16.1 – Introduction to the Nervous System

Learning Objectives

  • Identify the anatomy of the nervous system and describe the main functions of the nervous system
  • Analyse, translate, and define medical terms and common abbreviations of the nervous system and use correct abbreviations
  • Practice the spelling and pronunciation of nervous system terminology
  • Identify the medical specialties associated with the nervous system and explore common diseases, disorders, and procedures related to the nervous system

Nervous System Word Parts

Click on prefixes, combining forms, and suffixes to reveal a list of word parts to memorize for the nervous system.

Prefix
  • poly- (many, much)
  • a- (absence of, without, no, not)
  • an- (absence of, without, no, not)
  • pan- (all, total)
  • post- (after)
  • para- (beside, beyond, around, abnormal)
  • pre- (before)
  • sub- (below, under)
  • dys- (painful, abnormal, difficult, laboured)
  • intra- (within
  • hemi- (half)
  • hyper- (above, excessive)
  • inter- (between)
Combining Form
  • cephal/o (head)
  • cerebell/o (cerebellum)
  • cerebr/o (cerebrum)
  • dur/o (dura mater, hard)
  • encephal/o (brain)
  • esthesi/o (sensation, sensitivity, feeling)
  • gangli/o (ganglion)
  • ganglion/o (ganglion)
  • gli/o (glia, gluey substance)
  • mening/o (meninges)
  • meningi/o (meninges)
  • ment/o (mind)
  • mon/o (one, single)
  • myel/o (spinal cord)
  • neur/o (nerve)
  • phas/o (speech)
  • poli/o (gray matter)
  • psych/o (mind)
  • quadr/i (four)
  • radic/o (nerve root)
  • radicul/o (nerve root)
  • rhiz/o (nerve root)
Suffix

 

  • -al (pertaining to)
  • -algia (pain)
  • -cele (hernia, protrusion)
  • -cyte (cell)
  • -ectomy (excision, surgical removal, cutting out)
  • -genic (producing, originating, causing)
  • -gram (the record, radiographic image)
  • -graph (instrument used to record)
  • -graphy (process of recording, radiographic imaging)
  • -ia (condition of, diseased state or abnormal state)
  • -ic (pertaining to)
  • -iatrist (specialist, physician)
  • -atry (specialty, treatment)
  • -ictal (seizure, attack)
  • -itis (inflammation)
  • -logist (specialist, physician)
  • -logy (study of)
  • -lysis (loosening, dissolution, separating)
  • -malacia (softening)
  • -oid (resembling)
  • -oma (tumour)
  • -osis (abnormal condition)
  • -paresis (slight paralysis)
  • -pathy (disease)
  • -plasty (surgical repair)
  • -plegia (paralysis)
  • -sclerosis (hardening)
  • -rrhaphy (suturing, repairing)
  • -tomy (incision, cut into)

Activity source: Nervous System Word Parts by Kimberlee Carter, from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY- 4.0. /Text version added.

Introduction to the Nervous System

The picture you have in your mind of the nervous system probably includes the brain, the nervous tissue contained within the cranium, and the spinal cord, the extension of nervous tissue within the vertebral column. That suggests it is made of two organs—and you may not even think of the spinal cord as an organ—but the nervous system is a very complex structure. Within the brain, many different and separate regions are responsible for many different and separate functions. It is as if the nervous system is composed of many organs that all look similar and can only be differentiated using tools such as the microscope or electrophysiology.

Watch The Nervous System, Part 1: Crash Course Anatomy & Physiology #8 (11 min) on YouTube

Media 16.1: CrashCourse. (2015, February 23). The Nervous System, Part 1: Crash Course Anatomy & Physiology #8 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/qPix_X-9t7E

Nervous System Medical Terms

Nervous System Medical Terms (Text Version)

Practice the following nervous system words by breaking into word parts and pronouncing.

