Stroke Glossary

  • a

  • Agnosia
    An individual's inability to process sensory information.
  • Aneurysm
    A ballooning and the weakened area in an artery.
  • Anosodiaphoria
    A condition in which a specially-abled person seems indifferent to the existence of his handicap.
  • Anosognosia
    Also known as 'lack of insight'; an individual's inability to understand and perceive his or her illness.
  • Antihypertensives
    A class of drugs that are used to treat hypertension.
  • Aphasia
    A language disorder that affects the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write.
  • Paresthesia
    A burning or prickling sensation that is majorly felt in the hands, arms, legs, or feet.
  • Apraxia
    A disorder that deals with the motor planning to perform tasks or movements when asked.
  • Neuroplasticity
    The brain’s ability to change and adapt in response to environmental stimuli.
  • Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)
    An abnormal connection between arteries and veins.
  • Atherosclerosis
    A condition characterized by the narrowing of an artery narrows due to the build-up of plaque.

  • c

  • Carotid Ultrasound
    An ultrasound-based diagnostic imaging technique to reveal structural details of the carotid arteries.
  • Cholesterol
    A waxy, fat-like substance that naturally occurs in all parts of the body.
  • Cognitive Deficits
    Impairments in an individual's mental processes.
  • Cognitive Rehabilitation
    A program to help cognitively impaired individuals to compensate for cognitive deficits.

  • d

  • Dysphagia
    A symptom of difficulty in swallowing.

  • e

  • Electrocardiogram
    Commonly known as ECG, Electrocardiogram records the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time.
  • Embolic Stroke
    Ischemic strokes that are caused by a blockage of blood supply to part of the brain (caused by embolus).
  • Executive Functions
    A set of mental skills that help an individual look after different aspects of a task.

  • f

  • FAST
    A mnemonic to help detect and enhance responsiveness to stroke victim needs. It stands for Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties and Time to call emergency services.
  • Finger Flexor
    Flexor muscles of the forearm that flexes the fingers.

  • h

  • Hemispatial Neglect
    The brain's inability to be aware of items to one side of space.
  • Homonymous Hemianopia
    A visual field loss on the left or right side of the vertical midline.
  • Hypersensitivity
    A condition in which the immune system reacts abnormally to a foreign substance.

  • i

  • Intrinsic Muscles Strengthening
    An attempt to achieve functional grasp and release.

  • l

  • Left Hemisphere
    The left side of the brain is responsible for controlling the right side of the body. It looks after tasks dealing with logic.

  • m

  • Motor Imagery (MI)
    A mental process by which an individual rehearses or simulates a given action.

  • n

  • Neuropsychologists
    The study of the structure and function of the brain, specific to psychological processes and behaviors.

  • o

  • Occipital Cortex
    The visual processing center of the human brain.
  • Occipital Lobe
    The visual processing center of the human brain.
  • Overactive Reflexes
    Sudden, involuntary bending or straightening of a limb, or jerking of muscle groups such as in the trunk, bladder, or rectum.

  • p

  • Paralysis
    A loss of muscle function in part of the human body, most often caused by damage to the nervous system.
  • Proprioception
    The sense of the relative position of one's own parts of the body.

  • q

  • Quadrantanopia
    A defect in the visual field that affects a quarter of the field of vision.

  • r

  • Rapid Involuntary Eye Movement
    A condition that causes involuntary, rapid movement of one or both eyes.
  • Right Hemisphere
    The right side of the brain is responsible for controlling the left side of the body. It performs tasks that have to do with creativity and the arts.

  • s

  • Seizures
    A sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain, which usually affects how a person appears or acts for a short time.
  • Plaque
    When the body produces too much cholesterol, combines with other substances in the blood and stick to the walls of the arteries. This is called plaque.
  • Sensory Cueing
    A signal that can be extracted from the sensory input.
  • Sensory Processing
    The process that organizes sensation from one's own body and the environment.

  • t

  • The Motor Cortex
    The region of the human brain involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movements.
  • Thrombotic Stroke
    A kind of stroke which occurs when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in one of the arteries that are responsible for blood supply to the brain.

  • v

  • Vertigo
    A sense of rotation, rocking, or the world spinning, experienced even when an individual is perfectly still.
  • Visual Cueing Techniques
    A signal that can be extracted from the visual input.
  • Visual Neglect
    Also known as Hemispatial Inattention; an attention disorder that prevents the patient from attending to stimuli on one side.
  • Visual Spatial Dysfunction
    A disability to tell where objects are in space.