Neurological Glossary

TA

Tendo-achilles ' Achilles tendon - Heel tendon

Takayasu's disease

A rare form of arteritis which is sometimes the cause of stroke

Tardive

Symptoms that develop slowly or appear long after inception

Tau

Microtubule-associated protein that is functionally modulated by phosphorylation and is hyperphosphorylated in several neurodegenerative diseases.

Tauopathies

Group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized predominantly by abnormalities of tau protein; includes frontotemporal dementia

Teardrop fracture

Triangular fracture of the anteroinferior aspect of a vertebral body due to axial loading with flexion or extension; often unstable associated with ligamentous injury and/or spinal cord injury

Tectospinal tract

Descending pathway from midbrain tectum to spinal inter- and motor neurons that control anti-gravity posture and locomotion and that probably mediate tonic neck reflexes

Tectum

Dorsal surface of the midbrain that contains the superior and inferior collicli

Tegmentum

Floor of the midbrain that contains the substantia nigra and the red nucleus

Teichopsia

see fortification spectrum

Telencephalon

Anterior portion of the prosencephalon

Temporal lobe epilepsy

Partial epilepsy arising from the temporal lobe of the brain

Tendon release (tenotomy)

Surgical procedure involving division of a severely contracted tendon in the management of spasticity

TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)

Pain management through a unit which delivers electrical pulses to the painful area

Tension-type headache

Nonspecific headache that is typically dull

Tentorium cerebelli

Fold of dura mater that covers the cerebellum and supports the occipital lobes of the cerebrum

Tetany

Repetitive

Tethered cord

Attachment of the spinal cord to the vertebral column or subcutaneous tissues by a thickened filum terminale

Tetraplegia

Indicates that all four limbs are involved. Also known as quadraplegia

Thalamus

A part of the brain where the nerves carrying information about sensation from the body join with other nerves

Thrombolysis

The use of drugs to break up a blood clot

Thrombosis

The formation of a blood clot (plural: thromboses).

Thunderclap headache

Sudden onset of severe head pain with neck stiffness that may be associated with altered consciousness or focal neurological deficits; suggests subarachnoid haemorrhage

Tic

Repetitive

Time-intensity profile

Of the temporal features of a patient's symptoms that provides clues about etiology of the disease process; acute

Tinnitus

Sound experienced subjectively with no external source

Titubation

Tremor of the head and neck

Todd's paralysis

Temporary (minutes to hours or rarely days) post-seizure mono- or hemiplegia; indicates seizure was focal onset; sometimes term used for other temporary focal post-seizure deficits

Tolerance

Gradual loss of response to a drug with prolonged use

Tolosa-Hunt syndrome

Describes a rare

Tomacula

Focal area of myelin thickening creating a sausage-like appearance of nerves; common in the genetic neuropathy

Tone

Natural sustained tension in muscle

Tonic

Sustained tension in a limb

Tonic-clonic seizure (grand mal seizure)

Generalised seizure characterized by initial contraction of the muscles (tonic phase)

Tonic neck reflexes

Movements and postures of the arm and leg when the neck is bent forwards

Tonic seizure

Generalized seizure that involves stiffening of the entire body

Tonsilar herniation

Herniation of the cerebellar tonsils through the foramen magnum

Torticollis

Form of dystonia in which the neck muscles contract involuntarily

Tourette syndrome

Childhood onset movement disorder characterized by simple or complex tics and often associated with obsessions

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Magnetic current applied to an area of the brain to promote plasticity and healing.

Transcortical motor aphasia

Impairment of language production (non-fluent aphasia) sparing repetition due to a lesion in the anterior extrasylvian region (prefrontal and medial frontal cortex)

Transcortical sensory aphasia

Impairment of language comprehension (fluent aphasia) sparing repetition due to a lesion in the posterior extrasylvian region (inferior temporo-occipital cortex)

Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS)

Method of pain control involving application of electrical impulses to nerve endings via electrodes that are attached to a stimulator by flexible wires and placed on the skin; thought to block the transmission of pain signals to the brain

Transformed migraine

Migraine pattern that has changed from episodic to chronic

Transient ischemic attack

Abrupt focal loss of neurologic function caused by reduction in blood flow that persists less than 24 hours and clears without residual disability

Transtentorial (central) herniation

Downward displacement of the cerebral hemispheres pushing the diencephalon and midbrain through the tentorial notch; symptoms classically follow a rostrocaudal deterioration

Transverse myelitis

Inflammatory disease involving both sides of the spinal cord in which motor and sensory deficits occur below the level of the lesion; occurs commonly in multiple sclerosis and various infectious and connective tissue disorders

Tremor

Rhythmic

Transverse Plane

Any plane at right angles to the long axis of the body

Trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V)

Mixed sensory and motor nerve made up of ophthalmic

Triplegia

Impairment of three limbs

Tripod

Walking Aid

Trochlear nerve (cranial nerve IV)

Motor nerve innervating the superior oblique muscle

Trigonocephaly

Premature closure of the metopic suture producing bowing of the forehead

Triple flexion

Spinal reflex consisting of flexion at the hip

Truncal sensory level

Level on the trunk below which sensation is impaired; sign of spinal cord lesion

Two-point discrimination

Ability to detect two stimuli presented simultaneously at decreasing distance as being two separate stimuli; for normal tactile two-point discrimination