PHYSICAL:

ADL
activities of daily living. Routine activities carried out for personal hygiene and health such as  eating, dressing, grooming, shaving, etc. Nurses, occupational and physical therapists are the main coaches for ADL, which is sometimes called DLS or daily living skills.

AKINETIC SEIZURE
Momentary loss of muscle tone throughout body resulting in falls; also called "drop attack."

ANOSMIA
loss of the sense of smell. Also called ANODMIA.

APRAXIA
the inability to produce voluntary speech due to a deficit in motor (muscle) programming caused by brain damage.

ARTICULATION
movement of the lips, tongue, teeth and palate into specific patterns for purposes of speech. Also, a movable joint

ATAXIA
a problem of muscle coordination not due to apraxia, weakness, rigidity, spasticity or sensory loss. Caused by lesion of the cerebellum or basal ganglia. Can interfere with a person's ability to walk, talk, eat and to perform other self care tasks.

CLONUS
A sustained series of rhythmic jerks following quick stretch of a muscle

CONTRACTURE
the stiffening of a body joint to the point that it can no longer be moved through its normal range. Contracture is a pathologic, involuntary, irreversible shortening of a muscle.

CORTICAL BLINDNESS
loss of vision resulting from a lesion of the primary visual areas of the occipital lobe. Light reflex is preserved.

DECEREBRATE  POSTURE (Decerebrate Rigidity)
exaggerated posture or extension as a result of a lesion to the prepontine area of the brainstem, and is rarely seen fully developed in humans.

DECEREBRATION
removal of the brain or cutting the spinal cord at the level of the brain stem.

DECORTICATE POSTURE (Decorticate Rigidity)
exaggerated posture of upper extremity flexion and lower extremity extension as a result of a lesion to the mesencephalon or above.

DECUBITUS
pressure area, bed sore, skin opening, skin breakdown. A discolored or open area of skin damage caused by pressure. Common areas most prone to breakdown are buttocks or backside, hips, shoulder blades, heels, ankles and elbows.

DEFICIT
a deficiency in amount or quality of functioning.

DIPLOPIA
seeing two images of a single object; double vision.

DYSARTHRIA
difficulty in forming words or speaking them because of weakness of muscles used in speaking. Speech is characterized by slurred, imprecise articulation. Tongue movements are usually labored and the rate of speaking may be very slow. Voice quality may be abnormal, usually excessively nasal; volume may be weak; drooling may occur. Dysarthria may accompany aphasia or occur alone.

DYSPHAGIA
difficulty in swallowing.  It also includes difficulity in moving material from the mouth to the stomach. This definition also includes problems in positioning food in the mouth

HEMIANOPSIA
visual field cut. Blindness for one half of the field of vision. This is not the right or left eye, but the right or left half of vision in each eye.   Also: HEMIANOPIA

HEMIPLEGIA
paralysis of one side of the body as a result of injury to neurons carrying signals to muscles from the motor areas of the brain.

HEMIPARESIS
weakness,  paralysis or loss of movement on one side of the body.

HOMONYMOUS HEMIANOPIA
Loss of awareness of left side of body; left side of body left out of activities of daily living, i.e., bathing; due to lesion in right cerebral hemisphere.

HYPERREFLEXIA
Increased action of the reflexes.

IMPERCEPTION / INATTENTION / SUPPRESSION / EXTINCTION
all these terms refer to a failure to perceive stimulation on one side of the body when both sides are being stimulated simultaneously (double simultaneous stimulation). It is not due to a primary sensory deficit such as deafness, blindness or dysestrhesia (numbness); it appears to be attentional deficit. It is less severe than neglect and may occur in a patient recovering from neglect.

INCONTINENCE
lack of bowel and/or bladder control.

NEUROGENIC BLADDER
Any bladder disturbance due to an injury of the nervous system.

NYSTAGMUS
A series of automatic, back and forth eye movements. Different conditions produce this reflex. A common way of producing them is by an abrupt stop following a series of rotations of the body.

