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
Key Word Components
Identify meanings of key word components of the nervous system:
Prefixes
- 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, labored)
- intra- (within)
- hemi- (half)
- hyper- (above, excessive)
- inter- (between)
- poly- (many, much)
Combining Forms
- agles/o (sensitivity to pain)
- cephal/o (head)
- cerebell/o (cerebellum)
- cerebr/o (cerebrum)
- dur/o (dura mater, hard)
- encephal/o (brain)
- esthesi/o (sensation, sensitivity)
- 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)
- pont/o (pons- structure in the brain)
- psych/o (mind)
- quadr/i (four)
- radic/o (nerve root)
- radicul/o (nerve root)
- rhiz/o (nerve root)
- thalam/o (thalamus)
- thec/o (sheath)
- vag/o (vagus nerve)
Suffixes
- -al (pertaining to)
- -algia (pain)
- -algesia (sensitivity to 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)
- -iatry (specialty, treatment)
- -ictal (seizure, attack)
- -itis (inflammation)
- -lepsy (seizure)
- -logist (specialist, physician)
- -logy (study of)
- -lysis (loosening, dissolution, separating)
- -malacia (softening)
- -oid (resembling)
- -oma (tumor)
- -osis (abnormal condition)
- -paresis (slight paralysis)
- -pathy (disease)
- -phasia (speech)
- -plasty (surgical repair)
- -plegia (paralysis)
- -praxia (to perform, action)
- -sclerosis (hardening)
- -rrhaphy (suturing, repairing)
- -tomy (incision, cut into)
Nervous System Words
Nervous System Medical Terms (Text Version)
Practice the following nervous system words by breaking into word parts and pronouncing.
- quadriplegia
- quadr/i/plegia
- paralysis of four (limbs)
- neurectomy
- neur/ectomy
- excision of nerves
- poliomyelitis
- poli/o/myel/itis
- inflammation of gray matter of the spinal cord
- intracerebral
- intra/cerebr/al
- pertaining to within the cerebrum
- encephalosclerosis
- encephal/o/sclerosis
- hardening of the brain
- interictal
- inter/ictal
- occurs between seizures or attacks
- rhizotomy
- rhiz/o/tomy
- incision into a nerve root
- hyperesthesia
- hyper/esthesi/a
- excessive sensitivity to stimuli
- mental
- ment/al
- pertaining to the brain
- neuralgia
- neur/algia
- pain of the nerves
- radiculopathy
- radicul/o/pathy
- disease of the nerve roots
- panplegia
- pan/plegia
- total paralysis
- monoparesis
- mon/o/paresis
- slight paralysis of one (limb)
- duritis
- dur/itis
- inflammation of the dura mater
- anesthesia
- an/esthesi/a
- without (loss of) feeling or sensation
- cerebellitis
- cerebell/itis
- inflammation of the cerebellum
- encephalomalacia
- encephal/o/malacia
- softening of the brain
- cerebral thrombosis
- cerebr/al thromb/osis
- Abnormal condition of blood clot pertaining to the cerebrum (blood clot in a blood vessel in the brain)
- craniocerebral
- crani/o/cerebr/al
- pertaining to the cranium and cerebrum
- glioma
- gli/oma
- tumour composed of the glial tissue
- psychiatrist
- psych/iatrist
- physician who studies and treats disorders of the mind
- cephalgia
- ceph/algia
- *rebel does not follow the rules*
- Pain in the head (headache)
- neuroma
- neur/oma
- tumour made up of nerve (cells)
- psychogenic
- psych/o/genic
- originating in the mind
- polyneuropathy
- poly/neur/o/pathy
- disease of many nerves
- psychosis
- psych/osis
- abnormal condition of the mind
- mononeuropathy
- mon/o/neur/o/pathy
- disease affecting a single nerve
- electroencephalograph
- electr/o/encephal/o/graph
- instrument used to record electrical activity of the brain
- radicotomy
- radic/o/tomy
- incision into a nerve root
- aphasia
- a/phas/ia
- condition of without speaking
- poliomyelitis
- poli/o/myel/itis
- inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord
- gangliitis
- gangli/itis
- inflammation of the ganglion
- hemiplegia
- hemi/plegia
- paralysis of half (right or left) side of the body
- subdural hematoma
- sub/dur/al hemat/oma
- tumour filled with blood pertaining to below the dura mater
- dysphasia
- dys/phas/ia
- condition of difficulty speaking
- encephalitis
- encephal/itis
- inflammation of the brain
- subdural
- sub/dur/al
- pertaining to below the dura mater
- neurology
- neur/o/logy
- study of nerves
- CT myelography
- CT myel/o/graphy
- process of recording the spinal cord with computed tomography
- glioblastoma
- gli/o/blast/oma
- tumour composed of developing glial tissue
- neuroid
- neur/oid
- resembling a nerve
- neuroarthropathy
- neur/o/arthr/o/pathy
- disease of the nerves and joints
- meningitis
- mening/itis
- inflammation of the meninges
- hemiparesis
- hemi/paresis
- slight paralysis of half (right or left) side of the body
- neurorrhaphy
- neur/o/rrhaphy
- suturing of a nerve
