Brain and Nervous System Terms

A childhood eye cancer usually noticed as a white glow in the pupil, and the tumor that revealed how cancer genes work.

A rare disease that damages the brain and liver and causes death if not treated.

A malignant tumor of either the central nervous system (CNS) or the kidney.

A drug used to treat a nerve disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

A drug used to treat a nerve disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

A substance that is being studied for its ability to help other drugs reach the brain.

A substance being studied in the treatment of adult brain tumors.

A type of glial cell of the peripheral nervous system that helps separate and insulate nerve cells.

A schwannoma is a nerve sheath tumor that is nearly always benign, most often affecting a peripheral nerve or the nerve supplying hearing and balance.

Most seizures stop by themselves within a couple of minutes, and the confusion that follows often lasts considerably longer than the event.

A drug used to relieve pain by blocking signals at nerve endings.

The brain and gut supplies are separate, because the molecule cannot cross from blood into brain tissue, and each pool works on its own.

A change in the heat and electricity passed through the skin by nerves and sweat.

SLE is the abbreviation for systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues.

One of 5 parts or stages of the sleep cycle based on the type of brain activity that occurs during the stage.

A cord-like structure in the male reproductive system that contains nerves, blood and lymph vessels, and the vas deferens (a coiled tube that carries sperm out of the testicle).

A cable of nervous tissue about as thick as a finger, and considerably shorter than the bony canal that houses it.

Timing matters more than the size of the squeeze, since what a person can still do when treatment starts largely predicts what remains.

A spinal tap withdraws cerebrospinal fluid from the lower back using a thin needle, either to test the fluid or to deliver medication.

Spine cancer describes tumors of the vertebrae or spinal cord, though cancer reaching the spine from elsewhere is far more common than a primary tumor.