Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1546192
22 Glossary of Neurological Terms and Disorders The following list is intended to be helpful to patients and families in understanding neurological terminology. Activities of daily living (ADLs) Activities a person performs for self-care (feeding, grooming, bathing, dressing), work, homemaking and leisure; ability to perform ADLs is often used as a measure of ability/disability. Acute Developing over minutes to hours; implies acute metabolic dysfunctions (example: ischemia, seizures). Agnosia Inability to recognize and interpret objects, people, sounds or smells despite intact primary sense organs (example: inability to identify a sound despite intact hearing); typically results from damage to the occipital or parietal lobe. Aneurysm (brain aneurysm, cerebral aneurysm) A bulging formation on an artery; usually caused by hypertension or an excessive amount of fatty deposits. Anoxia/hypoxia Lack of oxygen to the brain or other vital organs. Aphasia Syndrome of disordered expression or comprehension of spoken and/or written language caused by brain injury. Apraxia Impaired planning/sequencing of movement that is not due to weakness, incoordination or sensory loss. Although the movements cannot be performed for a specific situation, they may be performed under other circumstances (such as the inability to lift feet off the floor when attempting to walk, but preserved ability to perform bicycling movements of the legs while lying in bed). Results from dissociation of parts of the cerebrum and is often associated with parietal lobe lesions. Central nervous system (CNS) Brain and spinal cord. Cerebral arteriosclerosis The hardening and thickening of arteries within the brain.