Category: N

Pain of unknown cause that results when special nerve endings, called nociceptors, are stimulated. Neuropathic pain is possible whenever nerves are damaged by trauma; by diseases such as diabetes, herpes zoster, and late-stage cancer; or by chemical injury (e.g., toxic doses of drugs). The most dramatic and mysterious example of neuropathic pain is called phantom…

Brand name for the anticonvulsant/mood stabilizer drug gabapentin.  

The ability of the nervous system to adapt its structural organization to new situations emerging from changes of developmental and environmental situations, as well as other factors (e.g., injuries) affecting the condition of the nervous system.  

The branch of medicine that studies the organization, function, and treatment of diseases of the nervous system. The medical specialty that is concerned with diagnosis, operative, and medical treatment of the brain, spinal cord, and disorders of the nerves. The scientific study of the nervous system and its diseases. Referring to both nerves and muscles.…

A physician with postgraduate training and experience in the field of organic diseases of the nervous system whose professional work focuses primarily on this area. Neurologists also receive training in psychiatry. A doctor of medicine who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases or injuries of the brain and branches of the nervous system.…

A severe medication-induced movement disorder associated with the use of a neuroleptic (antipsychotic) medication. Symptoms include muscle rigidity, high fever, and related findings such as dysphagia, incontinence, confusion, and mutism. A rare, idiosyncratic, and sometimes fatal reaction to high-potency neuroleptic drugs; most likely a result of dopamine blockade on the basal ganglia and hypothalamus. Symptoms…

Abnormal positioning or spasm of the muscles of the head, neck, limbs, or trunk; the dystonia develops within a few days of starting or raising the dose of a neuroleptic (antipsychotic) medication because of dysfunction of the extrapyramidal system.  

A general term used to refer to rapidly developing technologies such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and positron emission tomography (PET) used to assess brain disorders. The visual or graphic representation of the anatomy, blood flow, electrical activity, metabolism, oxygen usage, receptor sites, or other physiological functions…

A chemical messenger usually produced within the hypothalamus, carried to the pituitary and then to other cells within the central nervous system (CNS). Neurohormones are similar to neurotransmitters except that they interact with a variety of cells, whereas neurotransmitters interact only with other neurons. A hormone used in the function of the nervous system. For…

Nonsoluble twisted fibers found inside the brain’s cells. These tangles consist primarily of a protein called TAU, which forms part of a structure called a microtubule. The microtubule helps transport nutrients and other important substances from one part of the nerve cell to another. In Alzheimer’s disease, however, the tau protein is abnormal and the…