AAC/augmentative and alternative communication - a collection of communication strategies and options to assist persons who can not meet their communication needs through natural speech

absence seizure/petit mal seizure - a generalized seizure with a disruption of consciousness for a few seconds and no motor component

acalculia - an acquired deficit that limits performance of basic arithmetic computations

activities of daily living/ADL - refers to functional skills such as dressing, grooming, and feeding oneself that are necessary for independent living

acute cerebral swelling - increased blood flow to the brain occurring because of elevated blood pressure or excessive dilation of cerebral vasculature and resulting in increased blood volume within the cranium; causes brain damage

ADL/activities of daily living - refers to functional skills such as dressing, grooming, and feeding oneself that are necessary for independent living

agnosia - literally means "not to know;" usually proceeded by an adjective (e.g., visual agnosia, auditory agnosia, verbal agnosia, etc.) specifying the sensory modality through which the person can not assign meaning to information--example:  A person with auditory agnosia has intact hearing but can not assign meaning to the sounds that he/she hears

alexia - an acquired reading deficit

alexia with agraphia - an acquired reading deficit that is accompanied by problems with writing

alexia without agraphia - an acquired reading deficit in which the person retains the ability to write

aneurysm - the ballooning out of a weakened portion of a blood vessel that is in danger of rupturing

angiogram - a diagnostic medical procedure in which a contrastive medium is injected into the blood stream to allow visualization of the blood vessels that supply the brain

anomia - an inability to recall the names of common objects

anoxia - lack of oxygen to the brain

anterior - toward the front

anterograde amnesia - a memory deficit in which a person can not form new memories or learn new information subsequent to a traumatic injury

aphasia - an acquired language disorder

apraxia of speech/verbal apraxia - an acquired speech disorder in which the person can produce the sounds of speech but often rearranges the order of sounds in a word

arachnoid - the middle of three covering of the brain

ataxia - a disturbance of muscular coordination due to cerebellar damage and characterized by impaired balance, tremors, and difficulties judging distances and strengths of movements

athetosis - an involuntary movement disorder characterized by slow, irregular, writhing, or squirming movements of the extremities, face, neck, or trunk

atrophy - shrinkage of muscle mass or brain tissue due to degeneration

augmentative and alternative communication/AAC - a collection of communication strategies and options to assist persons who can not meet their communication needs through natural speech

Broca's aphasia - an acquired language disorder due to damage in Broca's area and characterized by nonfluent, effortful speech

Broca's area - an area in the frontal lobe of the dominant hemisphere that is important for speech and language

cavitation - the formation of gaseous bubbles in a liquid because of the impact of a swiftly moving object; brain damage occurs when gaseous bubbles form within brain cells and then burst as they return to a liquid state

cerebellum - a part of the brain located beneath the cerebral hemispheres that deals with muscle coordination, maintenance of muscle tone, and balance for activities such as walking and writing

cerebral edema - increased water content within the brain that can cause brain damage

cerebral hemispheres - right and left halves of the brain that contain the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes; connected to one another by the corpus callosum

cerebrum - the brain

chorea - a movement disorder caused by damage to the extrapyramidal system and characterized by quick, random, involuntary movements

circumlocution - an evasive type of speech in which several words are used to express an idea that could be said with a single word

cognitive-communication impairment - communication difficulties associated with traumatic brain injury that stem from deficits in cognitive processes that support language performance (e.g., memory, attention, organization, abstract reasoning, flexibility of thought, etc.)

cognitive rehabilitation/remediation - intervention focusing on restoring any type of cognitive function (e.g., memory, attention, arousal, visual perception, hypothesis formation, initiation, problem solving, etc.)

coma - a period of impaired consciousness in which the person does not follow commands, has difficulty maintaining arousal, and shows minimal or no awareness of the environment and interaction with others; the duration of coma is often used as a prognostic indicator of eventual recovery

complex partial seizure/partial complex seizure - a partial seizure in which there is a loss of consciousness

computerized axial tomography/CT scan/CAT scan - a type of two-dimensional x-ray imaging of the brain

concussion - condition in which there is impaired brain function due to a violent blow or impact to the head

confabulation - fabrication of events or experiences; often occurs as a result of memory impairment; giving answers or reciting experiences without regard for the truth

contractures - a chronic tightening of muscles that causes the limbs to assume contorted, flexed postures

contralateral - on the opposite side of the body from a reference point

contrecoup injury - lesion of the brain at the site directly opposite the point of impact

contusion - bruise

convergent thinking - determining relevant information to identify a main theme; for example, identifying what objects or situations have in common

corpus callosum - a bundle of nerve fibers that connect the two hemispheres of the brain

cortex - the outer surface of the brain

coup injury - lesion of the brain at the site of impact

cranial nerves - nerves that innervate the muscles of the head and neck and allow for the sensation of vision, hearing, taste, and smell

craniotomy - a surgical procedure in which the skull is opened to expose the brain

