Alzheimer's Disease Glossary of Terms

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Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Acetylcholine: A neurotransmitter released by nerves that is essential for communication b...

Aging: The process of becoming older, a process that is genetically determined and environ...

Alzheimer's disease: A progressive degenerative disease of the brain that leads to dementi...

Amyloid: Any of a number of complex proteins that are deposited in tissues and that share ...

Antidepressant: Anything, and especially a drug, used to prevent or treat depression.

Antioxidant: A substance that reduces damage due to oxygen, such as that caused by free ra...

Antipsychotic: A medication (or another measure) that is believed to be effective in the t...

Anxiety: A feeling of apprehension and fear, characterized by physical symptoms such as pa...

Apolipoprotein E: A type of lipoprotein (a protein connected to a fat). Apolipoprotein E ...

Aspiration: Removal of a sample of fluid and cells through a needle. Aspiration also re...

Assisted living: A type of long-term care facility for elderly or disabled people who are ...

Autopsy: A postmortem examination. Also known as necropsy.

Behavior therapy: A treatment program that involves substituting desirable behavior respon...

Benign: Not malignant. A benign tumor is one that does not invade surrounding tissue or sp...

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

Cerebrospinal fluid: A watery fluid that is continuously produced and absorbed and that fl...

Cholesterol: The most common type of steroid in the body. Cholesterol has a reputation for...

Cognitive: Having to do with thought, judgment, or knowledge.

Computed tomography: An x-ray procedure that uses the help of a computer to produce a deta...

Constipation: Infrequent and frequently incomplete bowel movements. Constipation is the op...

CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a...

Cure: 1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. 2. A time withou...

Dementia: Significant loss of intellectual abilities, such as memory capacity, that is sev...

Depression: An illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and that affects the way...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

EEG: Electroencephalogram.

Enzyme: A protein (or protein-based molecule) that speeds up a chemical reaction in a livi...

Eskalith: See: Lithium.

Estrogen: A female steroid hormone that is produced by the ovaries and, in lesser amounts,...

Familial: A condition that tends to occur more often in family members than is expected by...

Family history: The family structure and relationships within the family, including inform...

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

Food and Drug Administration: An agency within the US Public Health Service that provides ...

Gene: The basic biological unit of heredity. A segment of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) need...

Genes: The basic biological units of heredity. Segments of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) nee...

Genetic: Having to do with genes and genetic
information.

Genetic testing: Tests done for clinical genetic purposes. Genetic tests may be done for ...

Geriatrics: The branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention ...

Glutamate: A form of glutamic acid. See: Glutamic acid.

Hormone: A chemical substance produced in the body that controls and regulates the activit...

Inflammation: A localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a ...

Kidney: One of a pair of organs located in the right and left side of the abdomen. The kid...

Lithium: A naturally occurring salt that, in purified form, is used to treat certain psych...

Lithobid: See: Lithium.

Liver: The largest solid organ in the body, situated in the upper part of the abdomen on t...

Long-term memory: A system for permanently storing, managing, and retrieving information f...

Lumbar: Referring to the five lumbar vertebrae, the disks below them, and the correspondin...

Lumbar puncture: A procedure in which cerebrospinal fluid is removed from the spinal canal...

Lungs: The lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon...

Malnutrition: A term used to refer to any condition in which the body does not receive eno...

Memory: 1. The ability to recover information about past events or knowledge. ...

Menopause: The time in a woman's life when menstrual periods permanently stop; it is also...

Mild cognitive impairment: Abbreviated MCI. A brain disorder in which thinking abilities a...

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

Mucus: A thick fluid that is produced by the lining of some organs of the body.

Neurological: Having to do with the nerves or the nervous system as, for example, a neurol...

Neurology: The medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders o...

Neuropsychologist: A psychologist who has completed special training in the neurobiologica...

Neurotransmitter: A chemical that is released from a nerve cell which thereby transmits an...

NINDS: Stands for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, one of the ...

Nursing: 1) Profession concerned with the provision of services essential to the maintena...

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Pneumonia: Inflammation of one or both lungs, with dense areas of lung inflammation. Pneum...

Progressive: Increasing in scope or severity, advancing, or going forward. For example, a ...

Protein: One of the three nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Protein...

Proteins: Large molecules composed of one or more chains of amino acids in a specific orde...

Psychiatry: The medical specialty that is concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, and tr...

Public health: The approach to medicine that is concerned with the health of the community...

Quality of life: The patient's ability to enjoy normal life activities. Quality of life is...

Receptor: 1. In cell biology, a structure on the surface of a cell (or inside a cel...

Referral: The recommendation of a medical or paramedical professional. If you get a refer...

Risk factor: Something that increases a person's chances of developing a disease. For exam...

Rule out: Term used in medicine, meaning to eliminate or exclude something from considera...

Saliva: a watery secretion in the mouth produced by the salivary glands that aids in the d...

Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of...

Senile: 1. Pertaining to old age. 2. Pertaining to the physical decline ass...

SPECT: An acronym that stands for Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography, a nuclear me...

Spinal tap: Also known as a lumbar puncture or "LP", a spinal tap is a procedure whereby ...

Stress: In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional fact...

Stroke: The sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood...

Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood comin...

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Tomography: The process for generating a tomogram, a two-dimensional image of a slice or s...

Vitamin E: Alpha-tocopherol, an antioxidant vitamin which binds oxygen free radicals that ...