UKOM Sp.N (Neurology) key terms

Non-fluent language output with effortful, telegraphic speech, relatively preserved comprehension, and impaired repetition, caused by a lesion of the dominant inferior frontal gyrus.

Fluent but meaningless speech with poor comprehension and impaired repetition, arising from damage to the dominant posterior superior temporal gyrus; patients are typically unaware of their deficit.

Bedside framework separating aphasias by fluency, comprehension and repetition; conduction aphasia spares fluency and comprehension but impairs repetition, while global aphasia affects all three.

Increased tone, hyperreflexia, extensor plantar response and spastic weakness without prominent atrophy, indicating a lesion above the anterior horn cell.

Weakness with fasciculations, marked atrophy, reduced tone and diminished reflexes, localizing the lesion to the anterior horn cell, nerve root, plexus or peripheral nerve.

Extension of the great toe with fanning of the other toes on plantar stimulation, reflecting corticospinal tract dysfunction in adults beyond infancy.

Impaired adduction of one eye with nystagmus of the abducting eye on horizontal gaze, caused by a lesion of the medial longitudinal fasciculus, classically demyelinating or vascular.

Crossed patterns of cranial nerve and long-tract deficits from brainstem infarction; Wallenberg syndrome combines ipsilateral facial sensory loss and Horner syndrome with contralateral body sensory loss.

Intravenous alteplase or tenecteplase given within a short time window after ischemic stroke to restore perfusion, after excluding hemorrhage and contraindications by imaging and history.

Mechanical endovascular removal of a large vessel occlusion, beneficial in selected anterior circulation strokes with salvageable tissue, often beyond the thrombolysis window.

A ten-point score quantifying early ischemic change on non-contrast CT in the middle cerebral artery territory; lower scores indicate larger established infarction and inform reperfusion decisions.

A slowly propagating wave of neuronal depolarization followed by suppression of activity, thought to generate migraine aura and to activate trigeminal nociceptors.

Reversible focal neurological symptoms, typically visual or sensory, developing gradually over minutes and preceding headache; it reflects cortical dysfunction rather than ischemia.

A neuropeptide released from trigeminal terminals that promotes neurogenic inflammation and vasodilation; its monoclonal antibodies and receptor antagonists are established migraine preventives.

Chronic daily headache worsened by frequent use of acute analgesics or triptans, treated by withdrawing the offending drug and starting prophylaxis.

Involuntary choreiform or dystonic movements appearing at peak levodopa effect in advanced Parkinson disease, managed by smoothing dopaminergic delivery and adjusting doses.

A neurodegenerative disorder with asymmetric bradykinesia, rigidity and resting tremor, loss of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons, and non-motor features such as anosmia and constipation.

Implanted electrodes delivering high-frequency stimulation to subthalamic or globus pallidus targets, reducing motor fluctuations and dyskinesia in selected advanced Parkinson disease.

An immune-mediated demyelinating disease of the central nervous system with dissemination in time and space, producing relapses, MRI lesions and progressive disability.

Discrete immunoglobulin bands in cerebrospinal fluid but not serum, indicating intrathecal antibody synthesis; supportive of multiple sclerosis but not specific to it.

Diagnostic framework for multiple sclerosis combining clinical attacks with MRI evidence of lesions disseminated in space and time, plus cerebrospinal fluid or visual evoked data.

An acute immune-mediated polyradiculoneuropathy causing ascending flaccid weakness and areflexia, often post-infectious, with risk of respiratory failure and autonomic instability.

Raised cerebrospinal fluid protein without marked pleocytosis, a characteristic but not universal finding in Guillain-Barré syndrome, typically appearing after the first week.

Antibody-mediated neuromuscular junction disorder causing fatigable weakness, often with ptosis and diplopia, associated with thymoma and treated with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and immunotherapy.

Electrodiagnostic test showing a decremental compound muscle action potential response in myasthenia gravis, reflecting impaired neuromuscular transmission at fatigued junctions.

Recording of spontaneous and voluntary muscle electrical activity with a needle electrode, distinguishing neurogenic from myopathic disease and identifying active denervation.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive motor neuron disease combining upper and lower motor neuron signs in multiple regions without sensory loss, often starting focally.

Continuous seizure activity or repeated seizures without recovery lasting five minutes or more, requiring immediate benzodiazepines and second-line antiseizure drugs.

Background patterns such as alpha, theta and delta; periodic discharges or generalized spike-wave activity suggest epileptiform potential or encephalopathy and guide interpretation.

Enzyme-inducing agents such as carbamazepine lower levels of co-prescribed drugs and oral contraceptives; monitoring and dose adjustment are needed in polytherapy.

The capacity of cerebral vessels to maintain stable blood flow across a range of perfusion pressures; it is impaired after severe brain injury, making blood pressure control critical.

Pressure within the cranial vault; raised values cause headache, vomiting, papilledema and herniation, managed by positioning, osmotherapy and treating the underlying cause.

Irreversible loss of all brainstem function with confirmed cause, absent confounders, and formal apnea testing; diagnosis precedes any discussion of organ donation.

Necrotizing temporal lobe infection with fever, confusion and seizures; empirical aciclovir is started before cerebrospinal fluid results return.

Needle sampling of cerebrospinal fluid for cell count, protein, glucose, culture and specific tests; contraindicated with raised intracranial pressure or coagulopathy.

A patient's voluntary agreement after receiving adequate information about a proposed procedure, its alternatives and material risks, given with decision-making capacity.

An acute fluctuating disturbance of attention and awareness due to a medical cause, frequently missed in older patients and managed by treating the trigger rather than sedating.