| cerebral palsy |
a motor disorder caused by damage to the brain before or during birth, characterized by spastic paralysis and difficulty in controlling the voluntary muscles. |
| cerebro- |
brain. |
| cerebrospinal |
pertaining to or affecting the brain and spinal cord. |
| cerebrum |
the region of the brain comprising the largest area, acting to coordinate voluntary movement and control conscious mental activity. |
| cholinesterase |
an enzyme found in the heart, brain, and blood that hydrolyzes acetylcholine to acetic acid and choline, to block the transmission of nerve impulses. |
| cochlea |
a spiral tube in the inner ear of most mammals, containing the endings of nerves that register sound in the brain. |
| concussion |
an injury esp. of the brain resulting from a heavy blow, fall, or shock. [1/2 definitions] |
| cortex |
the outer layer of the brain. [1/3 definitions] |
| cranial nerve |
any of the twelve paired nerves, such as the optic and auditory nerves, that extend from the stem of the brain through openings in the skull. |
| craniotomy |
the act or process of cutting through the skull, as for brain surgery. |
| cranium |
the part of the skull that encloses and protects the brain. [1/2 definitions] |
| cytomegalovirus |
any of a group of herpesviruses typically causing mild symptoms or no symptoms in healthy individuals, but capable of causing potentially life-threatening symptoms, including pneumonia and brain inflammation, in newborns and immunocompromised individuals, abbreviated CMV. |
| decerebrate |
to separate the brain from the spinal cord of (a person or animal), as by surgery. [1/3 definitions] |
| dehydroepiandrosterone |
a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands, gonads, and brain that is a precursor of androgens and estrogens. |
| delta wave |
a low-frequency electric brain wave present during deep sleep in normal adults; delta rhythm. |
| dementia |
severe and irreversible deterioration of mental abilities, accompanied by emotional disturbances and caused by an organic disorder of the brain. [1/2 definitions] |
| dura mater |
the outermost of three fibrous membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. (See arachnoid, pia mater.) |
| EEG |
abbreviation of "electroencephalogram," the graphic pattern recorded by an electroencephalograph of electric activity in the brain. |
| electroencephalogram |
the graphic pattern recorded by an electroencephalograph of electric activity in the brain; EEG. |
| electroencephalograph |
an instrument that measures and records electric activity in the brain. |
| electroshock |
a treatment for mentally ill persons in which an electric current is passed through the brain; electroshock therapy. |