Brain Injury Terms and Definitions

cerebellum
The portion of the brain mainly responsible for balance and coordination.

hypothalamus
The part of the brain that controls body functions such as eating, sleeping and sexual behavior, maintains body temperature and chemical balance, and regulates many hormones.

amygdala
uh-MIG-duh-luh). A part of the brain that oversees emotions and triggers your response to danger.

Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration
Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (formerly called Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome) is a disorder of the nervous system. The condition is characterized by progressive difficulty with movement and speech

Alzheimer's disease
Severe form of dementia caused by significant deterioration of brain tissue.

Crouzonodermoskeletal syndrome
Crouzonodermoskeletal syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by the remature joining of certain bones of the skull (craniosynostosis) and a skin disorder called acanthosis nigricans.

Eye Birth Defect
Anophthalmia/microphthalmia, congenital cataracts, glaucoma

Central nervous system Birth Defect
Neural tube defects, hydrocephaly, holoprosencephaly, Dandy-Walker malformation

closed head injury
An injury to the head or brain in which the skull remains intact.

vascular dementia
A common form of dementia that results either from narrowing and blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the brain or by strokes that cause an interruption of blood flow within the brain.