Video: Anatomical terminology for healthcare professionals | Episode 6 | Nervous system

You are feeling sleepy…so sleepy. You are very relaxed. You can hardly hold up your head. You're going to become very, very brave; confident, fearless, heroic, powerful, unstoppable – at using terminology related to the nervous system. You'll be all this whenever you hear the keyword – subcortical leukoencephalopathy.

Feeling desperate to learn about the terminology of the nervous system? Well, you don't need to be that desperate. Hypnosis is not necessary. Let's try things an easier way. Welcome to the Kenhub series, Anatomical Terminology for Healthcare Professionals – saving your nerves from the nervous system.

So by this stage of the series, you'll know that we are helping you tackle the terminology of each and every system of the body. We've been learning how to attack daunting and complicated terms in clinical practice by dissecting them down into their word parts. Today, it's time for us to get a grip with the terminology of the nervous system. So let's waste no time and get down to business beginning with the most obvious and commonly used root word associated with the terminology of the nervous system. Of course, it has to be 'neuro-' or 'neuri-' which comes from the Greek word 'neuron' meaning nerve.

You'll see this root word used for a long list of terms all related to the nervous system or nervous tissue; for example, neurocytolysis which means dissolution or destruction of nerve cells or neurons. Now, anywhere you have neurons, you will also have their support cells which are known as glial cells such as Schwann cells or astrocytes. Terms related to these types of cells often include the root word 'gli-' or 'gli/o-' with the O at the end. For example, a glioma, describes a neoplasm or tumor derived from any type of glial cell.

Now, a quick note before we continue. Remember, you can reinforce your learning today by making simple flashcards of all the different terms we encounter in this video. Just add the word elements on the front and the explanations on the back. Register for free with Kenhub and make your flashcards even more effective by adding some of our awesome anatomical illustrations found in our Atlas.

Let's now look at some root words which are related to the star of our nervous system – the brain.

'Encephal-' or 'encephal/o-' with the O at the end comes from the Greek 'enkephalos' which literally means brain. It is used to describe conditions relating to the brain as a whole. For example, encephalodysplasia is a condition resulting from abnormal development of the brain.

Moving on from all things 'encephal/o-', let's take a look at the more obvious root word, 'cerebr-' or 'cerebr/o-' with the O at the end. This, of course, comes from the word 'cerebrum'. However, it is still used to refer to the brain as a whole. An easy example would be cerebrospinal pertaining to the brain and spinal cord. 'Cortic-' or 'cortic/o-' with the O at the end more specifically refers to the cerebral cortex and is most often used to describe neurological pathways; for example, corticopontine, running from the cerebral cortex to the pons.

Now when looking at the names of specific parts of the brain, almost all of them lend themselves as root words used in anatomical terminology. For example, thalamotomy – the destruction or removal of part of the thalamus; ventriculomegaly which is an enlargement of the ventricles of the brain; cerebelloolivary from the cerebellum to the inferior olive. 'Mening-' or 'mening/o-' as you might have guessed refers to the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord known as the meninges. We all know the term meningitis, a condition which causes inflammation of the meninges.

Next up is perhaps a less well-known root – 'myel' or 'myel/o' with the O at the end, which can refer to either the spinal cord or bone marrow; comes from the Greek word 'myelos' which means medulla or innermost part of a structure. An example of this root in action would be myelography – the process of taking radiological images of the spinal cord. Also related to the spinal cord is 'radicul-' or 'radicul/o-' with the O at the end which refers to the root of a spinal nerve. For example, polyradiculitis is the inflammation of several spinal nerve roots.

And our final root word for this section of our tutorial is 'gangli-' or 'gangli/o-' with the O at the end or 'ganglion-' or 'ganglion/o-' with the O at the end which, of course, refers to ganglia. These are oval-shaped structures in the peripheral nervous system which function as exchange or relay station for nerve signals. Gangliosympathectomy is the procedure involving the removal of sympathetic ganglia.

