- akathisia
- psychomotor restlessness; an intense sensation of uneasiness or inner restlessness that usually involves the lower extremities and results in a compulsion to move
- alpha-synuclein
- neuronal protein that regulates synaptic vesicle coordination and subsequent neurotransmitter release
- anhidrosis
- lack of sweating due to decreased sweat glands
- ataxia
- impaired balance and coordination that can affect any part of the body and speech
- atrophy
- decrease in size or waste away, especially as a result of cellular degeneration
- autoimmune
- when the body's immune system cannot tell the difference between its own cells and foreign cells, the immune components mistakenly attack healthy body cells
- ballismus
- rapid, involuntary jerking or flinging of proximal muscle groups
- bradykinesia
- slowness of movement or progressive hesitations
- catecholamine
- monoamine neurotransmitters released in response to physical or emotional stress (e.g., epinephrine, dopamine)
- choreoathetosis
- slow, involuntary, writhing movements
- demyelination
- damage to the myelin sheath that results in slowing or stopping of nerve impulses, leading to neurological problems
- diplopia
- double vision—seeing two of the same image
- dysarthria
- difficulty with formulating words to speak
- dyskinesia
- abnormality or impairment of voluntary movement
- dysphagia
- difficulty swallowing
- dystonia
- movement disorder where muscles contract involuntarily, causing repetitive or twisting movements
- exacerbation
- increase in the severity of a disease or its signs and symptoms
- immunoglobulins
- glycoprotein molecules produced by B lymphocytes (plasma cells) that act as a critical part of the immune response by specifically recognizing and binding to particular antigens and aiding in their destruction
- Lhermitte sign
- transient electric shock sensation down the spine and extremities caused by neck flexion; most notably caused by MS
- lipoatrophy
- localized loss of adipose tissue
- lymphocyte
- type of white blood cell that plays an essential role in the immune response (B and T lymphocytes); made in the bone marrow and found in the blood and lymph tissue
- macrophages
- large, specialized connective tissue cells that recognize, engulf, and destroy target cells
- micrographia
- handwriting that is very small
- myelin sheath
- protective insulated covering surrounding nerve fibers in the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves
- neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS)
- a potentially life-threatening condition characterized by symptoms of confusion or altered mental states, muscle rigidity, hyperthermia, arrhythmias, and autonomic instability
- neuropathic pain
- pain that originates within the CNS or PNS resulting from damage or disease
- nystagmus
- involuntary oscillating eye movements that are usually rapid, repetitive, and uncontrolled
- oligodendrocytes
- type of non-neuronal cells in the CNS that do not produce electrical impulses; main functions are to provide support and insulation to axons in the CNS
- Parkinson’s disease (PD)
- a progressive neurologic condition that destroys the pigmented dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra
- plaques
- deposits of neuron fragments surrounding a core of fibrillary amyloid beta-protein
- progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)
- opportunistic, life-threatening viral infection of the brain caused by the John Cunningham virus
- proliferating
- multiplying or increasing in number
- remissions
- decrease in or disappearance of signs and symptoms
- rigidity
- continuous involuntary sustained muscle contraction that when passively stretched, the degree of resistance remains constant
- tardive dyskinesia
- movement disorder characterized by uncontrollable, abnormal, and repetitive movements of the face, torso, and/or other body parts