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N.
Human
Performance Terminology:
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MOTOR:
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Apraxia
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A
disorder of learned movement unexplained by deficits in strength,
coordination, sensation, or comprehension.
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Ataxia
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A
disorder of muscle coordination not due to apraxia, weakness, rigidity,
spasticity or sensory loss. Caused by lesion of the cerebellum or basal
ganglia. Can interfere with a person's ability to walk, talk, eat and to
perform other self care tasks.
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Balance
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The
ability to use appropriate righting and equilibrium reactions to maintain
an upright position. It is usually tested in sitting and standing
positions.
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Bio-Feedback
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A
process that provides sight or sound information about functions of the
body, including blood pressure, muscle tension, etc. By trial and error,
one can learn to consciously control these functions.
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Clonus
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A
sustained series of rhythmic jerks following quick stretch of a muscle.
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Decerebrate
Posture / Rigidity
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Exaggerated
posture or extension as a result of a lesion to the prepontine area
of the brainstem, and is rarely seen fully developed in humans.
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Decorticate
Posture
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(Decorticate
Rigidity) exaggerated posture of upper extremity flexion and lower
extremity extension as a result of a lesion to the mesencephalon or above.
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Dysarthria
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Difficulty
in forming words or speaking them because of weakness of muscles used in
speaking. Speech is characterized by slurred, imprecise articulation.
Tongue movements are usually labored and the rate of speaking may be very
slow. Voice quality may be abnormal, usually excessively nasal; volume may
be weak; drooling may occur. Dysarthria may accompany aphasia or occur
alone.
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Dysphagia
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Difficulty
in swallowing. It also includes difficulity in moving material from
the mouth to the stomach. This definition also includes problems in
positioning food in the mouth.
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Electromyogram
(EMG)
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A
test that records the responses of muscles to electrical stimulation.
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Flaccid
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Lacking
muscle tone (soft, “floppy” muscle).
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Foot
Drop (Drop Foot)
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Plantar
flexed posture of the foot caused by paralysis or weakness of the ankle
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Gait
Training
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Instruction
in walking, with or without equipment.
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Hemiparesis
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Weakness, paralysis
or loss of movement on one side of the body.
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Hyperreflexia
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Increased
action of the reflexes.
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Hypotonic
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A
state of less than normal muscle tone.
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Mobility
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Ability
to move freely.
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Myelogram
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A
diagnostic test in which an opaque liquid is injected into the spinal
canal, producing an outline of it on X-rays or fluoroscope. Now somewhat
outdated by modern imaging diagnostics. Some dyes are suspected of
causing additional neurological problems.
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Rigidity
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Stiffness
or inflexibility, inability to bend.
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Spasticity
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A
state of increased muscle tone with exaggerated tendon reflexes that move
or jerk involuntarily. Such uncontrolled muscle activity is caused by
excessive reflex activity below the level of lesion.
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Vertigo
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The
abnormal sensation of moving around in space or of having objects move
about the person. Sometimes
used as a synonym for dizziness or light-headedness.
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Vital
Capacity,
Impaired Pulmonary Function
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The
measure of air in a full breath. It is an important consideration for
people with high-level tetraplegia who also have
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SENSORY:
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Diplopia
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Seeing
two images of a single object; double vision.
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Discrimination,
Sensory
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A
process requiring differentiation of two or more stimuli.
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Hemianopsia
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Visual
field cut. Blindness for one half of the field of vision. This is not the
right or left eye, but the right or left half of vision in each eye.
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Perception
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The
conscious recognition and interpretation of sensory stimuli through
association, especially memory. The basis for understanding, learning,
knowing and motivation.
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Perceptual
Deficits
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Impaired
mental activity such as cognitive processing, emotional response,
attention or memory. May result from diffuse brain injury.
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Sensation
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Feeling
stimuli which activate sensory organs of the body such as touch,
temperature, pressure or pain. Also seeing hearing, smelling and tasting.
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Unilatel
neglect
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The
state in which an individual is perceptually unaware of and inattentive to
one side of the body (e.g., due to head injury or stroke).
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Astereognosis
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The
inability to recognize or characterize objects by touch.
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Perception
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Conscious
mental recognition of a sensory stimulus.
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Proprioception
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Perception
of body movement or position.
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Stereognosis
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The
ability to perceive the nature and form of objects by the sense of
touch.
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Unilateral
neglect
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A
disturbance of a person's awareness of space on the side of the body
opposite a stroke-causing lesion; often referred to as hemi-inattention.
