Author: Glossary

A physician with postgraduate training and experience in the field of organic diseases of the nervous system whose professional work focuses primarily on this area. Neurologists also receive training in psychiatry. A doctor of medicine who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases or injuries of the brain and branches of the nervous system.…

A severe medication-induced movement disorder associated with the use of a neuroleptic (antipsychotic) medication. Symptoms include muscle rigidity, high fever, and related findings such as dysphagia, incontinence, confusion, and mutism. A rare, idiosyncratic, and sometimes fatal reaction to high-potency neuroleptic drugs; most likely a result of dopamine blockade on the basal ganglia and hypothalamus. Symptoms…

Abnormal positioning or spasm of the muscles of the head, neck, limbs, or trunk; the dystonia develops within a few days of starting or raising the dose of a neuroleptic (antipsychotic) medication because of dysfunction of the extrapyramidal system.  

A general term used to refer to rapidly developing technologies such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and positron emission tomography (PET) used to assess brain disorders. The visual or graphic representation of the anatomy, blood flow, electrical activity, metabolism, oxygen usage, receptor sites, or other physiological functions…

A chemical messenger usually produced within the hypothalamus, carried to the pituitary and then to other cells within the central nervous system (CNS). Neurohormones are similar to neurotransmitters except that they interact with a variety of cells, whereas neurotransmitters interact only with other neurons. A hormone used in the function of the nervous system. For…

Nonsoluble twisted fibers found inside the brain’s cells. These tangles consist primarily of a protein called TAU, which forms part of a structure called a microtubule. The microtubule helps transport nutrients and other important substances from one part of the nerve cell to another. In Alzheimer’s disease, however, the tau protein is abnormal and the…

The science of the relationships between the nervous system (particularly the brain) and the endocrine system. Of particular importance is the action of the hypothalamus, which stimulates or inhibits the pituitary’s secretion of hormones. The study of the ways in which the central nervous system and the endocrine system interact to promote normal body functioning.…

The branch of chemistry that deals with the nervous system, including its chemical components and the passage of the nerve impulse through the nerve cell and its transmission across synapses. The study of the chemical interactions of the brain and nervous system.  

An examination that assesses a broader range of cognitive functioning than the mini-mental state exam (MMSE) but is brief enough to be given at the bedside in clinical settings.  

Characteristic structural abnormalities found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. These deposits are made of a protein called beta-amyloid, which accumulates outside of neurons and other brain cells in a space known as the extracellular space.