Alzheimer disease; also Alzheimer's disease

a disease that may begin in late middle life; characterized by progressive mental deterioration
that includes loss of memory and visual and spatial orientation

aphasia

loss of speech

cerebral thrombosis

blood clot in the brain

cerebral stroke

an acute clinical event, related to impairment of cerebral circulation, lasting more than 24 hours

cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

synonym for a cerebral stroke; an acute clinical event, related to impairment of cerebral
circulation, lasting more than 24 hours

cerebrovascular disease

brain disorder involving a blood vessel

craniectomy

excision of part of the skull

craniotomy

incision into the skull

delirium

impaired consciousness

dementia

impaired intellectual function

dysphasia

impaired speech

encephalitis

inflammation of the brain

epilepsy

CNS disorder often characterized by seizures

hemiplegia

paralysis of one side of the body

hydrocephalus

excessive cerebrospinal fluid in the brain

meningioma

benign tumor of meninges

meningitis

inflamed meninges

multiple sclerosis

disease of the CNS; characterized by the formation of plaques in the brain and spinal cord

myelitis

inflamed spinal cord

myelography

radiography of the spinal cord and nerve roots

neuralgia

pain in a nerve

neuropathy

any disorder of the nervous system

neuroplasty

surgery to repair a nerve

paralysis

loss of motor control

paraplegia

paralysis of the lower extremities and, often, the lower trunk of the body

Parkinson disease (also Parkinson's disease)

a neurologic condition characterized by difficulty in controlling muscles

plegia

paralysis

poliomyelitis

inflamed gray matter in the spinal cord

psychosis

general term covering severe mental or emotional disorders

quadriplegia

paralysis of all four limbs

sciatica

pain in the sciatic nerve, located in the lower back and extending down the thigh

seizure

sudden disturbance in brain function, sometimes producing a convulsion