PANENCEPHALOPATHY
Brain death

PARALYTIC ILEUS
loss of movement in the small intestine, resulting in gas and fluid build-up. It usually lasts a few days after injury.

PARAPLEGIA
loss of function below the cervical spinal cord segments, wherein the upper body retains most function and sensation. Paraplegia results in paralysis of the lower limbs; however, the degree of loss depends on the level of spinal cord lesion.

PARESIS
Weakness in voluntary muscle; slight paralysis.

POSTURAL HYPOTENSION
the reduction of blood pressure resulting in light-headedness. Due to changes in the autonomic nervous system of persons with spinal cord injury, blood vessels do not decrease in size in response to lowered blood pressure. The result is that blood
pools up in legs or pelvic region.

PROXIMAL INSTABILITY
Weakness of muscles of the trunk, shoulder girdle or hip girdle which causes poor posture, abnormal movement of the arms or legs, and inability to hold one's head up. Strength of muscles of the hands or legs may be normal.

PTOSIS
drooping of a body part, such as the upper eyelid, from paralysis, or drooping of the visceral organs from weakness of the abdominal muscles

QUADRAPARESIS
partial loss of function all four (4) extremities of the body.

QUADRIPLEGIA
loss of function of any injured or diseased cervical spinal cord segment, affecting all four body limbs. Outside the U.S. the term tetraplegia is used (which is etymologically more accurate, combining tetra + plegia, both from the Greek, rather than quadri + plegia, a Latin/Greek amalgam).

SEIZURE
an uncontrolled discharge of nerve cells which may spread to other cells nearby or throughout the entire brain. It usually lasts only a few minutes. It may be associated with loss of consciousness, loss of bowel and bladder control and tremors. May also cause aggression,  and other behavioral changes.

SPASTICITY
hyperactive muscles that move or jerk involuntarily. Spasms may be caused by bladder infections, skin ulcers, and any other sensory stimulus. Such uncontrolled muscle activity is caused by excessive reflex activity below the level of lesion. Some spasticity can be beneficial for circulation and muscle tone. If severe, though, spasms can interfere with normal activities, and can hasten contractions as muscles shorten.

SPEECH DYSFUNCTION
a defect or abnormality of speech.

STRABISUMUS
Weakness of eye muscles allowing eyes to "cross".

TACTILE DEFENSIVENESS
Being overly sensitive to touch; withdrawing, crying, yelling or striking out when touched.

THROMBOPHLEBITIS
a clot in a vein due to diminished blood flow which can occur in a paralyzed leg. Symptoms include swelling and redness.

URINARY TRACT INFECTION (UTI)
bacterial invasion of the urinary tract, which includes bladder, bladder neck and urethra.Symptoms of UTI include urine that is cloudy, contains sediment and smells foul, and fever. UTI involving the kidneys is preventable but dangerous. Medications often prescribed for UTI include Keflex, Macrodantin, Furadantin, Septra, Bactim, Mandelamine, penicillin, and amoxicillin. Side effects vary, and may include nausea and vomiting, skin rash or hives

VERBAL APRAXIA
Impaired control of proper sequencing of muscles used in speech, (tongue, lips, jaw muscles, vocal cords). These muscles are not weak but their control is defective. Speech is labored and characterized by sound reversals, additions and word approximations
 

COGNITIVE / MENTAL:
 

ACALCULIA
the inability to perform simple problems of arithmetic. Also called DYSCALCULIA.

ACTING OUT
impulsive; anti-social behavior.

AGNOSIA
failure to recognize familiar objects although the sensory mechanism is intact. May occur for any sensory modality.

AGRAPHIA
Inability to express thoughts in writing.

ALEXIA (DYSLEXIA)
Word blindness; words seen and can be pronounced but meanings not recognized; occurs with occipital lobe lesion

AMNESIA
lack of memory about events occurring during a particular period of time.

ANOMIA
inability to recall names of objects. Persons with this problem often can speak fluently but have to use other words to describe familiar objects; inability to find the correct word.

ANTEROGRADE AMNESIA
inability to consolidate information about ongoing events. Difficulty with new learning.

