Cerebral Palsy Glossary of Terms

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Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

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

Acute: Of abrupt onset, in reference to a disease. Acute often also connotes an illness th...

Analysis: In psychology, a term for conversation-based therapeutic processes used to gain ...

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

Arms: An appendage in anatomy and in clinical trials. See: Arm.

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

Ataxia: Poor coordination and unsteadiness due to the brain's failure to regulate the body...

Athetosis: Involuntary writhing movements, particularly of the arms and hands. Athetosis i...

Benzodiazepines: A class of drugs that act as tranquilizers and are commonly used in the t...

Birth defect: Any defect present in a baby at birth, irrespective of whether the defect is...

Bladder: A hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine. The kidneys filter waste f...

Botulinum toxin: A toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum that is th...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

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

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

Cardiac: Having to do with the heart.

Cardiac insufficiency: See: Heart failure.

Cavities: Holes or structural damage in the two outer layers of a tooth called the enamel...

Cerebral: Of or pertaining to the cerebrum or the brain.

Cerebral palsy: An abnormality of motor function (the ability to move and control movement...

Chromosomes: The microscopically visible carriers of the genetic material. They are compos...

Cognition: The process of knowing. Cognition includes both awareness and judgment.

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

Contraction: The tightening and shortening of a muscle.

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...

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

DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid. One of two types of molecules that encode genetic information...

Dopamine: An important neurotransmitter (messenger) in the brain.

Dorsal: Relating to the back or postterior of a structure. As opposed to the ventral, or f...

Dyskinesia: The presence of involuntary movements, such as the choreaform movements seen i...

Dysphagia: Difficulty swallowing. Dysphagia is due to abnormal nerve or muscle control. It...

EEG: Electroencephalogram.

Epilepsy (seizure disorder): When nerve cells in the brain fire electrical impulses...

Fats: Plural of the word "fat". See the definition of fat.

Fetus: An unborn offspring, from the embryo stage (the end of the eighth week after concep...

Gait: A manner of walking. Observation of gait can provide early diagnostic clues for a nu...

Gastroenterologist: A physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases...

Gastroesophageal: Pertaining to both the stomach and the esophagus, as in the gastroesopha...

Gastroesophageal reflux: The return of stomach contents back up into the esophagus This fr...

Genetic: Having to do with genes and genetic
information.

GERD: Gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Handedness: The preferential use of one hand for most fine manual tasks. Right handedness ...

Head injury: Damage to any of the structures of the head as a result of trauma. While the ...

Heartburn: An uncomfortable feeling of burning and warmth occurring in waves rising up be...

Hemiplegia: Paralysis on one side of the body.

Hemorrhage: Bleeding or the abnormal flow of blood.

Hospice: A program or facility that provides special care for people who are near the end ...

Hypoxia: A lower-than-normal concentration of oxygen in arterial blood, as opposed to anox...

Immunity: The condition of being immune. Immunity can be innate'for example, humans are in...

Implantation: The act of setting in firmly.

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

Intervention: The act of intervening, interfering or interceding with the intent of modify...

Intractable: Unstoppable. For example, intractable diarrhea is diarrhea that can't be stop...

Jaundice: Yellow staining of the skin and sclerae (the whites of the eyes) by abnormally h...

Joint: The area where two bones are attached for the purpose of permitting body parts to m...

Karyotype: A standard arrangement of the chromosome complement prepared for chromosome ana...

Ketogenic diet: A diet devised as a treatment for severe seizure disorders that do not r...

Labor: Childbirth, the process of delivering a baby and the placenta, membranes, and umbil...

Leg: In popular usage, the part of the body from the top of the thigh down to the foot, an...

Limb: An arm or a leg.

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

Measles: An acute and highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever, runny nose,...

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

Meningitis: Inflammation of the meninges, the three membranes that envelop the brain and t...

Mental retardation: The condition of having an IQ measured as below 70 to 75 and significa...

Metabolic: Relating to metabolism, the whole range of biochemical processes that occur wit...

Metabolism: The whole range of biochemical processes that occur within a living organism. ...

Motor: Something that produces or refers to motion. For example, a motor neuron is a nerve...

Mouth: 1. The upper opening of the digestive tract, beginning with the lips and con...

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. T...

Muscle relaxant: Muscle relaxant is a term usually used to refer to skeletal muscle relaxa...

Neck: The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders. Also, any narrow or constric...

Neonatal: Pertaining to the newborn period, specifically the first 4 weeks after birth.

Nerve: A bundle of fibers that uses electrical and chemical signals to transmit sensory an...

Neurologist: A physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of th...

Nose: The external midline projection from the face. The purpose of the nose is to warm, c...

