Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • Recent memory

    The ability to remember events, conversations, or content of reading material or television programs from a short time ago (i.e., an hour or two ago or last night). People with MS-related memory impairment typically experience greatest difficulty remembering these types of things in the recent past.  

  • Quad cane

    A cane that has a broad base on four short “feet,” which provide extra stability.  

  • Pseudo-exacerbation

    A temporary aggravation of disease symptoms, resulting from an elevation in body temperature or other stressor (e.g., an infection, severe fatigue, constipation), that disappears once the stressor is removed. A pseudo-exacerbation involves symptom flare-up rather than new disease activity or progression.  

  • Progressive-relapsing MS

    A clinical course of MS that shows disease progression from the beginning, but with clear, acute relapses, with or without full recovery from those relapses along the way.  

  • Primary progressive MS

    A clinical course of MS characterized from the beginning by progressive disease, with no plateaus or remissions, or an occasional plateau and very short-lived, minor improvenients.  

  • Postural tremor

    Rhythmic shaking that occurs when the muscles are tensed to hold an object or stay in a given position.  

  • Post-void residual test

    The PVR test determines how much urine is left in the bladder after an attempt to empty the bladder through urination has occurred. It involves passing a catheter into the bladder following urination in order to drain and measure any urine remaining in the bladder. The PVR is a simple, but effective technique for diagnosing…

  • Periventricular region

    The area surrounding the four fluid-filled cavities within the brain. MS plaques are commonly found within this region.  

  • Paroxysmal symptom

    Any one of several symptoms that has sudden onset (apparently in response to some kind of movement or sensory stimulation), lasts for a few moments, and then subsides. Paroxysmal symptoms tend to occur frequently in those individuals who have them, and follow a similar pattern from one episode to the next. Examples of paroxysmal symptoms…

  • Paroxysmal spasm

    A sudden, uncontrolled limb contraction that occurs intermittently, lasts for a few moments, and then subsides.  

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