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
behavior which is contrary to the customs, standards and moral principles accepted by society.

ANXIETY
feelings of apprehension, uneasiness, agitation, uncertainty and fear because of threat or danger.

APATHY
indifference.  Lack of emotiom, concern or interest.

APHASIA
the change in language function due to an injury to the cerebral cortex of brain. It causes partial or total loss of ability to express oneself and/or to understand language. GLOBAL APHASIA is the loss of all language function

APHEMIA
Written communication possible but spoken communication impossible; both speech and written words understood.

ASTEREOGNOSIS
Inability to discriminate shape, texture, weight, and size of objects; often occurs with parietal lobe lesion.

AUTOMATISM
automatic actions or behavior without conscious volition or knowledge. Such episodes might last for a few minutes or a few days.  During such episodes, the person appears normal but, is actually in a trance like state. While in such a state the person is not responsible for his acts and should  not be left alone.  He may carry out complicated acts without remembering having done so.  Such episodes have been associated with severe emotional distress and temporal motor epilepsy.

BEHAVIORAL INFLEXIBILITY
rigidity in the way an individual behaves or performs tasks.

BLOCKING
the inability to remember; the involuntary interruption of a train of thought or speech.

BROCA'S APHASIA
Problem encountered in speaking; spoken words understood, also called EXPRESSIVE APHASIA

CIRCUMLOCUTION
Use of other words to describe a specific word or idea which cannot be remembered.

COMA
a state of profound unconsciousness. A state of unconsciousness from which the person is incapable of any conscious action. Typically, they do not respond to powerful stimulation; lack of any response to one's environment.

COMBATIVENESS
attacking; quarrelsome; argumentative.

COMPULSIVE TALKING
irresistible, repetitive irrational talking.

 COMPULSIVE WRITING
irresistible, repetitive irrational writing.

CONFABULATION
the fabrication of experience or situations in a detailed and believable way to cover up gaps in memory.

CONSTRUCTIONAL APRAXIA
inability to assemble, build, draw, or copy accurately, not due to apraxia of single movements.

CONVERSION DISORDER
a neurosis caused by the patient's conscious or unconscious desire to escape or avoid some unpleasant situation or responsibility or, to obtain sympathy or some other secondary gain. Also called conversion hysteria or conversion reaction. In women particularly, the symptoms of traumatic brain injury are sometimes mistakenly diagnosed as conversion disorder.

DEMORALIZED
crushed; overcome; stricken.

DESTABILIZATION
an abnormal emotional response to physical or mental trauma in which the individual is rendered unable to adjust to his or her normal roles.  Individuals who become psychologically destabilized can manifest subjective cognitive impairments that mimic brain injury.

DIMINISHED ABILITY TO ABSTRACT
lack of flexibility and adaptability to use ideas and generalizations.

DISINHIBITION
impaired ability to restrain from acting on an impulse or desire.

DISORIENTATION
mental confusion with regard to time, place, personal identity and relationships. Not knowing where you are, who you are, or the time.

DISTRACTIBILITY
inability to maintain attention; over-reaction to stimuli.

DYSLEXIA
See ALEXIA

ECHOLALIA
Repetition of words or phrases heard; in perservation, repetition occurs indefinitely

EMOTIONAL BLUNTING
a dulling of emotional response.

EMOTIONAL LABILITY
exhibiting rapid and drastic changes in emotional state (laughing, crying, anger) inappropriately without apparent reason

EUPHORIA
an exaggerated or abnormal sense of well-being not based on reality.

FINGER AGNOSIA
inability to determine which finger is being stimulated  by touch alone.

FLATTENED AFFECT
emotionally lacking; listless.

FLUENT APHASIA
Language disorder characterized by clear articulation, normal rhythm, long phrases having nonsensical content, incorrect words or sounds, and circumlocution; includes Wernicke's, conduction, and anomic aphasias.

GRANDIOSITY
boastfulness; bragging; self praising

HALLUCINATIONS
a sensory perception that does not result from a external stimulus. It can occur in any of the sense; hearing, taste, smell, touch or sight.