Nurse: 1) A person trained, licensed, or skilled in nursing. 2) To feed an infant at the ...

Nutritionist: 1) In a hospital or nursing home, a person who plans and/or formulates spe...

Obesity: The state of being well above one's normal weight.

Occupational therapist: A licensed health professional who is trained to evaluate patients...

Ophthalmologist: A physician who practices ophthalmology.

Orthotic: A support, brace, or splint used to support, align, prevent, or correct the func...

Oxygen: The odorless gas that is present in the air and necessary to maintain life. Oxygen...

Palsy: Paralysis, generally partial, whereby a local body area is incapable of voluntary m...

Paralysis: Loss of voluntary movement (motor function). Paralysis that affects only one mu...

Parkinson's disease: A slowly progressive neurologic disease that is characterized by a fi...

Pelvic: Having to do with the pelvis, the lower part of the abdomen, located between the h...

Perinatal: Pertaining to the period immediately before and after birth. The perinatal peri...

Physiatrist: A physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Physiatr...

Physical therapy: A branch of rehabilitative health that uses specially designed exercises...

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

Posture: The carriage of the body as a whole, the attitude of the body, or the position of...

Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. Thi...

Pregnant: The state of carrying a developing fetus within the body.

Premature birth: A birth that takes place before 37 weeks of gestation have passed. Histor...

Prematurity: Historically, the definition of prematurity was 2500 grams (about 5 1/2 pound...

Premie: Short and slangy for a premature baby. A preterm infant. Also often spelled (for o...

Prenatal: Occurring or existing before birth.

Prenatal care: Health care that a pregnant woman receives from an obstetrician or a midwif...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Quadriplegia: Paralysis of all four limbs, both arms and both legs, as from a high spinal ...

Range of motion: The full movement potential of a joint, usually its range of flexion and ...

Recurrence: The return of a sign, symptom, or disease after a remission. The reappearance ...

Reflux: The term used when liquid backs up into the esophagus from the stomach.

Refractory: Not yielding, or not yielding readily, to treatment.

Regimen: A plan or a regulated course, such as a diet, exercise, or treatment, that is des...

Regurgitation: A backward flowing. For example, vomiting is a regurgitation of food from t...

Rehabilitation: The process of helping a person who has suffered an illness or injury rest...

Relaxant: Something that relaxes, relieves, or reduces tension. For example, a muscle rela...

Resuscitation: The procedure of restoring to life, as in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CP...

Rh factor: An antigen found in the red blood cells of most people: those who have Rh fac...

Rh incompatibility: The difference in Rh blood group types between an Rh negative mother a...

Rib: One of the 12 paired arches of bone that form the skeletal structure of the chest wal...

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...

Scoliosis: Lateral (sideways) curving of the spine. The degree of scoliosis may range from...

Sedative: A drug that calms a patient, easing agitation and permitting sleep. Sedatives ge...

Seizure: Uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain, which may produce a physical conv...

Seizure disorders: One of a great many medical conditions that are characterized by epis...

Sepsis: The presence of bacteria (bacteremia), other infectious organisms, or toxins creat...

Skeletal: Pertaining to the skeleton, the bones of the body that collectively provide the ...

Spasticity: A state of increased tone of a muscle (and an increase in the deep tendon refl...

Speech disorder: A disorder affecting the ability to produce normal speech. Speech disor...

Speech therapy: The treatment of speech and communication disorders. The approach used d...

Spinal cord: The major column of nerve tissue that is connected to the brain and lies with...

Spine: 1) The column of bone known as the vertebral column, which surrounds and protects ...

Stereotactic: Referring to precise positioning in three-dimensional space. For example, bi...

Stereotactic surgery: Surgery in which a system of three-dimensional coordinates is used t...

Stomach: The digestive organ that is located in the upper abdomen, under the ribs. The upp...

Strabismus: A condition in which the visual axes of the eyes are not parallel and the eyes...

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

Substance: 1. Material with particular features.
2. The material that...

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

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

Thorax: The area of the body that is located between the abdomen and the neck. Within the ...

Throat: The throat is the anterior (front) portion of the neck beginning at the back of th...

Thyroid: 1. The thyroid gland. Also, pertaining to the thyroid gland. 2. A p...

Tongue: A strong muscle that is anchored to the floor of the mouth. The tongue is covered ...

Tooth: One of the structures within the mouth that allow for biting and chewing. Teeth hav...

Toxin: A poison produced by certain animals, plants, or bacteria.

Tremor: An abnormal, repetitive shaking movement of the body. Tremors have many causes and...

Ultrasound: High-frequency sound waves. Ultra-sound waves can be bounced off tissues by us...

Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...

X-ray: High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-ray is used...