Brain and Nervous System Terms

An x-ray of the spinal cord after an injection of dye into the space between the lining of the spinal cord and brain.

A serious problem that may occur in cancer in which cancer cells spread from the original (primary) tumor to the meninges (thin layers of tissue that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord).

A nerve is a bundle of fibers carrying electrical and chemical signals between the brain, spinal cord, and the rest of the body.

A procedure in which medicine is injected directly into or around a nerve or into the spine to block pain.

Every thought, movement and sensation depends on these cells passing electrical and chemical signals to one another.

Replacing a damaged nerve with a section of a healthy nerve that has been removed from another part of the body.

A survival signal made by the tissue rather than by the nerve, which is how the body matches nerve supply to what needs supplying.

A type of surgery that attempts to save the nerves near the tissues being removed.

Most of what it does never reaches awareness, since heartbeat, digestion and blood vessel tone are governed with no conscious involvement at all.

The all-purpose adjective for anything to do with nerves, and one that quietly differs from neuronal in what it takes in.

A doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating brain tumors and other tumors of the nervous system.

The bridge word between neurology and psychiatry, covering changes in conduct and mood that trace back to the brain itself.

Neuroblastoma is a cancer of immature nerve cells that develops mainly in infants and young children, often starting near the adrenal gland.

A tumor of the central or peripheral nervous system.

Describing the crossover point at which a nerve impulse ends in a hormone released into the blood rather than a message to the next cell.

Neuroendocrine tumors arise from hormone releasing cells scattered throughout the body and can secrete excess hormones causing varied symptoms.

A benign tumor that develops from the cells and tissues that cover nerves.

Neuroglia are the supportive cells of the nervous system that surround, nourish, and protect nerve cells rather than transmitting signals themselves.

A pointer to a system rather than a diagnosis, and one that narrows the search only once the examination localizes the problem.

A doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the nervous system.