| Term | Definition |
|---|
| afferent pupillary defect | pupillary dilation in the eye with a pre-chiasmic optic pathway lesion (optic neuritis) in response to shining a light in the damaged eye after first shining it in the normal eye |
| Marcus-Gunn pupil | pupillary dilation in the eye with a pre-chiasmic optic pathway lesion (optic neuritis) in response to shining a light in the damaged eye after first shining it in the normal eye |
| agraphia | inability to communicate ideas in written language not due to mechanical dysfunction; typically results form damage to the parietal lobe |
| akathisia | motor restlessness; inability to sit still |
| aphasia | Impaired or absent comprehension or production of, or communication by, speech, writing, or signs; due to an acquired lesion of or injury to the dominant cerebral hmeishpere; may be transient if cerebral swelling subsides and ability to speak returns |
| ataxia | incoordination of movement usually due to disease of cerebellar or sensory pathways |
| athetosis | involuntary, slow, writhing movements |
| clonus | a form of movement marked by contractions and relaxations of a muscle, occurring in rapid succession seen with, among other conditions, spasticity and some seizure disorders |
| dementia | acquired and sustained loss of memory and other intellectual functions that is of sufficient severity to interfere with daily functioning |
| diplopia | double vision |
| dysarthria | inability to pronounce or articulate words due to disorders of the vocal apparatus (lips, tongue, larynx) |
| dysdiadochokinesia | impaired ability to perform rapid alternating movements (pronation/supination of hands); indicates cerebellar dysfunction |
| dysesthesia | pain or discomfort in response to a stimulus (touch) that would not be expected to cause pain |
| dyskinesia | difficulty in performing voluntary movements. Term usually used in relation to various extrapyramidal disorders |
| dysphasia | difficulty speaking |
| dysphonia | voice disorder, often related to weakness of laryngeal muscles, in which sound production in impaired |
| dystonia | involuntary muscle spasms that produce peculiar postures of different body parts |
| fasciculations | involuntary contractions, or twichings, of groups (fasciculi) of muscle fibers, a coarser form of muscular contraction than fibrillation |
| fluent aphasia | impairment of language comprehension including impaired repetition due to lesion of the posterior left superior temporal gyrus |
| graphesthesia | ability to recognize letters or numbers drawn on the finger or palm |
| hemianopia | loss of vision in one half of the visual field, indicating a pathological process posterior to the optic chiasm |
| hemiballismus | involuntary violent flinging or jerking of a limb (or limbs) in an uncoordinated manner caused by a lesion of the contralateral subthalamus |
| Wernicke's or receptive aphasia | impairment of language comprehension including impaired repetition due to lesion of the posterior left superior temporal gyrus |
| myelitis | inflammatory disease of the spinal cord |
| myelopathy | symptoms and signs associated with spinal cord compression |
| myoclonus | sudden, shock-like, jerking contraction of a group of muscles |
| myopathy | muscle disease; manifested by lower motor neurons weakness that is usually proximal > distal |
| non-fluent aphasia | selective impairment of language production including impaired repetition due to a lesion of the left inferior frontal lobe |
| Broca's or expressive aphasia | selective impairment of language production including impaired repetition due to a lesion of the left inferior frontal lobe |
| paralysis | loss of power of voluntary movement in a muscle through injury to or disease of its nerve supply |
| paresis | partial or incomplete paralysis |
| paresthesia | an abnormal sensation (burning, prickling, tickling, or tingling) |
| stereognosis | the appreciation of the form of an object by means of touch |
| tremor | repetitive, often regular, oscillatory movements caused by contraction of opposing muscle groups; usually involuntary |
| CVA | cerebro-vascular accident |
| DTR | deep tendon reflexes |
| LOC | loss of consciousness or level of consciousness |
| TIA | transient ischemic attack |
| EEG | electroencephalogram |
| Romberg Test | inability to maintain upright posture when feet together and eyes closed; indicates impaired proprioception |
| normal reflex grade | 2/4 |
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