CT scan/CAT scan/computerized axial tomography - a type of two-dimensional x-ray imaging of the brain

cytotoxic edema - increased water content within the brain resulting from cell damage that increases the attraction of water to brain cell interiors; the resultant increased intracranial volume can contribute to brain damage

deductive reasoning - drawing conclusions based on global information; whole to part analysis

deglutition - swallowing

denervation - the cutting of nerves

depressed skull fracture - a break in the bones of the skull in which there is a visible indentation

diadochokinesis - rapid alternating movements such as those that occur during the rapid and repeated production of the word "buttercup"

dichotic listening - simultaneous presentation of two different auditory signals, one to each ear

diffuse damage - damage to multiple regions of the brain

diplopia - double vision

disinhibition - a lack of normal inhibition that contributes to many maladaptive characteristics of brain injury survivors such as carelessness in hygiene and dress, use of inappropriate words or gestures, and excessive talkativeness

disorientation - a lack of awareness of or confusion about time, place, and/or personal information

divergent thinking - generation of unique ideas; the ability to relate one's knowledge to new ways of addressing problems or situations

divided attention - the ability to maintain attention to two or more tasks simultaneously

dominant hemisphere - the hemisphere of the brain that performs language functions; the left hemisphere is dominant in approximately 90% of right-handed individuals and 60% of left-handed individuals

dura mater - the outermost membrane covering of the brain

dysarthria - a speech disorder in which the person has weakness or incoordination in the musculature used for speech production (e.g., the musculature of the lips, tongue, jaw, neck, larynx, or diaphragm)

dyskinesia - a movement disorder associated with lesions in the extrapyramidal system
dysmetria - an inability to judge the distance, power, or speed of a movement

dysphagia - swallowing difficulty

dysprosody - a disruption in the stress, timing, or melodic line of speech

edema - swelling

EEG/electroencephalogram - a graphic display of the brain's electrical activity; often used to detect seizure activity

electroencephalogram/EEG - a graphic display of the brain's electrical activity; often used to detect seizure activity

emotional lability/lability - poor control of the emotions such that laughing or crying is disproportionate to precipitating events

epidural hematoma - a collection of spilled blood between the skull and dura mater; also called an extradural hematoma

etiology - the cause of a disorder or disease

evacuation of a hematoma - a surgical procedure in which the spilled blood of a hematoma is drained

executive functions - skills involved in anticipating, setting goals, planning, self-regulating, incorporating feedback, and completing an intended activity

extradural hematoma - a collection of spilled blood between the skull and dura mater; also called an epidural hematoma

extrapyramidal system - a motor system of the brain that indirectly controls muscle movements

fasciculation - twitching of muscle fibers

flaccid - decreased muscle tone; flabby or limp muscles

flat affect - decreased use of facial expressions or gestures to communicate emotions, attitudes, and responses

flexibility of thought - the ability to shift from one idea, hypothesis, framework, or perspective to another; opposite of rigidity of thought

focal damage - damage limited to one region of the brain

focal seizure/partial seizure - a seizure in which there is electrical firing in a specific region of the brain

focused attention - the ability to maintain alertness to and interact with the environment on a rudimentary level

frontal lobe - a part of the brain important for personality, producing speech, processing language, initiating activities, and moving body parts

full scale IQ - an intelligence score based on a person's overall performance on a Weschler intelligence test (WAIS-R, WISC-III, WPPSI-R)

gastrostomy tube - a tube that is surgically inserted into the stomach and is used for feeding

generalized seizure - a seizure that spreads throughout the cerebral cortex and almost invariably involves a total loss of consciousness

