping the visual field to determine defects in this field.
periosteum - All the bones in the body are covered by this specialized connective tissue. It has the potential of forming bones. The periosteum has two layers: The outside one is a network of dense connective tissue with blood vessels, and the deep one is loosely arranged collaginous bundles with spindle-shaped connective tissue cells and a network of thin, elastic fibers. The periosteum is very sensitive to pain. Example: A kick in the shin.
peripheral - Relative directional term that describes structures other than internal organs such as are located or directed away from the central axis of the body.
peripheral nervous system (PNS) - That part of the nervous system consisting of the nerves and ganglia outside the brain and spinal cord.
peripheral neuropathy - Functional disturbances and/or pathological changes in the peripheral nervous system.
periscapular - Around or near the shoulder blade.
peroneal nerve - The branches of the sciatic nerve that go to the leg and the foot.
perseveration - After an action or response is started, repetition of it continues.
persistent vegetative state - See akinetic mutism.
personality disorder - An inflexible and maladaptive trait which can cause significant impairment in social or occupational functioning. Such disorders are recognizable by
adolescence and tend to persist throughout adult life.
phago- - Combining form suggesting relationship to eating or consumption by ingestion or engulfing.
pharynx - The throat is the musculomembraneous passage between the mouth and the back part of the nostrils to the larynx and esophagus.
phobia - A persistent and irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that results in a compelling desire to avoid the phobic stimulus.
phon-, phono- - Combining form denoting relationship to sound, often specifically to the sound of the voice.
phospholipase a2 - An enzyme that produces an increase in chemical reaction in the splitting of a phospholipid.
physaliphorous cell - Cell that contains a globular cavity.
physical development - Refers to the process wherein the individual members of a species mature and the individual attains the characteristics and capacity typical of the species.
physiology - The study of how the body functions.
-phyte - Suffix meaning related to plant.
pia mater - Membranous covering of the brain and spinal cord largely adherent to the surface.
pigment cells - Any cells that contain pigment granules.
pivot joints - Joints that allow rotation where a rounded process of bone rotates within a sleeve or ring. In the atlantoaxial joint, the fingerlike dens (odontoid process) of the axis (C2) rotates in a collar formed by the upper front arch of atlas (C1) and the transverse ligament.
plantar reflex response - The toes contract in response to irritation of the sole of the foot.
plasma - Fluid portion of the blood, in which the particular components are suspended. It should be distinguished from ﾓserum,ﾔ which is the cell-free portion of the blood, from which the fibrinogen has been separated in the process of clotting.
plasticity - The capacity of the developing nervous system to functionally compensate for acquired structural deficits by "relocating" specific functions which ordinarily would have localized to a particular region of the cortex/brain.
platelets - Disc-shaped structures, found in the blood of all mammals and chiefly known for their role in blood coagulation.
platyspondylia - Platyspondylisis; congenital flattening of the vertebral bodies.
-plegia - Word ending meaning paralysis or stroke.
plexus - Complex network of interlaced nerves.
polarization-depolarization - The method of electrical charge and discharge which propagates an impulse along a nerve fiber.
Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) - Granular leukocyte that moves to a cell, adheres to immune complexes, and engulfs microorganisms, etc., with phagocytes. These, in turn, eat the microorganisms, along with other foreign particles.
positron emission tomography (PET) - A method by which certain radioactive substances (isotopes) may depict metabolic functioning within brain tissue.
postconcussion syndrome - The constellation of somatic, cognitive, and emotional symptoms that emerge after a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).
posterior - Refers to the back or dorsal surface of the body; opposite of anterior; in back of or in the back part of a structure.
posterior arch fracture - A hyperextension injury, usually related to odontoid fractures or injury causing axial spondylolisthesis.
posterior cord syndrome - A syndrome that involves some ability to move the arm or leg, but o ability to feel sensations (pain, touch, pressure, body position sense, and perception of weight).
posterior longitudinal ligament- Single midline fibrous band attached to the back surfaces of the bodies of the vertebrae, extending from the occipital bone to the coccyx.
post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) - A period of loss of memory following head trauma. The duration of PTA may correlate with the persistence of symptoms of brain tissue impairment.
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - A condition characterized by the development of severe anxiety-related symptoms in response to a psychologically traumatic event that is generally outside the range of usual human experience.
poultice- Soft, moist mass about the consistency of cooked cereal, spread between layers of material of some sort and applied hot to a given area to create moist, local heat or counter-irritation.