- psychology
- psych/o/logy
- study of the mind
- neurologist
- neur/o/logist
- specialist who studies and treats the nervous system
- neuroplasty
- neur/o/plasty
- surgical repair of a nerve
- psychopathy
- psych/o/pathy
- disease of the mind
- preictal
- pre/ictal
- occurs before a seizure or attack
- radiculitis
- radicul/itis
- inflammation of the nerve roots
- electroencephalography
- electr/o/encephal/o/graphy
- process of recording the electrical activity of the brain
- cerebral angiography
- cerebr/al angi/o/graphy
- process of recording (blood) vessel pertaining to the cerebrum
- psychiatry
- psych/iatry
- specialty of the mind
- psychosomatic
- psych/o/somat/ic
- pertaining to the mind and body
- neurotomy
- neur/o/tomy
- incision into a nerve
- cerebral
- cerebr/al
- pertaining to the brain
- neuropathy
- neur/o/pathy
- disease of (peripheral) nerves
- myelomalacia
- myel/o/malacia
- softening of the spinal cord
- encephalomyeloradiculitis
- encephal/o/myel/itis
- inflammation of brain, spinal cord and nerve roots
- monoplegia
- mon/o/plegia
- paralysis of one (limb)
- meningomyelocele
- mening/o/myel/o/cele
- protrusion of the meninges and spinal cord
- paresthesia
- par/esthesi/a
- * rebel does not follow the rules*
- abnormal sensation in the extremeties
- psychologist
- psych/o/logist
- specialist of the mind
- postictal
- post/ictal
- occurs after a seizure or attack
- meningioma
- meningi/oma
- tumour of the meninges
- neurolysis
- neur/o/lysis
- dissolution of nerve (for pain mangement)
- electroencephalogram
- electr/o/encephal/o/gram
- the record of electrical activity of the brain
- gliocyte
- gli/o/cyte
- glial cell
- polyneuritis
- poly/neur/itis
- inflammation of many nerves
- neuritis
- neur/itis
- inflammation of the nerves
- ganglionectomy
- ganglion/ectomy
- excision of a ganglion
- meningocele
- mening/o/cele
- protrusion of the meninges
- 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.
Pronouncing and Defining Commonly Abbreviated Nervous System Terms
Practice pronouncing and defining these commonly abbreviated nervous system terms:
- AD (Alzheimer’s disease)
- ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
- ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
- CNS (central nervous system)
- CP (cerebral palsy)
- CSF (cerebrospinal fluid)
- CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy)
- CVA (cerebrovascular accident)
- EEG (electroencephalogram)
- EP studies (evoked potential studies)
- LP (lumbar puncture)
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
- MS (multiple sclerosis)
- OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)
- PD (Parkinson’s disease)
- PET (positron emission tomography)
- PNS (peripheral nervous system)
- PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
- SAH (subarachnoid hemorrhage)
- TIA (transient ischemic attack)
Sorting Terms
Sort the terms from the word lists above into the following categories:
- Disease and Disorder (terms describing any deviation from normal structure and function)
- Diagnostic (terms related to process of identifying a disease, condition, or injury from its signs and symptoms)
- Therapeutic (terms related to treatment or curing of diseases)
- Anatomic (terms related to body structure)
Nervous System Structures
Label the following nervous system anatomy:
Nervous System Brain Anatomy Labeling Activity (Text Version)
Label the diagram with correct words listed below:
- Central sulcus, longitudinal fissure
- Pons
- Precentral gyrus
- Frontal Lobe
- Occipital lobe
- Cerebrum
- Cerebellum
- Lateral Sulcus
- Brainstem
- Parietal lobe
- Temporal lobe
- parieto-occipital sulcus
Nervous System Brain Anatomy Labeling Activity Diagram (Text Version)
This diagram shows the lateral view of the brain and the major lobes which are labeled. From the front of the brain (left): ______[Blank 1} is responsible for thought processes, followed by a raised surface area known as ______[Blank 2], a deep groove known as the ______[Blank 3], and another raised area knowns as ______[Blank 4]. The ______[Blank 5] is responsible for processes senses such as the sense of touch, followed by the _____[Blank 6] which is another deep groove on the surface of the brain. The _____[Blank 7] processes visual fields and the _______[Blank 8], which is responsible for memory capacity. The ____ [Blank 9] is responsible for balance, followed by the _____[Blank 10], which is often referred to as the medulla oblongata, and finally is the ____,[Blank 11] which is known as the bridge connecting the cerebrum to the cerebellum. The _______ [Blank 12] is a deep groove on the surface of the cerebrum.
