| A | B |
|---|
| Lobectomy | Surgical removal of a portion of the brain to treat disorders such as cancer or epilepsy |
| Lobotomy | Procedure in which the nerve fibers are severed in the frontal lobe of the brain |
| LP/SP | Lumbar puncture/spinal puncture - CSF is withdrawn from between two lumbar vertebrae to measure the pressure of CSF |
| Lumbar Puncture/Spinal Puncture | LP/SP |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging | MRI; Images of the nervous system |
| Meningioma | Benign brain tumor |
| Meningitis | Inflammation of the linings of the brain and spinal cord |
| Meningocele | Protrusion of the membrane of the brain or spinal cord through a defect |
| MRI | Images of the nervous system |
| Multiple Sclerosis | Demyelination of the nerve fibers of the brain & spinal cord causing tremors, paralysis & speech problems |
| Myasthenia Gravis | Neuromuscular disorder with relapsing weakness of skeletal muscles |
| Myelitis | Inflammation of the spinal cord |
| Myelogram | X-ray of the spinal cord |
| Narcolepsy | Uncontrollable seizures of drowsiness and/or sleep |
| Neuralgia | Nerve pain |
| Neurectomy | Surgical removal of a nerve |
| Neuritis | Inflammation of the nerve |
| Occlusion | Blockage |
| Paralysis | Loss of power of voluntary movement |
| Paraplegia | Paralysis of the lower half of the body (waist down) |
| Paresthesia | Abnormal sensation such as burning, tingling, or numbness for no apparent reason |
| Parkinson's Disease | Slowly progressive, degenerative, CNS disorder with slowness & rigidity of movement, rhythmic muscular tremors & postural instability |
| PET | Images of the brain useful for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, stroke & epilepsy |
| Poliomyelitis | Polio |
| Poliomyelitis | Viral infection of the gray matter of the spinal cord that may result in paralysis |
| Positron Emission Tomography | PET; Images of the brain useful for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, stroke & epilepsy |
| Quadriplegia | Paralysis of all four extremities |
| Romberg sign | Test done while patient is standing with eyes closed to check balance and gait |
| Sciatic | Longest nerve in the leg and thigh |
| Sciatica | Inflammation of the sciatic nerve, may result in pain along the nerve through the hip and the thigh |
| Seizure | Convulsion; sudden, violent, involuntary contraction of a group of muscles caused by a disturbance in brain function |
| Shingles | Adult chickenpox |
| Somnambulism | Sleepwalking |
| Spasticity | Uncontrolled contraction of the skeletal muscles |
| Spina bifida | Congenital defect of the spinal column due to imperfect union of the vertebral parts |
| Stroke | CVA, Blood flow to brain is disrupted because a blood vessel supplying it is either ruptured or was blocked |
| Syncope | Fainting spells |
| Tetanus | Lockjaw |
| TIA | Transient Ischemic Attack, temporary interruption in the blood supply to the brain |
| Tic Douloureux | Trigeminal neuralgia; inflammation of the trigeminal nerve (5th cranial nerve) causing sudden, intense, sharp pain on one side of the face |
| Tourette Syndrome | Neurological disorder marked by involuntary, spasmodic, twitching movements; uncontrollable vocal sounds; and inappropriate words |
| Transient Ischemic Attack | TIA, temporary interruption in the blood supply to the brain |
| Tremor | Involuntary shaking or trembling of the body or any of its parts |
| Trephination | Cutting a circular incision into the skull for brain surgery |
| Ultrasound | Used to evaluate narrowing of the carotid artery that may lead to stroke |
