Cognitive Neurology Glossary
100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
apraxia
Inability to perform learned motor movements despite intact motor function and comprehension.
cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers
Measurable substances in CSF that indicate pathological processes in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly useful in...
circumlocution
Speech pattern where patients use roundabout descriptions instead of specific words they cannot access.
cognitive reserve
The brain's resilience to neuropathological damage through efficient networks and cognitive strategies.
confabulation
Production of false or distorted memories without deliberate intent to deceive.
constructional apraxia
The inability to copy, draw, or construct two- or three-dimensional figures despite adequate motor and visual function.
corpus callosotomy
A surgical procedure that severs the corpus callosum to treat severe, medically refractory epilepsy.
cortical blindness
Complete or partial loss of vision due to bilateral damage to the primary visual cortex, despite normal eye and optic ne...
cortical dementia
Dementia primarily affecting cerebral cortex functions like language, memory, and executive abilities.
digit span
A neuropsychological test measuring working memory capacity by assessing recall of number sequences.
disconnection syndrome
A constellation of cognitive and behavioral symptoms resulting from interruption of white matter pathways connecting dif...
dysarthria
Motor speech disorder affecting articulation due to weakness or paralysis of speech muscles.
dyscalculia
Specific learning disorder affecting mathematical abilities and number processing, distinct from general cognitive impai...
dystonia
Neurological disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions causing abnormal postures and movements.
echolalia
Automatic repetition of words or phrases just heard, often seen in autism, dementia, and certain neurological conditions...
echopraxia
The involuntary mimicking or imitation of another person's movements or gestures.
environmental dependency syndrome
A condition where patients compulsively interact with objects in their environment without appropriate inhibition.
executive dysfunction
Impairment in higher-order cognitive processes including planning, decision-making, and cognitive flexibility.
foreign accent syndrome
Rare neurological condition where patients develop what sounds like a foreign accent following brain injury, despite no...
frontotemporal dementia
A group of neurodegenerative disorders primarily affecting the frontal and temporal lobes, causing changes in behavior,...
Gerstmann syndrome
A neuropsychological syndrome comprising four core deficits: finger agnosia, left-right disorientation, agraphia, and ac...
grapheme-color synesthesia
Neurological phenomenon where letters and numbers consistently trigger automatic perception of specific colors, represen...
hemianopia
Loss of vision in half of the visual field in one or both eyes.
hemiballismus
Violent, involuntary flinging movements affecting one side of the body, typically from subthalamic nucleus lesions.
hemineglect
Neurological condition where patients fail to attend to or report stimuli on one side of space, typically the left side...