Neurological Glossary
Neurological terms are often complicated and difficult to understand. The following glossary defines a variety of terms to help you understand neurological terminology:
Vacuolar myelopathy
Vacuolation of myelin in the posterior and lateral columns of the primarily thoracic spinal cord occurring in AIDS and resulting in paraparesis
Vagus nerve (cranial nerve X)
Nerve containing motor
Vascular dementia
Caused by disruption in blood supply to the brain through the vascular system which in turn causes brain cells to die leading to dementia
Vascular diseases
Diseases affecting any of the vessels which carry blood (arteries
Vasospasm
Blood vessel constriction in response to irritative stimuli
Vegetative state
Subacute or chronic condition following coma and consisting of return to wakefulness but apparent total lack of cognition
Ventral
Anterior
Ventricles
Four cerebrospinal fluid filled cavities (paired lateral
Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)
A hole in the muscle wall that separates the two chambers (ventricles) of the heart
Vergence
Movement of the eyes in opposite directions so that images of an object are placed on both foveas and thus appear single
Vergence (dysconjugate eye movements)
Movement of both eyes in different directions at the same time; includes 2 types: convergence and divergence
Vermis
Median region of the cerebellum lying between the cerebeller hemispheres
Version (conjugate eye movements)
Movement of both eyes in the same direction at the same time; includes 4 types: saccade
Vertebral arteries
The two arteries that travel up the back of the neck to the brain which
Vertigo
This is an abnormal sensation of movement which makes you feel as if either you or the room is spinning. It can be a symptom of either a stroke or a transient ischemic attack
Vestibulocochlear nerve (cranial nerve VIII)
Sensory nerve carrying information from the semicircular canals
Vestibulospinal tract
Descending pathway from vestibular nuclei in the brainstem to spinal inter- and motor neurons that causes contraction of many muscles in the trunk and limbs as the head moves in space
Vicariation
Process by which adjacent or remote cortex may assume the function previously carried out by damaged cortex
Virchow-Robin Spaces
Perivascular extensions of subarachnoid space
Visual acuity
Measurement of the eye's ability to distinguish details; typically expressed as a fraction in which the numerator (20) indicates that the subject is standing at 20 feet from a normal test object and the denominator is the distance from which a normal subject can read the same normal image .
Visual agnosia
A visual recognition disorder characterised by the inability to make sense of visual stimuli e.g. when familiar objects or people cannot be recognised. This is often due to damage
Visual evoked potentials (VEP)
Series of waves that reflect sequential activation of neural structures along the visual pathways following checkerboard stimulation; most useful in screening for optic nerve pathology (e.g.
Visual fields
Entire area visible to an eye that is fixating straight ahead
Visual field-cut/field impairment
Loss of sight in a particular area of the visual field
Visual memory
The capacity of the brain to retain visual imagery. Usually the brain records information and data better when it is perceived visually.
Visual neglect
Where a person fails to pay attention to their body or environment on the affected side. This more frequently affects attention to the left side. A person with neglect may no longer wash that side of their face and may experience difficulty navigating even in familiar places. Also known as hemispatial agnosia or hemispatial neglect.
Visual perception
The ability to interpret visible information reaching the eyes