Check your answers [1]
Activity source: Nervous System Brain Anatomy labeling activity by Sheila Bellefeuille from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation, illustration from Anatomy and Physiology (OpenStax), licensed under CC BY 4.0./ Text version added.
Medical Terms in Context
Place the following medical terms in context to complete the scenario below:
Neurological System – History and Physical Examination (Text version)
Use the words below to fill in the history and physical examination form:
- festination
- depression
- fatigue
- postural
- rigidity
- cognition
- downgoing
- q.i.d
PATIENT NAME: Susan LOGAN
AGE: 62
SEX: Female
DOB: March 24
DATE OF ASSESSMENT: December 10
ADMITTING PHYSICIAN: Martin Lewis, MD, Neurology
DIAGNOSIS: Parkinson disease
HISTORY: This pleasant and co-operative 62-year-old woman has advanced parkinsonism which presents for more than 10 years. It is affecting her daily living to a great degree. She has minor difficulty with ADLs noted in difficulty dressing and meal preparation. She has had frequent falls occasionally related to freezing or to _______[Blank 1] but also occurring without any apparent cause. She has marked hesitancy on changing direction and unsteadiness after exertion and develops _______[Blank 2]. She has a minor problem with sialorrhea, eating, and swallowing. She can maintain basic personal hygiene without any difficulty. However, showering or bathing requires assistance. She has had some symptoms of anxiety and ________[Blank 3] along with her Parkinson disease.
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION: On neurologic exam, she did have mild-to-moderate impairment in _________[Blank 4] and short-time memory, although she is alert and oriented x3. She has pronounced tremor, worse in the left arm than the right. She has marked ________[Blank 5] in the upper left extremity; mild in the right. She has marked reduction of movement with long delays in initiating movement and frequent freezing. She has a moderately-flexed posture and cannot straighten to command. She has __________[Blank 6] instability. Her speech is mildly dysarthric. She has paucity of spontaneous facial expression. She has an unsteady and erratic gait characterized by shuffling strides with festination in propulsion. She can arise from a chair with difficulty only after multiple attempts. Deep tendon reflexes (DTRs) are symmetrical, and toes are __________[Blank 7]. Cranial nerves are intact and unremarkable.
TREATMENT AND PLAN: She has been on Sinemet 25/100 t.i.d. for the last 7 years or so. She will be going on vacation soon, and I do not wish to start a second antiparkinsonian medication while she away from medical supervision. However, I have asked her to increase her Sinemet dose to _______[Blank 8]. We will see how she does with Sinemet and plan to add bromocriptine 1 mg per day when she returns.
FOLLOW UP: The patient has been scheduled for follow up in 3 weeks, upon her return from vacation. Her treatment regimen will be adjusted at that time.
________________________
Martin Lewis, MD, Neurology
Check your answers: [2]
Activity source: Neurological System – History and Physical Examination by Sheila Bellefeuille and Heather Scudder, from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY- 4.0. /Text version added.
Medical Terms in Context
Place the following medical terms in context to complete the scenario below:
Neurological System – Consultation Report (Text version)
Use the word below to fill in the consultation report:
- cognition
- dementia
- hypertension
- downgoing
- neurological
- symptomatic
- MRI
- stroke
- blurred
NEUROLOGICAL SYSTEM – CONSULTATION REPORT
PATIENT NAME: Robert BROWN
AGE: 74
SEX: Male
DOB: July 5
DATE OF CONSULTATION: April 15
CONSULTING PHYSICIAN: Martin Lewis, MD, Neurology
REASON FOR CONSULTATION: Assessment of cognitive changes and testing.