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COGNITIVE:
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Abstract
Thinking
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The
ability to apply abstract concepts to situations and surroundings.
It is characterized by adaptability in the use of ideas and
generalization.
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Alexia
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Inability
to understand written language.
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Anomia
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Inability
to recall names of objects. Persons with this problem often can speak
fluently but have to use other words to describe familiar objects.
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Anterograde
Amnesia
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Inability
to consolidate information about ongoing events. Difficulty with new
learning.
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Aphasia
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The
loss of ability to communicate orally, through signs, or in writing, or
the inability to understand such communications; the loss of language
usage ability. The change in language function due to an injury to the
cerebral cortex of brain.
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Apraxia
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The
inability to produce voluntary speech due to a deficit in motor (muscle)
programming caused by brain damage.
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Attention
Deficits
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Impaired
ability to concentrate.
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Cognition
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The
mental process involved in knowing, thinking, learning and judging.
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Cognitive
Process
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Higher
mental functioning; learning, memory, imagination, comprehension, decision
making. The means by which an individual becomes aware of people, objects
and situations in the environment and their subjective, symbolic meaning.
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Coma
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A
state of profound unconsciousness. A state of unconsciousness from which
the person is incapable of any conscious action. Typically, they do
not respond to powerful stimulation; lack of any response to one's
environment.
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Comprehension
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The
ability of the mind to understand.
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Concussion
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A
violent blow, jarring, shaking or other non penetrating injury to the
brain. Frequently, but not always, accompanied by a loss of
consciousness. Also called minor head injury and traumatic brain injury.
Slang terms include: having one's "bell rung," and
"ding."
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Consciousness
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The
state of awareness of the self and the environment.
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Denial
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Defense
mechanism allowing an individual to maintain that a problem has been
resolved with an increase in personal competence, although the problem
still remains. It protects against physical or emotional conflict or
loss. Many rehab professionals over ascribe denial to their patients.
Hoping for functional improvement should not be misunderstood as denying disability
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Depression
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An
abnormal emotional state in which the individual experiences an
exaggerated feeling of sadness, worthlessness and hopelessness,
inappropriate and out of proportion to some personal loss or tragedy.
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Disinhibition
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Impaired
ability to restrain from acting on an impulse or desire.
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Disorientation
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Mental
confusion with regard to time, place, personal identity and relationships.
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Encephalography
(EEG)
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Non-invasive
use of ultrasound waves to record echoes from brain tissue. Used to detect
hematoma, tumor or ventricle problems.
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Euphoria
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An
exaggerated or abnormal sense of well-being not based on reality.
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Exacerbate
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To
increase the seriousness of a condition marked by more intense signs or
symptoms.
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Fatigue
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A
state of exhaustion; the loss of strength or endurance.
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Fear
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Emotional
reaction to the threat of danger; emotional reaction to immediate and
evident danger.
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Flattened
Affect
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Emotionally
lacking; listless.
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Glasgow
Coma Scale
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A
standardized system used to assess the degree of brain impairment and to
identify the seriousness of injury in relation to outcome. The system
involves three determinants (each evaluated independently by numerical
score): eye opening, verbal responses and motor response. The
resultant value indicates the level of consciousness and degree of
dysfunction. Scores run from a high of 15 to a low of 3, with a 'mild
brain' injury being 13 to 15, and 'moderate' brain injury being 9-12, and
a score of 8 or less reflecting a 'severe' brain injury.
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Lability
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Emotional
instability that may be precipitated by apparently mild stimuli.
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Long
Term Memory
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An
ability to easily recall feelings, events, ideas and other information
which may have happened a long time ago.
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The
ability of the brain to retain and recall information.
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Neuropsychological
Assessment
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An
evaluation of the patient's brain functions relating to behavior; based on
the results of standardized tests, history, present circumstances,
attitudes and the expectations of the patient was well as the patient's
behavior during the examination.
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Passivity
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Apathy;
disinterest; listlessness.
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Problem-Solving
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Ability
of the individual to bring cognitive processes to the consideration of how
to accomplish a task.
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Prosody
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The
inflections or intonations of speech.
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Self
Awareness
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The
ability to know and understand one's self.
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Self
Monitoring
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The
ability to regulate, control and keep track of one's self.
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Speech
Dysfunction
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A
defect or abnormality of speech.
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Vegetative
State
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A
condition in which the person utters no words and does not follow commands
or make any response that is psychologically meaningful.
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