| cerebral contusion | A bruise to the brain resulting from a head injury. May be visualised on a CT scan of the head. (27 Sep 1997) |
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| cerebral cortex | The outer portion of the brain, consisting of layersof nerve cells and the pathways that connect them. The cerebralcortex is the part of the brain in which thought processes take place.In Alzheimer's disease, nerve cells in the cerebral cortex die. (22 May 1997) |
| cerebral death | A clinical syndrome characterised by the permanent loss of cerebral and brain stem function, manifested by absence of responsiveness to external stimuli, absence of cephalic reflexes, and apnea. An isoelectric electroencephalogram for at least 30 minutes in the absence of hypothermia and poisoning by central nervous system depressants supports the diagnosis. Synonym: brain death. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cerebral decompression | Removal of a piece of the cranium, usually in the subtemporal region, with incision of the dura, to relieve intracranial pressure. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cerebral decortication | Partial or total removal, ablation, or destruction of the cerebral cortex; may be chemical. It is not used with animals that do not possess a cortex, i.e., it is used only with mammals. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cerebral dominance | The fact that one hemisphere is dominant over the other and will exercise greater influence over certain functions; the left cerebral hemisphere is usually dominant in the control of speech, language and analytical processing, and mathematics, while the right hemisphere (usually nondominant) processes spatial concepts and language as related to certain types of visual images; handedness (right-handed people have left cerebral dominance) is considered a general example of cerebral dominance. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cerebral dysplasia | Abnormal development of the telencephalon. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cerebral embolism and thrombosis | Embolism or thrombosis occurring in a cerebral vessel often leading to cerebral infarction. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cerebral fissures | The variously named fissures of the cerebral hemispheres. See: sulci cerebri. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cerebral flexure | The sharp, ventrally concave bend in the developing midbrain of the embryo. Synonym: cerebral flexure, cranial flexure, mesencephalic flexure. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cerebral gigantism | A syndrome characterised by increased birth weight and length (above 90th percentile), accelerated growth rate for the first 4 or 5 years without elevation of serum growth hormone levels, and then reversion to normal growth rate; characteristic facies include prognathism, hypertelorism, antimongoloid slant, and dolichocephalic skull; moderate mental retardation and impaired coordination are also associated. See: Sotos' syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cerebral haematoma | A blood clot in the brain. (27 Sep 1997) |
| cerebral haemorrhage | A sudden and abrupt bleeding into the tissue of the brain. Usually occurs as the result of a weakened artery from the effects of high blood pressure and atherosclerosis. (27 Sep 1997) |
| cerebral hemisphere | 1. A half sphere; one half of a sphere or globe, when divided by a plane passing through its center. 2. Half of the terrestrial globe, or a projection of the same in a map or picture. 3. The people who inhabit a hemisphere. "He died . . . Mourned by a hemisphere." (J. P. Peters)ten Cerebral hemispheres. <anatomy> See Brain. <physics> Magdeburg hemispheres, two hemispherical cups forming, when placed together, a cavity from which the air can be withdrawn by an air pump; used to illustrate the pressure of the air. So called because invented by Otto von Guericke at Magdeburg. Origin: L. Hemisphaerium, Gr.; half = sphere: cf. F. Hemisphere. See Hemi-, and Sphere. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| cerebral hemispheres | The two halves of the cerebrum, the largest part of the brain. (12 Dec 1998) |