Brain Injury Terms and Definitions

hematoma
A collection of blood within the brain or on its surface that can cause increased pressure, which can damage brain cells and interrupt blood flow.

Genitourinary Birth Defect
Renal agenesis (bilateral), hypospadias (2nd or 3rd degree)

acetylcholine (ACH)
A chemical in the body that carries messages between the nerves and muscles; a neurotransmitter.

Parkinson's disease
A progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the part of the brain that helps control muscle movement.

NBDPS
National Birth Defects Prevention Study

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.

Ear Birth Defect
Anotia/microtia

Orofacial Birth Defect
Choanal atresia, cleft lip, cleft palate

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

brain plasticity
Theories based on the idea that the brain may have the ability to use surviving brain cells in a different way to make up for those brain cells that are damaged.