Glasgow Coma Scale - a standardized system for rating the severity of impaired consciousness; typically administered to a head injury survivor upon admission to the emergency room; often used as a prognostic indicator of long-term outcome

grand mal seizure/tonic-clonic seizure - a seizure in which the person experiences 10-30 seconds of tonic movements with marked extension or flexion of muscles and 15-60 seconds of clonic movements with rhythmic muscle group shaking; generally followed by headache, sleepiness, and confusion

gustatory - related to the sense of taste

hematoma - a localized pool of blood found outside the circulatory system

hemianopsia - loss of vision in one half of the visual field of each eye

hemiparesis - weakness or partial paralysis on one side of the body

hemiplegia - paralysis on one side of the body

hemorrhage - uncontrolled bleeding

hydrocephalus - an abnormally large amount of fluid in the ventricular system of the brain

hypertonia - excessive tension in the muscles

hypotonia - decreased muscle tone; flaccidity

hypoxia - reduced oxygen to the brain

ICU - intensive care unit

inductive reasoning - drawing conclusions given parts of information;  part to whole analysis

infarction - a region of damaged tissue resulting from a decrease of oxygenated blood

inferior - below

intracranial hematoma - a collection of spilled blood within the tissues of the brain

intracranial pressure - the pressure of contents within the skull; a sharp, uncontrollable rise in intracranial pressure can cause brain damage or death

ipsilateral - on the same side of the body as a reference point

ischemia - a reduction in blood flow to a specific region

jargon - speech comprised largely of nonsense words

lability/emotional lability - poor control of the emotions such that laughing or crying is disproportionate to precipitating events

lacrimal - related to tearing of the eyes

lateral - to the side

limbic system - neural structures deep within the brain that are responsible for controlling memory functions and regulating emotional responses; includes the hippocampus, amygdala, septum, cingulate gyrus, and anterior thalamus

magnetic resonance imaging/MRI scan - a type of brain imaging that utilizes magnetic fields

mastication - chewing of food

medial - toward the middle

meninges - coverings of the brain--dura mater, arachnoid, and pia mater

mnemonic devices - strategies for enhancing memory skills

MRI scan/magnetic resonance imaging - a type of brain imaging that utilizes magnetic fields

MVA - motor vehicle accident

nasogastric tube - a tube inserted through the nose into the stomach and used for feeding

neologism - a meaningless, made-up word

neuron - a nerve cell

neuropsychology - a branch of psychology that deals with the assessment of cognitive functions, such as memory and perception, and attempts to determine the site and mechanism of damage responsible for changes in cognitive functions

nystagmus - rhythmic movement of the eye in a vertical, horizontal, or rotary direction

occipital lobe - a part of the brain important for processing visual information

olfactory - related to the sense of smell

oral apraxia - an inability to sequence oral muscle movements in imitation of others or on command; normal spontaneous oral movements typically occur during eating, swallowing, yawning, sucking, blowing, etc.

paraphasic errors - errors in speech or language production in which words either contain extraneous sounds, deleted sounds, or mis-sequenced sounds or are substituted for other words

paraplegia - paralysis of both lower extremities

paresis - partial paralysis

parietal lobe - a part of the brain important for interpreting sensory information about body movement, pain, temperature, and proprioception

partial complex seizure/complex partial seizure - a partial seizure in which there is a loss of consciousness

partial seizure/focal seizure - a seizure in which there is electrical firing in a specific region of the brain

partial simple seizure/simple partial seizure - a partial seizure in which there is no disturbance of consciousness

performance IQ - an intelligence score based on a person's performance of subtests of the Wechsler intelligence test (WAIS-R, WISC-III, WPPSI-R) such as picture completion, picture arrangement, block design, object assembly, and digit symbol, coding, and mazes; provides an indication of perceptual organization and visual processing

perseveration - a motor or verbal response that is inappropriately repeated over and over

persistent vegetative state - a condition in which a head injury survivor remains unresponsiveness for an extended period of time