Before we move on to our next section, there are two very important terms which you need to be familiar with in relation to peripheral nerves. These are the terms afferent and efferent, and refer to the direction of a signal traveling a peripheral nerve. For instance, sensory nerves which are carrying information to the central nervous system are said to be afferent fibers while those carrying motor signals away from the central nervous system are described as having efferent fibers.

Let's change things up a little and take a look at some common suffixes or end-word elements which describe disorders of the nervous system. We'll begin with these suffixes which describe conditions related to our ability to communicate. Beginning first with '-phasia' or '-phasy' which refers to disorder affecting speech as in aphasia – a condition manifesting in an inability to speak or communicate. Other suffixes which also refer to speech disorders are '-phemia' as in spasmophemia, which is clinical term for stuttering, or '-lalia' as in coprolalia, which is a disorder with the compulsive use of obscene words. It comes from the Greek word 'copro' meaning feces so you can literally say it means potty mouth.

Some other neurology-related suffixes include '-lexia' which refers to a disorder affecting one's ability to read as in dyslexia; '-lepsy' refers to different types of seizures, for example, narcolepsy – condition causing sudden episodes of sleep. Another important term is '-mnesia' which comes from the Greek word 'mnemne' which means memory. I'm sure you'll remember the term amnesia which, of course, is a partial or total loss of memory due to brain damage, disease, or psychological trauma.

The suffix '-mania' comes from the Greek word for madness and is often used for disorders of mental illness relating to an obsession with something. For example, callomania is a delusional belief in one's own beauty.

The next stop is the word ending '-phrenia' which refers to conditions of the mind as in schizophrenia which I'm sure you're aware of or bradyphrenia which is a clinical term for slow mindness. And, finally, we have the suffix '-plegia' which literally refers to a stroke in Greek, however, it's most often used in the context of paralysis as in quadriplegia – paralysis of all four limbs. The suffix '-paresis' as in hemiparesis also refers to condition of paralysis.

Of course, the list of all possible roots and suffixes for the nervous system is long, but if you've managed to soak these in, you've made a great start at mastering this part of the medical terminology. So, give yourself a pat on the back.

Okay, now, we're on to the final stretch and the last thing I want to briefly discuss is the terminology related to the senses. As you know, the sensory network is a part of the nervous system which detects stimuli from internal and external environments. The signals are generated in various receptors of the sensory system and then processed by the nervous system. The general senses are received from across the body and include pain, touch or tactility, pressure, temperature, and proprioception which is the awareness of body position.

The special senses are received from dedicated sense organs. For example, gustation or taste is sensed by the taste buds of the tongue, olfaction or smell is located in the nose, hearing from the ears, and vision from the eyes. Let’s begin with some general suffixes pertaining to the senses.

First up is a suffix '-esthesia' or '-aesthesia' with an A which means a condition of sensation. The best example of this, of course, is anesthesia – a controlled temporary loss of sensation induced for medical purposes. Next up is '-algesia' which you may already know if you have ever taken an analgesic when you were in pain. The suffixes '-dynia' and '-algia' are also often used in relation to pain; for instance, gastrodynia or dentalgia.

Continuing on, let's take a look at the suffix '-osmia' relating to the sense of smell. An example of this is cacosmia – the perception of a foul odor when none exists. Next up is '-geusia' which refers to conditions of gustation or taste as in hypogeusia or amblygeusia – both of which mean a diminished sense of taste.

The suffixes '-opsia' or '-opia' both relate to conditions of sight or vision as in photopsia where someone perceives flashes of light due to stimulation of the retina. And, finally, let's finish up with one last suffix '-acusis' which might remind you of the word acoustic which hints that it refers to conditions of hearing. For example, nosoacusis is loss of hearing due to disease rather than aging.

And, well, my friends that is it! Another system ticked off the list and another step closer to becoming an anatomical terminology pro. I hope your nerves are still intact.

As with all our previous terminology tutorials, I'm going to leave you with a little challenge to say ciao, goodbye, adios. Now take a shot at guessing the meaning of the following terms which are based on the roots, prefixes, and suffixes which we encountered today.