| Term | Definition |
| arthr/o | articulation |
| cerebell/o | cerebellum (little brain) |
| cerebr/o | cerebrum |
| crani/o | skull |
| encephal/o | entire brain |
| gagli/o | ganglion |
| gli/o | glue |
| gnos/o | knowing |
| hypn/o, somn/i, somn/o | sleep |
| kinesi/o | movement |
| lex/o | word or phrase |
| mening/o, meningi/o | meninges |
| narc/o | stupor, sleep |
| neur/o | nerve |
| phas/o | speech |
| phob/o | exaggerated fear or sensitivity |
| phor/o | carry or bear |
| phren/o, psych/o, thym/o | mind |
| schiz/o | split |
| somat/o | body |
| spin/o | spine |
| spondyl/o, vertebr/o | vertebra |
| stere/o | three dimensional or solid |
| tax/o | order or coordination |
| thalam/o | thalamus |
| ton/o | tone or tension |
| top/o | place |
| ventricul/o | ventricle |
| cata- | down |
| -asthemia | weakness |
| -lepsy | seizure |
| -mania | condition of abnormal impulse/ becoming manic |
| -paresis | slight paralysis |
| -plegia | paralysis |
| brain | portion of central nervous system contained in cranium |
| cerebrum | largest portion of the brain |
| cerebral cortex | outer layer of the cerebrum consisting of gray matter |
| cerebellum | portion of the brain located below the occipital lobes |
| brainstem | region of the brain that serves as a relay between cerebrum, cerebellum, and spinal cord |
| spinal cord | column of nervous tissue from brainstem |
| meninges | three membranes that cover brain and spinal cord |
| cranial nerves | 12 pairs of nerves arising from brain |
| spinal nerves | 31 pairs of nerves arising from spinal cord |
| autonomic nervous system (ANS) | nerves that carry involuntary impulses to smooth muscles, cardiac muscle, and glands |
| hypothalamus | control center of the autonomic nervous system |
| sympathetic nervous system | division of the ANS dealing with stressful situations |
| parasympathetic nervous system | division of the ANS most active in ordinary conditions |
| aphasia | condition without speech |
| dysarthria | condition of difficult articulation |
| dysphasia | difficulty speaking |
| coma | level of decreased consciousness |
| delirium | state of mental confusion due to disturbances in cerebral function |
| dementia | impairment of intellectual function |
| neuralgia | pain along the course of a nerve |
| paralysis | loss of motor control |
| hemiparesis | partial paralysis of half of the body |
| sciatica | pain that follows the sciatic nerve |
| seizure | sudden, transient disturbances in brain function |
| convulsion | to pull together |
| syncope | fainting |
| hyperesthesia | increased sensitivity |
| paresthesia | abnormal sensation of numbness |
| agnosia | any of many types of neurological function |
| Alzheimer disease | deterioration of the brain |
| amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) | deterioration of motor nerve cells |
| cerebral palsy (CP) | condition of motor dysfunction |
| cerebrovascular disease | change of one or more blood vessels in the brain |
| cerebral arteriosclerosis | hardening of the arteries of the brain |
| cerebral atherosclerosis | condition of lipid buildup within the blood vessels of the brain |
| cerebral aneurysm | dilation of a blood vessel in the brain |
| cerebral thrombosis | presence of a stationary clot in a blood vessel in the brain |
| cerebral embolism | obstruction of a blood vessel in the brain by an embolus |
| cerebrovascular accident stroke (CVA) | damage to the brain caused by cerebrovascular disease |
| transient ischemic attack (TIA) | brief episode of loss of blood flow to the brain |
| encephalitis | inflammation of the brain |
| epilepsy | disorder affecting the central nervous system |
| herpes zoster | viral disease affecting the peripheral nerves |
| hydrocephalus | abnormal accumulation of CSF in the ventricles |
| meningitis | inflammation of the meninges |
| migraine headache | paroxysmal attacks |
| multiple sclerosis (MS) | disease of the central nervous system |
| narcolepsy | a sudden need to sleep |
| Parkinson disease | slow degeneration of the brainstem |
| -plegia | paralysis |
| hemiplegia | paralysis of one side of the body |
| paraplegia | paralysis from the waist down |
| quadriplegia | paralysis of all four limbs |
| sleep apnea | seizing of breathing during sleep |
| spina bifida | congenital defect in the spinal column characterized by the absence of vertebral arches |
| electroencephalogram (EEG) | record of the minute electrical impulses of the brain |
| polysomnography (PSG) | recording of various aspects of sleep |
| lumbar puncture (LP) | insertion of a needle into the lumbar spine |
| magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) | nonionzing imaging using magnetic fields and radiofrequency |
| nuclear medicine imaging | radionuclide organ imaging |
| radiography | x-ray imaging |
| reflex testing | test performed to observe the body's stimulus |
| transcranial sonogram | image made by sending ultrasound beams through the skull |
| craniectomy | excision of part of the skull |
| craniotomy | incision into the skull |
| diskectomy | removal of a herniated disk often done percutaneously |
| laminectomy | excision of laminae of the vertebrae |
| vertebral lamina | flattened posterior portion of the vertebral arch |
| radiation therapy | treatment of neoplastic disease using ionizing radiation |
| stereostatic radiosurgery | radiation treatment to inactivate malignant lesions |
| thrombolytic surgery | dissolution of thrombi using drugs |
| analgesic | relieves pain |
| hypnotic | induces sleep |
| sedative | agent that has calming effect |
| affect | emotional feeling or mood |
| apathy | lack of interest |
| delusion | persistent belief that has no basis in reality |
| dysphoria | restlessness |
| euphoria | exaggerated feeling of well-being |
| hallucination | false perception of senses |
| mania | state of increased activity |
| neurosis | anxiety is prominent |
| psychosis | distortion of reality |
| major depression | condition causing disturbances in mood |
| hypochondriasis | thinking that one is constantly sick |
| autism | developmental disability |
| dyslexia | difficulty in understanding words and reading |
| schizophrenia | disease of the brain causing distorted cognitive and emotional perception |
| psychotropic drugs | used to treat mental illness |
| antianxiety, anxiolytic agents | reduce anxiety |
| neuroleptic drugs | drugs used to treat psychosis, especially schizophrenia |
| ADHD | attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder |
| BD | bipolar disorder |
| CVA | cerebrovascular accident |
| EEG | electroencephalogram |
| LP | lumbar puncture |
| MRI | magnetic resonance imaging |
| MS | multiple sclerosis |
| OCD | obsessive-compulsive disorder |
| PD | panic disorder |
| SAD | seasonal affective disorder |
| TIA | transient ischemic attack |