  1. quadriplegia
    • quadr/i/plegia
    • paralysis of four (limbs)
  2. neurectomy
    • neur/ectomy
    • excision of nerves
  3. poliomyelitis
    • poli/o/myel/itis
    • inflammation of gray matter of the spinal cord
  4. intracerebral
    • intra/cerebr/al
    • pertaining to within the cerebrum
  5. encephalosclerosis
    • encephal/o/sclerosis
    • hardening of the brain
  6. interictal
    • inter/ictal
    • occurs between seizures or attacks
  7. rhizotomy
    • rhiz/o/tomy
    • incision into a nerve root
  8. hyperesthesia
    • hyper/esthesi/a
    • excessive sensitivity to stimuli
  9. mental
    • ment/al
    • pertaining to the brain
  10. neuralgia
    • neur/algia
    • pain of the nerves
  11. radiculopathy
    • radicul/o/pathy
    • disease of the nerve roots
  12. panplegia
    • pan/plegia
    • total paralysis
  13. monoparesis
    • mon/o/paresis
    • slight paralysis of one (limb)
  14. duritis
    • dur/itis
    • inflammation of the dura mater
  15. anesthesia
    • an/esthesi/a
    • without (loss of) feeling or sensation
  16. cerebellitis
    • cerebell/itis
    • inflammation of the cerebellum
  17. encephalomalacia
    • encephal/o/malacia
    • softening of the brain
  18. cerebral thrombosis
    • cerebr/al thromb/osis
    • Abnormal condition of blood clot pertaining to the cerebrum (blood clot in a blood vessel in the brain)
  19. craniocerebral
    • crani/o/cerebr/al
    • pertaining to the cranium and cerebrum
  20. glioma
    • gli/oma
    • tumour composed of the glial tissue
  21. psychiatrist
    • psych/iatrist
    • physician who studies and treats disorders of the mind
  22. cephalgia
    • ceph/algia
    • *rebel does not follow the rules*
    • Pain in the head (headache)
  23. neuroma
    • neur/oma
    • tumour made up of nerve (cells)
  24. psychogenic
    • psych/o/genic
    • originating in the mind
  25. polyneuropathy
    • poly/neur/o/pathy
    • disease of many nerves
  26. psychosis
    • psych/osis
    • abnormal condition of the mind
  27. mononeuropathy
    • mon/o/neur/o/pathy
    • disease affecting a single nerve
  28. electroencephalograph
    • electr/o/encephal/o/graph
    • instrument used to record electrical activity of the brain
  29. radicotomy
    • radic/o/tomy
    • incision into a nerve root
  30. aphasia
    • a/phas/ia
    • condition of without speaking
  31. poliomyelitis
    • poli/o/myel/itis
    • inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord
  32. gangliitis
    • gangli/itis
    • inflammation of the ganglion
  33. hemiplegia
    • hemi/plegia
    • paralysis of half (right or left) side of the body
  34. subdural hematoma
    • sub/dur/al hemat/oma
    • tumour filled with blood pertaining to below the dura mater
  35. dysphasia
    • dys/phas/ia
    • condition of difficulty speaking
  36. encephalitis
    • encephal/itis
    • inflammation of the brain
  37. subdural
    • sub/dur/al
    • pertaining to below the dura mater
  38. neurology
    • neur/o/logy
    • study of nerves
  39. CT myelography
    • CT myel/o/graphy
    • process of recording the spinal cord with computed tomography
  40. glioblastoma
    • gli/o/blast/oma
    • tumour composed of developing glial tissue
  41. neuroid
    • neur/oid
    • resembling a nerve
  42. neuroarthropathy
    • neur/o/arthr/o/pathy
    • disease of the nerves and joints
  43. meningitis
    • mening/itis
    • inflammation of the meninges
  44. hemiparesis
    • hemi/paresis
    • slight paralysis of half (right or left) side of the body
  45. neurorrhaphy
    • neur/o/rrhaphy
    • suturing of a nerve
  46. psychology
    • psych/o/logy
    • study of the mind
  47. neurologist
    • neur/o/logist
    • specialist who studies and treats the nervous system
  48. neuroplasty
    • neur/o/plasty
    • surgical repair of a nerve
  49. psychopathy
    • psych/o/pathy
    • disease of the mind
  50. preictal
    • pre/ictal
    • occurs before a seizure or attack
  51. radiculitis
    • radicul/itis
    • inflammation of the nerve roots
  52. electroencephalography
    • electr/o/encephal/o/graphy
    • process of recording the electrical activity of the brain
  53. cerebral angiography
    • cerebr/al angi/o/graphy
    • process of recording (blood) vessel pertaining to the cerebrum
  54. psychiatry
    • psych/iatry
    • specialty of the mind
  55. psychosomatic
    • psych/o/somat/ic
    • pertaining to the mind and body
  56. neurotomy
    • neur/o/tomy
    • incision into a nerve
  57. cerebral
    • cerebr/al
    • pertaining to the brain
  58. neuropathy
    • neur/o/pathy
    • disease of (peripheral) nerves
  59. myelomalacia
    • myel/o/malacia
    • softening of the spinal cord
  60. encephalomyeloradiculitis
    • encephal/o/myel/itis
    • inflammation of brain, spinal cord and nerve roots
  61. monoplegia
    • mon/o/plegia
    • paralysis of one (limb)
  62. meningomyelocele
    • mening/o/myel/o/cele
    • protrusion of the meninges and spinal cord
  63. paresthesia
    • par/esthesi/a
    • * rebel does not follow the rules*
    • abnormal sensation in the extremeties
  64. psychologist
    • psych/o/logist
    • specialist of the mind
  65. postictal
    • post/ictal
    • occurs after a seizure or attack
  66. meningioma
    • meningi/oma
    • tumour of the meninges
  67. neurolysis
    • neur/o/lysis
    • dissolution of nerve (for pain mangement)
  68. electroencephalogram
    • electr/o/encephal/o/gram
    • the record of electrical activity of the brain
  69. gliocyte
    • gli/o/cyte
    • glial cell
  70. polyneuritis
    • poly/neur/itis
    • inflammation of many nerves
  71. neuritis
    • neur/itis
    • inflammation of the nerves
  72. ganglionectomy
    • ganglion/ectomy
    • excision of a ganglion
  73. meningocele
    • mening/o/cele
    • protrusion of the meninges
  74. rhizomeningomyelitis
    • rhiz/o/mening/o/myel/itis
    • inflammation of the nerve root, meninges and spinal cord

Activity source: Nervous System Medical Terms by Kimberlee Carter, from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY- 4.0. /Text version added.

Attribution

Except where otherwise noted, this chapter is adapted from “Nervous System” in Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY 4.0. / A derivative of Betts et al., which can be accessed for free from Anatomy and Physiology (OpenStax). Adaptations: dividing Nervous System chapter content into sub-chapters.

 

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Building a Medical Terminology Foundation 2e Copyright © 2024 by Kimberlee Carter; Marie Rutherford; and Connie Stevens is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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