HISTORY: The patient presented a few days ago with a marked change in __________[Blank 1] identified by his family members and care staff. The reports describe two episodes of the patient presenting a somewhat confused state, instability with a “holding of the temples” and a report of blurring vision. The patient was also observed holding on to walls and furniture to walk around. This seems to have been two transient episodes and has not recurred since. Prior to that, he had maintained excellent cognitive abilities with full lingual ability, no signs of aphasia, __________[Blank 2] or loss of consciousness. The cognitive decline noticed was not of gradual onset but rather an acute change within hours to a day. The time span is unclear as the patient lives alone and there was a time lapse between a family visit and the arrival of a personal care assistant.
The patient is a good historian to questioning and does admit to some recent occasional headaches and ___________[Blank 3] vision. These are new to him as he reports never having “had a headache” in his “whole life”. He reports that the blurring is not constant but only seems to occur when he turns his head to right or left suddenly. There is a “tilting sensation” like he will fall but this clears when he brings his head back to center. He has no history of epilepsy or seizure disorders. No history of TM or ear trauma.
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION: HEENT: Head is normocephalic. EYES: PERRLA. EARS: Auditory exam reveals intact TMs bilaterally. No erythema. The nose and throat exam is unremarkable. NECK: JVD appears normal. VITAL SIGNS: Blood pressure is 132/86 with no previous history of ____________[Blank 4]. Pulse is 83 and resp. 22 but the patient does admit to feeling anxious during the assessment. Temperature 37C.
NEURO: Orientation and language are normal. Extremity strength testing show some minimal weakness in the right upper. Reflexes are normal. Toes are ___________[Blank 5] bilaterally. Has difficulty with heel-and toe-walk and is unable to tandem walk. The gait is alternately normal and minimally spastic.
IMPRESSION: What appears to be a transient or acute cognitive change with altered awareness, headache and cephalo-positional blurring of vision. There is some ____________[Blank 6] change, although minimal and not clinically diagnostic, as evidenced by the slight changes in gait during testing but it does not remain consistently. This is puzzling.
PLAN: It is still not clear to me what these spells are. Some of the neurological possibilities to be considered are TIA, __________[Blank 7], brain and spinal cord tumors, inflammation, infection, vascular irregularities, and some neurodegenerative disorders. I have ordered a stat cerebral _________[Blank 8], electroencephalogram (EEG) and blood levels for CBC, chem panel. However, I feel we should also rule out the more common possibilities of pseudo-seizure, vertigo, and inner ear anomalies and am in the process of making these appropriate bookings.
I have booked a follow up with this patient in 10 days to review the results. He and his family have been advised to contact me immediately if he has another “spell” or to present to the ER where we can complete testing when the patient is ____________[Blank 9].
Thank you for this most interesting referral. I will be in touch after I have reviewed the patient.
_________________________
Martin Lewis, MD, Neurology
Check your answers: [3]
Activity source: NEUROLOGICAL SYSTEM – CONSULTATION REPORT by Sheila Bellefeuille and Heather Scudder, from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY- 4.0. /Text version added.
Medical Terms in Context
Place the following medical terms in context to complete the scenario below:
Neurological System – Follow Up Report (Text version)
Use the words below to fill in the follow-up report:
- electroencephalogram
- balance
- pathology
- vertigo
- coordination
- white matter
- hemorrhagic
- wasting
- calcifications
- mass
- somnolence
- symptomatic
PATIENT NAME: Randy NORTON
AGE: 74
SEX: Male
DOB: October 14
DATE OF ASSESSMENT: January 18
ASSESSING PHYSICIAN: Martin Lewis, MD, Neurology
REASON FOR ASSESSMENT: Follow up assessment of cognitive changes and testing.
HISTORY: This 74-year-old patient was seen in consultation 10 days ago for assessment of cognitive changes. He underwent prescribed testing in the forms of cerebral MRI, _____________[Blank 1] (EEG) and blood was drawn for CBC and chem panel. The patient was seen by our local ENT for inner ear and __________[Blank 2] testing. Test results showed normal hearing. No evidence of an inner ear __________[Blank 3] that might have contributed to the __________[Blank 4] or lack of balance and _____________[Blank 5] reported as part of the presenting symptoms.
TEST RESULTS: Cerebral MRI reveals a few T2 hyperintensities in the ____________[Blank 6] in the left temporal lobe. The right hemisphere shows some diffuse ___________[Blank 7] and some occipital wasting. There are multiple, small dark ____________[Blank 8] areas and a few areas indicative of ischemia.