Powerﾒs ratio - Used by radiologists to diagnose anterior-occipital-atlantal dislocatioin. It has to do with the relation between the atlas, the tip of the odontoid process, and the margin of the occipital bone. A line is measured from the basion or median point on the anterior rim of the foramen magnum (B) to the posterior arch of C1 (C). This line is divided by another line that goes from the opisthion or midpoint of the lower border of the foramen magnum (O) to the anterior arch of the atlas (A). Normally, the line between B and C is shorter than the line between O and A. The ratio of BC:OA should be less than 1 or approximately 0.77 as it is in the normal population. Greater than 1:15 indicates an anterior dislocation.
prefrontal area - The location of processes of foresight, abstract thinking, and judgment.
primary brain damage - The cellular lesions created as a direct result of trauma.
primary cartilaginous joint - One of three types of connective tissue that joins the bones. Primary cartilaginous joints are hyaline cartilage that join the first rib with the sternum, being the unique synchondrosis in the human adult.
primary center of ossification - Site where bone cell development occurs by the second or third prenatal month.
primary gain - The overt and direct benefit to be obtained by a symptom or disorder, physiologic or psychologic; the nature of the conflict which causes the symptoms is excluded from awareness.
primary germ layers - Three layers of embryonic tissue called endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm, which form the organs and tissues of the body.
process - Prominence or projection, as of bone, such as the spinous process, designed to produce desired changes in the original material or to achieve other results.
prognosis - A forecast as to the probable outcome of a disease or the prospect of recovery from a disease as indicated by the nature and symptoms of the case.
prolapse - Rupture of the nucleus pulposus through the annulus fibrosus, but not through the posterior or anterior longitudinal ligament. It can also refer to a herniation of the nucleus pulposus through an inner annular tear, yet confined by the outer annular fibers, or to herniation of disc material through the posterior longitudinal ligament into the epidural space, as a continuum of the originating disc (extruded disc). The meaning is so idistinctive, covering such a wide range of definitions, that radiological reports using the term must be clarified.
proprioception - The perception of the position of a body part in space and in relation to other parts of the body.
prostaglandins - Group of naturally occurring, chemically related, long-chain hydroxyl fatty acids that stimulate contractility of the uterine and other smooth muscle and have the ability to lower blood pressure, to regulate acid secretion of the stomach, and body temperature and platelet aggregation, and to control inflammation and vascular permeability, etc.
proteoglycans - Any of a group of glycoproteins in connective tissue, made of carbohydrates and protein. They serve as binding or cementing materials. Also called protein-polysaccharide.
proton - Elementary particle of positive charge, which forms the nucleus of the ordinary hydrogen atom of mass.
proton density - Proton density represents a stage between T1 and T2 in which the cerebral spinal fluid is not as bright, helping to differentiate between the CSF and the lesion.
protoplasm - The viscid, translucid, polyphasic colloid with water as the continuous phase that makes up the essential material of all plat and animal cells. It is composed mainly of nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and inorganic salts. The protoplasm surrounding the nucleus is known as the cytoplasm and that composing the nucleus is the nucleoplasm.
protruded disc - When the nucleus pulposus bulges through a weakened annulus fibrosus, generally in a poster or posterolateral direction.
protrusion- Type of disc tissue displacement; a generic term that indicates deformity in the intervertebral disc. The distortion may be either focal (disc herniation), or diffuse (disc bulge). It is generally in a posterior of posterolaterial direction.
provisional callus - A firm, flexible bridge created when bone fractures, converted from a blood clot that develops and is later replaced by highly vascular connective tissue.
proximal - Relative directional term. Nearer the trunk of the body. Used with extremities; nearest; closer to any point of reference such as an origin, a point of attachment, or the midline of the body. Opposite is distal. For instance, the shoulder is proximal while the hand is distal.
pseudo-, pseud- - Combining form meaning something false.
psychic - Pertaining to or of the human mind.
psychoanalysis - A method of psychotherapy developed by Sigmund Freud. By the methods of free association and dream analysis, the origins of neurotic (cf) disturbances may be elucidated and brought into consciousness.
psychogenic - Arising from psychological or motivational causes, as opposed to organic causes such as brain tissue impairment.
psychometry - Measurement of the duration and force of mental processes. The measurement of intelligence.
psychomotor activity - The observable and overt reaction of a person to his environment. Usually described in quantifying terms, such as reduced or accelerated, or as mannerisms, grimacing, etc.
psychosis - A severe disturbance of the ability to interpret reality or to appreciate the actual qualities of the external world. May be due to organic or psychogenic causes.
ptosis - Prolapse of an organ or part. Usually, it refers to the drooping of the eyelid, closing the eye. Clinically, it refers to paralysis of the 3rd cranial nerve.
pyramidal systems - These two systems originate in the cerebellum. They are responsible for the regulation and coordination of complex voluntary coordinated muscular movement, as well as maintenance of balance and posture. One, called the pyramidal system or tract, has fibers that allow the motor action, generating the movement. The other, the extra-pyramidal system, regulates and refines movements involved in control and coordination, especially of postural, static, supporting, and locomotor mechanisms. It is a functional rather than an anatomical unit. All these fibers from the brain come through the spinal cord.
