Resources 

• Resource Guide Forward
• Acknowledgments
  
• Glossary of Terms

Glossary of Terms 

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z]

M.C.S.S.	Ministry of Community and Social Services (Ontario).
Medically Stable	Reaching a point in medical treatment where life threatening injuries and disease have been brought under control.
Memory	The process of perceiving events, organizing and storing representations of the events and recalling these representations to consciousness at a later time.
Memory, Audio-Visual	Auditory memory is the ability to recall a series of numbers, lists of words, sentences, or paragraphs presented orally. Visual memory requires input of information through visuo-perceptual channels. It refers to the ability to recall text, geometric figures, maps, and photographs. A head-injured survivor with impaired visual memory may have to refer to a road map numerous times to reach a nearby destination. A brain injured inpatient may need frequent assistance from staff to locate his room. A patient with impaired auditory memory will likely require frequent reminders of orally presented task instructions from staff. Notably, information may be encoded in memory using words or visual images independent of the mode of presentation.
Memory, Delayed	The ability to recall information several minutes following presentation. There is no particular specification of the required time interval; typically it is ten minutes or more. This type of memory is most important because patients are often required to recall instructions related to their medical care after hours, days, weeks, or months. For example, patients with impairments in delayed memory may forget where they have left things. Additionally, preserved information in immediate memory becomes part of delayed memory.
Emory, Episodic	Memory for ongoing events in a person's life. More easily impaired than semantic memory, perhaps because rehearsal or repetition tends to be minimal.
Memory, Fund Of Information	A type of remote memory as well as a measurement of the amount of information an individual retains about past experiences. The information can include, for example, knowledge regarding current events, politics, and book learning.
Memory, Immediate	The ability to recall numbers, pictures, or words immediately following presentation. Patients with immediate memory problems have difficulty learning new tasks because they cannot remember instructions. Relies upon concentration and attention.
Memory, Learning	Acquisition of new information determined by the extent to which an individual benefits from repetition, rehearsal, or practice. For example, a patient who learns quickly will likely remember an entire set of instructions after hearing them several times. A patient with severely-impaired learning ability will show little gain in recall after numerous repetitions. Learning and memory are interdependent. If immediate memory is poor, learning will be poor because only a portion of the information will be available for rehearsal/repetition. It is important to note that patients may have intact learning ability, but poor delayed memory. For example, a brain-injured patient may learn a set of instructions after several repetitions, but forget them the next day.
Memory, Long Term	In neuropsychological testing, this refers to recall thirty minutes or longer after presentation. Requires storage and retrieval of information which exceeds the limit of immediate span.
Memory, Recall	Ability to retrieve information without renewed exposure to the stimulus.
Memory, Recognition	Ability to retrieve information when a familiar stimulus is presented.
Memory, Remote	A measurement of the amount of information an individual correctly recalls from the distant past. There is no specific requirement for the amount of elapsed time, but it is typically more than six months to a year. Preserved information from delayed memory becomes part of remote memory.
Memory, Semantic	Memory for facts, usually learned through repetition.
Memory, Short Term	Primary or "working" memory, i.e., a limited capacity system that holds up to 7 chunks of information over periods of 30 seconds to several minutes.
Mental Competence	The quality or state of being competent; having adequate mental abilities; legally qualified or adequate to manage business affairs. An individual found by a court to be mentally incompetent has a guardian appointed to make business and legal decisions on their behalf.
M.O.H.	Ministry of Health (Ontario).
Monitor, Intensive Care	A TV-like screen with a continuous picture of different wave forms representing different pressures and activities in the body such as blood pressure, intra cranial pressure, and EKG. It may also show a corresponding number value for them.
Motivation	Requires initiative and refers to the extent to which an individual desires to reach a goal and demonstrates actual follow-through. A greater level of motivation is required for completion of difficult tasks. A brain injured person with reduced motivation may need frequent cueing from staff to finish dressing even though they are able to verbalize the complete procedure.
Motor	Pertaining to movement.
Motor Control	Regulation of the timing and amount of contraction of muscles of the body to produce smooth and coordinated movement. The regulation is carried out by operation of the nervous system.
Motor Control, Fine	Delicate, intricate movements as in writing or playing a piano.
Motor Control, Gross	Large, strong movements as in chopping wood or walking.
Motor Lag	A prolonged delay between stimulus and initiation of motor response.
Motor Planning	Action formulated in the mind before attempting to perform.
Movement Therapy	Using bodily expression, dance and exercise to facilitate movement, self- expression and self-esteem.
Muscle Tone	Used in clinical practice to describe the resistance of a muscle to being stretched. When the peripheral nerve to a muscle is severed the muscle becomes flaccid (limp). When nerve fibers in the brain or spinal cord are damaged, the balance between facilitation and inhibition of muscle tone is disturbed. The tone of some muscles may become increased and they resist being stretched a condition called hypertonicity or spasticity.
Music Therapy	Use of music and singing to develop language and movement skills.
Myelography	A medical test involving injection of dye into the spinal subarachnoid space so that an x-ray of the spinal cord can be taken. Used to detect spinal cord tumors, anatomical defects and disc problems.

Click here for the printable "Glossary of Terms"  

Material for the glossary was provided by the Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA).