Brain Injury Terms and Definitions

NBDPN
National Birth Defects Prevention Network

Spina bifida
Is a condition that often has disabling consequences. With severe spina bifida, a person’s legs and feet are paralyzed, and there are problems with bowel and bladder control. Learning disabilities are common, and mental retardation sometimes occurs

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

brain tumor
An abnormal growth of tissue in the brain

brain
The part of the central nervous system inside the skull. Its functions include muscle control and coordination, sensory reception and integration, speech production, memory storage and the elaboration of thought and emotion.

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

Non-system-specific Birth Defect
Amniotic band sequence

Alexander disease
Alexander disease is considered one of the leukodystrophies, a group of disorders where the primary abnormality is the inability to maintain the fatty covering (myelin) that insulates nerve fibers in the brain. Alexander disease is a rare disorder of the nervous system that usually begins during infancy or early childhood.

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

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