Agnosia
Understanding and integration of information in the absence
of sensory loss.
1) Object Agnosia
Inability to comprehend object.
2) Prosopagnosia
Inability to recognise faces.
3) Capgras' Syndrome
Recognition of person’s face but inability to accept that it is
the person.
4) Autopognosia
Failure to localize and name body parts.
Aneurysm
Abnormal swelling of a blood vessel.
Angioma
A benign tumour composed of blood vessels or lymph
vessels.
Anoxia
Where tissues of the body receive inadequate amounts of
oxygen.
Apraxia
Loss of ability to carry out a movement despite understanding
of the task and normal muscle power.
1) Ideomotor Apraxia
The sequencing of a complex gesture is intact but the
movements are performed badly.
2) Ideational Apraxia
Individual simple movements are intact but the sequence of a
complex gesture is disordered.
3) Constructional Apraxia
& Drawing Apraxia
Difficulties sequencing movements required for constructing
something or drawing.
4) Unilateral Limb Apraxia
& Frontal Apraxia
Difficulty moving a particular limb or initiating movements
of a limb. Difficulty initiating gait.
Community Brain Injury Team
Terminology
1
5) Apraxia / Dyspraxia of
Speech
A speech disorder resulting from a breakdown of the learned
movement programmes of the muscles used in speech.
Ataxia
This describes failure to co-ordinate muscles resulting in
clumsy, unsteady and shaking movements.
AVM (Arteriovenous
Malformation)
Knot or tangle or growth of distended blood vessels.
Brain Contusions
Bruises on the brain that can be seen on a CT scan.
Chronic Subdural
Haematoma
A build up of blood and fluid on the surface of the brain.
CVA (Cerebrovascular
Accident)
Damage done by a spontaneous disruption of blood supply.
Cognitive Communication Communication difficulties due to cognitive problems such as
poor attention, memory, concentration, self-monitoring
Disorders
/awareness, insight etc.
Coma
A state of unconsciousness from which a person can’t be
roused.
Compensatory
Movements
Where normal movement is not possible for whatever reason,
(e.g. physical or cognitive reasons) the body often uses
different strategies to achieve a goal. These are termed
compensatory movements. Compensatory movements can be
beneficial or detrimental.
Complication
Problem that happens as a result of the injury.
Concussion
Loss of consciousness for a short time followed by an
apparent return to normality.
Contracture
This describes when a joint is no longer able to move through
its full range due to muscle and/or soft tissue shortening.
Community Brain Injury Team
Terminology
2
Convulsion
A fit or a seizure.
CT Scan
CT stands for computed tomography. A CT scan is a
computer-aided X-ray used to provide clear pictures of the
brain.
Dementia
A general term for any disease causing progressive
deterioration of the central nervous system.
Demyelinating
Diseases
Diseases affecting the myelin sheaths of axons includes
multiple sclerosis.
Diseases Affecting
Basal Ganglia
Diseases such as Parkinsonism and Huntington’s chorea.
Dysarthria
A speech disorder resulting from paralysis, weakness or incoordination of the muscles we use for speech.
Dysfluency (Stammering
Disorder of speech fluency.
/Stuttering)
Dyslexia
Disorder of the processing in reading and writing.
Dysphagia
A disorder of swallowing, due to weakness/paralysis of incoordination of the muscles involved in the swallowing process.
Dysphasia
A disorder of language, of which there are two forms.
1) Expressive Dysphasia
When an individual experiences difficulties finding the right
words they want to say or putting words in the right order in a
sentence.
This can effect both speaking or writing.
Individuals may also experience difficulties spelling words.
2) Receptive Dysphasia
When an individual has difficulty understanding words,
sentences or symbols. This again can affect speaking and
reading.
Community Brain Injury Team
Terminology
3
Dysphonia
A disorder of voice, resulting in reduced quality of voice
production.
Embolism
Obstruction of blood flow e.g. by a blood clot or air bubble.
Glasgow Coma Scale
Scale used to assess consciousness after a head injury.
Haematoma
Collection of blood in one site.
Haemorrhage
Bleeding.
Hemiplegia / Hemiparesis
Complete/partial paralysis of the upper and lower limbs on
the same side of the body.
Infarct
Localisation area of damage due to an interrupted blood
supply.
