Author: Glossary

A class of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by fibrillary aggregates of alpha-synuclein protein in the cytoplasm of selective populations of neurons and glia. Examples of synucleinopathies include parkinson’s disease, dementia with lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy. Compare with tauopathies.  

The mode of perception that forms whole, logical, coherent pictures of reality that can be validated by others.  

Also called neurotransmission; an electrical movement within synapses caused by a propagation of nerve impulses. The release of a neurotransmitter by a neuron that initiates or inhibits an electrical impulse in the next neuron in the pathway.  

A feeling or capacity for sharing in the interests or concerns of another. May arise when there is no emotional attachment to the person toward whom one is sympathetic because the feelings of the sympathetic person remain essentially internal. Contrast with empathy. The feeling or expression of pity or sorrow for the pain or distress…

Refers to a substance that produces a physiological effect similar to that produced by stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. A substance that produces a reduction or relief of nasal congestion. Referring to a drug such as dopamine hydrochloride which stimulates the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and is used in cardiac shock following…

Brand name (now discontinued) for the antiparkinsonian medication amantadine.  

Brand name for olanzapine–fluoxetine combination.  

A general mechanism in all human thinking by which some mental representation comes to stand for some other thing, class of things, or attribute of something. This mechanism underlies dream formation and some symptoms, such as conversion reactions. The link between the latent meaning of the symptom and the symbol is usually unconscious. A phobia…

As described by Margaret Mahler (1897–1985), a condition observed in 2- to 4-year-old children who had an abnormal relationship with a mothering figure. The psychosis was characterized by intense separation anxiety, severe regression, abandonment of useful speech, and autism. A disorder of childhood marked by extreme reluctance of the child to be separated from his…

A disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by emotional instability, purposeless movement, and muscular weakness. It is a major manifestation of acute rheumatic fever, occurring between ages 7 and 14, and caused by the CNS effects of streptococcus bacteria. Temporary chorea affecting children, frequently associated with endocarditis and rheumatism. Condition, usually affecting children…