Brain and Nervous System Terms
The brain, spinal cord, nerves, cognition, and neurologic conditions. Browse definitions and meanings below.
What is neurology?
Neurology is the branch of medicine dealing with the brain, the spinal cord and the nerves running through the body. A neurologist diagnoses and treats conditions of that hardware: stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson disease, neuropathy and headache among them.
The boundary with psychiatry causes constant confusion and has always been imperfect. Broadly, neurology addresses conditions with a demonstrable physical lesion or measurable change, while psychiatry addresses disorders of thought, mood and behavior. The two overlap heavily, and dementia sits squarely in between.
Terms in this topic
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Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that relays signals across synapses to nerve, muscle, and gland cells, supporting memory and muscle contraction.
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A genetic condition in which tumors form on the nerves of the inner ear and cause loss of hearing and balance.
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A procedure in which mild electric currents are applied to certain acupuncture points (spots on the body where an acupuncture needle may be inserted to control pain and other symptoms) on the skin.
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A condition in which there is a slow breakdown of cells in the center of the retina (the light-sensitive layers of nerve tissue at the back of the eye).
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Alpha-lipoic acid is a naturally occurring compound that helps cells convert nutrients into energy and also functions as an antioxidant.
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A brain disorder that usually starts in late middle age or old age and gets worse over time.
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Two abnormal proteins, amyloid and tau, accumulate in the brain for years before any memory problem becomes obvious enough to notice.
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Reading, driving and recognizing faces all rely on the macula, and AMD is a leading cause of central vision loss in later life.
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Anticonvulsants include several distinct drug classes, some of which are also prescribed for other conditions such as chronic pain or mood disorders.
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A drug or other substance used to prevent or stop seizures or convulsions.
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aphasia
/ uh-FAY-zhuh /An acquired impairment in producing or understanding language.
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Astrocytes are star shaped glial cells that support, nourish, and help regulate the environment surrounding neurons in the brain.
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An astrocytoma is a brain or spinal cord tumor originating from astrocytes, star shaped cells that support and nourish neurons.
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An aggressive cancer of the central nervous system, kidney, or liver that occurs in very young children.
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Most of the fall in blood cholesterol comes not from making less but from the liver clearing more of it out of the circulation.
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A drug used to block nerve stimulation of muscles and glands and relax smooth muscles.
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An aggressive cancer of the central nervous system, kidney, or liver that occurs in very young children.
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An aggressive cancer of the central nervous system, kidney, or liver that occurs in very young children.
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Two opposing divisions, one for action and one for rest, keep heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion balanced without any conscious effort.
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An anticancer drug that is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and kill cancer cells in the central nervous system.