PET scan - positron emission tomography - a type of brain imaging that shows how much and what parts of the brain are metabolizing glucose during the performance of various types of activities

petit mal seizure/absence seizure - a generalized seizure with a disruption of consciousness for a few seconds and no motor component

physiatrist - a physician who specializes in rehabilitation medicine

pia mater - the innermost covering of the brain

posterior - toward the back

postmorbid - after the time of injury

posttraumatic amnesia/PTA - a period of confusion extending from the time of injury until the individual can recall daily events for a 24-hour period; the duration of PTA is often used as a prognostic indicator of eventual recovery

posttraumatic epilepsy - a seizure disorder that results from traumatic brain injury

premorbid - before the injury

primary mechanisms of injury - injuries that occur at the actual time of trauma

proprioception - awareness of the location of body parts in space and in relation to one another

prosopagnosia - an inability to recognize faces of familiar people

PTA/post-traumatic amnesia - a period of confusion extending from the time of injury until the individual can recall daily events for a 24-hour period; the duration of PTA is often used as a prognostic indicator of eventual recovery

ptosis - drooping of the eyelid

pyramidal system - a motor system of the brain that is responsible for controlling voluntary movements

quadriplegia - paralysis of all four limbs

Rancho Los Amigos Scale of Cognitive Functioning - an eight point scale used for identifying the level of a head injury survivor's functioning

residual impairments - long-lasting or persistent effects of a brain injury

retrograde amnesia - a memory impairment affecting the recall of events or experiences that occurred prior to the traumatic injury

rigidity of thought - the inability to shift from one idea, hypothesis, framework, or perspective to another; opposite of flexibility of thought

rotational acceleration - a vector of force that does not pass through an object's center of gravity

second impact syndrome - a situation in which a person sustains a second concussion prior to completely recovering from a previous one; may result in severe, permanent brain damage or death

secondary mechanisms of injury - injuries that occur several minutes to weeks after trauma

seizure - random electrical activity within the brain that may or may not disrupt consciousness and/or produce perceptual or motor alterations

selective attention - the ability to maintain alertness to specific stimuli in the environment despite the presence of internal or external distractors

sequelae - consequences of a head injury

shearing strain - the simultaneous pulling of adjacent structures in two directions

shifting of set - changing from one activity or perspective to another

simple partial seizure/partial simple seizure - a partial seizure in which there is no disturbance of consciousness

somesthetic - relating to the sensation of pain, temperature, position, and pressure

spasticity - uncontrolled contractions of muscles

status epilepticus - two or more seizures superimposed on one another such that there is an incomplete or no recovery of consciousness between them

stereognosis - the ability to recognize an object placed in the hands without looking at it

subarachnoid - below the middle covering (i.e., the arachnoid) of the brain

subdural - below the outermost covering of the brain

subdural hematoma - a collection of spilled blood between the membranes covering the brain

superior - above

sustained attention - the ability to maintain a consistent behavioral response during continuous and repetitive activities

temporal lobe - a part of the brain important for processing language and interpreting sounds

temporal orientation - awareness of time information such as the current time of day, day of week, date, month, or year

tinnitus - a constant or intermittent ringing or roaring sound in the ears

tonic-clonic seizure/grand mal seizure - a seizure in which the person experiences 10-30 seconds of tonic movements with marked extension or flexion of muscles and 15-60 seconds of clonic movements with rhythmic muscle group shaking; generally followed by headache, sleepiness, and confusion

translational acceleration - a linear vector of force passing through an object's center of gravity

tremor - a purposeless, involuntary, and repetitive movement

vapor pressure level - the point at which liquid changes to gas

vasogenic edema - increased water content within the brain resulting from a breakdown in the blood-brain barrier allowing water from the blood stream to pass into brain tissue; can lead to brain damage

ventricles - fluid-filled spaces within the brain

ventricular system - a system of fluid-filled spaces within the brain and spinal column that helps regulate intracranial pressure

verbal apraxia/apraxia of speech - an acquired speech disorder in which the person can produce the sounds of speech but often rearranges the order of sounds in a word

verbal IQ - an intelligence score based on a person's performance of information, digit span, vocabulary, arithmetic, comprehension, and similarities subtests of the Wechsler intelligence test (WAIS-R, WISC-III, WPPSI-R); provides an indication of language comprehension and expression, recall of general knowledge information, and ability to reason with words

vertigo - dizziness

vestibular problems - difficulties with balance and equilibrium

vigilance - the ability to sustain concentration and to inhibit inaccurate responses during a repetitive task

visual field cut - a region of blindness in the visual field of one or both eyes

visual neglect - a failure to attend to visual stimuli presented in a portion of the visual field despite intact functioning of the eye

volitional tremor - an involuntary tremor that occurs when the person engages in purposeful movements

Wernicke's aphasia - an acquired language disorder due to damage in Wernicke's area and characterized by fluent, paraphasic speech

Wernicke's area - an area of the temporal lobe important for language functioning

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