Neurological Glossary

Ictus

Sudden attack

Idiopathic

Occurring without known cause; in the context of epilepsy

Impairment

Problem in body function or structure such as a significant deviation or loss (e.g.

Incisura

Fissure that separates the uncus from the apex of the temporal lobe

Incontinence

Loss of control of passing urine

Indomethacin

A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that reduces fever

Indomethacin-responsive headache

Class of primary headache disorders characterized by a prompt and often complete response to indomethacin to the exclusion of other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and medications usually effective in treating other primary headache disorders; includes ice-pick headache

Infantile spasms

Form of cryptogenic generalized epilepsy characterized by sudden

Infarct/infarction

An area of the brain tissue that has died as a result of being deprived of its blood supply

Inferior

Further from the head

Inferior cerebellar peduncle (restiform body)

Paired bundle of fibres travelling to and from the cerebellum; afferent fibres from the dorsal spinocerebellar tract carry proprioceptive information from the upper body; efferent fibres travel to the vestibular nuclei in the dorsal brainstem

Inferior colliculus

Paired structures on the dorsal surface of the caudal midbrain overlying the cerebral aqueduct that process and relay auditory signals from brainstem centres to the medial geniculate nucleus of the thalamus; with the superior collicui

Inferior olivary nucleus

Prominent nucleus in the ventral medulla located just lateral and dorsal to the medullary pyramids; source of climbing fibres that provide a critical input to the cerebellum involved in Purkinje cell plasticity and motor learning

Infratentorial

Below the tentorium cerebelli

Infundibulum

Connection between the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland (also called the

Insertion

Describes attachment of muscle the end of the muscle that moves most

Insomnia

Difficulty with falling asleep or staying asleep

Insula

Cerebral cortex lying in the depths of the Sylvian fissure and involved in gustatory

Intention tremor

Tremor whose amplitude increases as the affected body part (typically a finger) nears an intended target and that may the targeted object to be missed; typically results from damage to the cerebellum or its connections

Internal

Inside

Internal capsule

Broad compact band of efferent and afferent fibers that travel to or from the cerebral cortex; flanked medially by the thalamus and caudate and laterally by the lentiform nucleus

Internal carotid artery

Artery that arises from the common carotid artery at the upper border of the thyroid cartilage and terminates in the middle cranial fossa by dividing into the anterior cerebral artery and the middle cerebral artery; constitutes the anterior circulation of the brain

Inter-neuron

Neurons that receives input from one neurons and projects to another neurons within spinal cord

Internuclear ophthalmoplegia

Failure of adduction of one eye and abducting nystagmus of the other eye due to a lesion of the medial longitudinal fasciculus

Intracranial pressure

Pressure exerted by the brain

Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy

Method of administering Baclofen [a muscle relaxant] internally ' used to treat spasticity

Intrathecal space (subarachnoid space)

Space surrounding the brain and spinal cord that contains cerebrospinal fluid

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH)

Bleeding in the ventricles especially from fragile blood vessels in premature infants; in adults may accompany intracerebral or subarachnoid haemorrhage

Inversion

Turning the sole of the foot towards the median plane

Involuntary

Function

Ipsilateral

Located on the same side of the body (brain)

Ischemia

Damage to the brain where brain cells have had an inadequate blood supply

Ischaemic cascade

Series of harmful physiological events triggered by ischaemia

Ischaemic penumbra

Area of less damaged and still living brain cells

Ischaemic stroke

This type of stroke happens when a clot blocks an artery carrying blood to the brain.