EEG: This showed some depressive effect indicative of an encephalopathy. The patient did not sleep during the exam but did show some signs of ___________[Blank 9]. CBC and chem panels were normal.
IMPRESSIONS: This patient present with testing result that may be warning for Alzheimer wasting and also, some localized hemorrhagic events that have since stopped. This type of “leakage” is often not ____________[Blank 10], and I do not feel that they are connected to his presenting complaints. I see no signs of tumor or __________[Blank 11] formation nor infectious process.
On repeat verbal assessment, the patient reports he has not experienced any more of the spells. We will follow him closely in regards to the ____________[Blank 1]2 with a repeat MRI and perhaps a CT also in 3 months for results comparison to see whether the wasting has advanced or receded.
Thank you for asking me in on this most interesting case.
_________________________
Martin Lewis, MD, Neurology
Check your answers: [4]
Activity source: Neurological System – Follow Up Report by Sheila Bellefeuille and Heather Scudder, from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY- 4.0. /Text version added.
Test Your Knowledge
Test your knowledge by answering the questions below:
Nervous System Glossary Reinforcement Activity (Text version)
- The outer gray matter covering the forebrain, marked by wrinkles and folds known as gyri and sulci is called the _____[Blank 1].
- Multipolar
- Cerebral cortex
- Dendrite
- The single process of the neuron that carries an electrical signal (action potential) away from the cell body toward a target cell is called the ______[Blank 2].
- Axon
- Cauda equina
- Cerebrum
- The large opening in the occipital bone of the skull through which the spinal cord emerges and the vertebral arteries enter the cranium is called the ______[Blank 3].
- Foramen magnum
- Corpus callosum
- Dura mater
- The disruption of blood flow to the brain because blood cannot flow through blood vessels as a result of a blockage or narrowing of the vessel is called ______[Blank 4].
- Ischemic stroke
- Embolus
- Initial segment
- The major region of the diencephalon that is responsible for coordinating autonomic and endocrine control of homeostasis is called the ______[Blank 5].
- Hypothalamus
- Myelin
- Neuron
Check your answers: [5]
Activity source: Nervous System Glossary Reinforcement Activity by Gisele Tuzon, from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY- 4.0. /Text version added.
Downloadable Worksheets
View or download & print the PDF or Word format worksheet below:
Worksheet -Nervous System – Chapter 16 [Word]
16. Nervous System – Scenario [Word]
16. Nervous System – Abbreviations [Word]
16. Nervous System – Definitions Using Word Parts [Word]
Attribution
Except where otherwise noted, this book is adapted from Medical Terminology by Grimm et al. (2022), Nicolet College, CC BY 4.0 International. / A derivative of Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Carter & Rutherford (2020), and Anatomy and Physiology by Betts, et al., CC BY 4.0, which can be accessed for free at OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology.
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Check your answers: Nervous System Brain Anatomy labeling activity Diagram (Text Version)
This diagram shows the lateral view of the brain and the major lobes which are labeled. From the front of the brain (left): frontal lobe is responsible for thought processes and is part of the cerebrum, followed by a raised surface area known as precentral gyrus, a deep groove known as the central sulcus, and another raised area knowns as postcentral gyrus. The parietal lobe is responsible for processes senses such as the sense of touch, followed by the lateral sulcus which is another deep groove on the surface of the brain. The occipital lobe processes visual fields and the temporal lobe, which is responsible for memory capacity. The cerebellum is responsible for balance, followed by the brainstem which is often referred to as the medulla oblongata, and finally is the pons, which is known as the bridge connecting the cerebrum to the cerebellum. The parieto-occipital sulcus is a deep groove on the surface of the cerebrum. - 1.festination, 2.fatigue, 3.depression, 4.cognition, 5.rigidity, 6.postural, 7.downgoing, 8.q.i.d, ↵
- 1.cognition, 2.dementia, 3.blurred, 4.hypertension, 5.downgoing, 6.neurological, 7.stroke, 8.MRI, 9.symptomatic ↵
- 1.electroencephalogram, 2.balance, 3.pathology, 4.vertigo, 5.coordination, 6.white matter, 7.calcifications, 8.hemorrhagic, 9.somnolence, 10.symptomatic, 11.mass, 12.wasting ↵
- 1. a) Cerebral cortex, 2.a) Axon, 3. a) Foramen magnum, 4. a) Ischemic stroke, 5. a) Hypothalamus ↵