Intracranial Pressure
(ICP)
Pressure inside the skull caused by brain swelling or bleeding.
Ischemia
Inadequate flow of blood.
Lesion
Area of tissue with impaired function as a result of damage by
disease or wounding.
Memory Disorders
1) Bilateral Hippocampal
Syndrome
When a person is unable to learn or remember new
information, except activities that have an element of motor
learning.
2) Korsakoff's Syndrome
Results from severe vitamin B1 deficiency usually associated
with alcoholism, it affects a person’s ability to lay down new
memories.
3) Transient Global Amnesia
Temporary and complete memory loss for information prior
to and after the head injury.
4) Traumatic Amnesia
Shrinking of memories before the head injury and diminished
memory for information following the head injury.
Community Brain Injury Team
Terminology
4
MRI
MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging, which is a
method of building up pictures of the body.
Neoplasm
Growth of new tissue (i.e. tumour).
Nervous System
1) Central Nervous
The brain and the spinal cord.
2) Peripheral Nervous System
Nerves connecting the central nervous system to the rest of
the body.
3) Autonomic Nervous System
The part of the nervous system not involved with the muscles
controlling voluntary movement, but with internal organs
such as the heart, lungs intestines and glands. It is called
autonomic because it is not under conscious control.
Neurone
Another term for a nerve cell.
Neurosurgery
Operations on the brain.
Oedema
Excess fluid in the tissue causing swelling.
-oma
Indicating abnormal growth (e.g. Neuroma= tumour of
neurons, Glioma = tumour of glial cells, Meningioma =
tumour of meninges).
Paralysis
Loss of ability to move.
Paraplegia
Paralysis of the lower half of the body.
Patterning
When a movement of part of the body is produced and not
stopped or reduced by the brain, that limb (or in extreme
cases the whole of the body) will be moved in to a
stereotypical position.
Plasticity
The ability of the nervous system to adapt to changes in
circumstances, i.e. the possible ability of intact nerve cells to
take over some of the function of damaged ones.
Community Brain Injury Team
Terminology
5
Post-Concussion
Syndrome
Problems, including headaches, dizziness, poor concentration,
memory problems, speaking or listening difficulties, and
emotional and behavioural problems that can happen in the
weeks or months after having a brain injury. The syndrome is
caused by tiny areas of bruising or other damage to the nerve
cells in the brain.
Radiography
Using techniques involving radiation to build up pictures of
the body.
Reflex
An involuntary movement that shows that the nerves are
working normally.
Rehabilitation
An active process by which a person realises their optimal
physical, mental and social potential enabling them to become
as independent and confident as possible.
SAH (Subarachnoid
Haemorrhage)
A sudden leak of blood over the surface of the brain. The
brain is covered by a series of membranes, one of which is
called the arachnoid. A SAH occurs beneath this membrane.
Sclerosis
Death of brain tissue.
Stroke
See CVA.
Tone
A state of resting muscle activity, which can be influenced by
many external factors including temperature, anxiety,
wellness and pain.
1) Increased Tone / High Tone
/ Spasticity
Increased stiffness in a muscle making it more difficult to
move. This is characterised by resistance being felt when a
muscle is stretched.
2) Rigidity
The extreme of high tone where there is sustained involuntary
muscle contraction.
3) Decreased Tone / Low Tone
/ Flaccidity
The direct opposite of increased tone. Flaccidity is the
extreme of this where no muscle activity is evident.
4) Clonus
This describes the involuntary movement experienced when
your ankle/heel jumps up and down. It results from an
abnormal use of a normal safety mechanism within your
muscle, which stops your muscle from being over-stretched
or torn.
Community Brain Injury Team
Terminology
6
5) Spasm
Sudden uncontrolled contraction or stiffening of the muscles
(usually of the legs). Spasms can be but are not always
painful.
6) Tremor
Unwanted regular repetitive movements, which may be worse
either at rest or on attempting movement.
Transfers
The movement of the body from one position / place to
another, i.e. bed to chair, wheelchair to toilet, sit to stand.
Triage
A system to prioritise patients according to the seriousness of
their injuries.
Ventilator
A machine designed to move air in and out of a person’s
lungs mechanically (life-support system).
Community Brain Injury Team
Terminology
7