 IMPAIRED INITIATIVE
diminished ability to take the first step in beginning an action.

 IMPAIRED SOCIAL SENSITIVITY
diminished capacity to feel, act or react with an appreciation of the expectations, standards and needs of others.

 IMPULSIVELY
a tendency to act without thinking; the acting out of a sudden, irresistible and irrational urge or desire; the spontaneous physical activity that results when an irritation caused by stimuli passes through tissue, especially muscle and nerve tissue.

JAMAIS VU
familiar places, people and things seem foreign or alien.

LOCKED-IN SYNDROME
A condition resulting from interruption of motor pathways in the ventral pons, usually by infarction. This disconnection of the motor cells in the spinal cord from controlling signals issued by the brain leaves the person completely paralyzed and mute, but able to receive and understand sensory stimuli; communication may be possible by code using blinking, or movements of the jaw or eyes, all of which are spared.

NEOLOGISM
Nonsense or made-up word used when speaking. The person often does not realize that the word makes no sense.

NONFLUENT APHASIA
Language disorder characterized by little speech and poor articulation; uses primarily nouns and verbs; automatic phrases, such as "yes", "no", "oh damn it", prevail; also called BROCA'S APHASIA. Nonverbal memory: memory for figures, spatial relationships, etc. Assumed to be based in the deep structures of the right temporal lobe.

PARAPNASIAS
use of incorrect words or word combinations.

PARANOID IDEATION
an exaggerated, sometimes grandiose belief or suspicion, usually not of a delusional nature, that one is being harassed, persecuted or treated unfairly.

PERCEPTUAL DEFICITS
impaired mental activity such as cognitive processing, emotional response, attention or memory. May result from diffuse brain injury.

PERPLEXITY
a state of being bewildered and concerned; a distrust of one's own ability and a search for reassurance.

PTA (post trauma amnesia)
a period of weeks or months after the injury when the patient suffers a loss of day-to-day memory. The patient is unable to store new information and therefore has a decreased ability to learn. Memory of the PTA period is never stored, therefore things that happened during that period cannot be recalled.

RAGE ATTACKS
violent anger in the form of physical and verbal abuse.

RELIGIOSITY
a psychiatric symptom characterized by the demonstration of excessive or unnatural piety.

RETROGRADE AMNESIA
inability to recall events prior to the accident; it may be a specific span of time or type of information.

SENSORY INTEGRATIVE DYSFUNCTION
An irregularly or inefficiency in brain function which makes it difficult to organize incoming sensations and/or make the appropriate motor response.

SITUATIONAL ANXIETY
afeeling of apprehension, discomfort and dread which is precipitated by a new experience, or a change of situation or events.

 SITUATIONAL DEPRESSION
an episode of emotional and psychological depression that occurs in response to a specific set of circumstances.

SOCIAL ISOLATION
a feeling of aloneness experienced by the individual as a threatening state imposed by others; a sense of aloneness caused by the absence of family and friends; the absence of a supportive or significant personal relationship caused by the patient's unacceptable social behavior or social values, the inability to engage in social situations, immature interests, inappropriate attitudes for the developmental age of the individual, alterations in physical appearance, or mental status or illness.

UNILATERAL NEGLECT
Paying little or no attention to things on one side of the body. This usually occurs on the side opposite from the location of the injury to the brain because nerve fibers from the brain typically cross before innervating body structures. In extreme cases, the patient may not bathe, dress or acknowledge one side of his/her body.

VEGETATIVE STATE (Also called: PVS or Persistant Vegetative State)
a condition in which the person utters no words and does not follow commands or make any response that is psychologically meaningful.

VERBOSITY
a tendency to be excessively wordy in conversation.

WERNICKE'S APHASIA
Defect in ability to understand spoken words; also called RECEPTIVE APHASIA; occurs with lesions in temporal lobe.

WITHDRAWAL
a response to physical danger or severe stress characterized by a state of apathy, lethargy, depression and retreat into oneself.