APPENDIX( continued)
Dopamine Agonist: A drug that acts like dopamine on dopamine receptors to mimic its actions. Such medications stimulate dopamine receptors and produce dopamine-like effects. Often used in patients with Parkinson’ s disease.
Dopamine Autoreceptor: A type of dopamine receptor that acts like a thermostat, preventing excess dopamine release as levels rise.
Dopamine Receptor: A molecule on a receiving nerve cell( neuron) that is sensitive( or receptive) to stimulation( arousal) by dopamine or a dopamine agonist. Several types have been identified including D1, D2, and D3 receptors and the dopamine autoreceptor.
Double-Blind Clinical Trial: A double-blind trial is a clinical experiment in which neither the patients nor the researchers are aware of which patients are receiving the active treatment and which are receiving placebo.
Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care( DPAHC): A legal document whereby an individual grants authority to someone else to make healthcare decisions for her or him. These decisions are made if the individual becomes incapacitated and include the granting or withholding of life-sustaining treatment.
Dysarthria: Disordered or impaired articulation of speech due to disturbances of muscular control, usually resulting from damage to the central or peripheral nervous system.
Dysesthesias: Unpleasant sensations that are produced in response to normal stimuli.
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Dysphagia: Difficulty in swallowing. Dysphagia may be associated with esophageal obstruction as well as certain neurodegenerative or motor disorders involving the esophagus.
Dyspraxia: Partial loss of the ability to coordinate and perform certain purposeful movements and gestures in the absence of motor or sensory impairments.
Dystonia: A neurologic movement disorder characterized by sustained muscle contractions, resulting in repetitive, involuntary, twisting, or writhing movements and unusual postures or positioning. Dystonia may be limited to specific muscle groups( focal dystonia), such as dystonia affecting muscles of the neck( cervical dystonia or spasmodic torticollis) or the eyes, resulting in closure of the eyelids( blepharospasm).
Dystonic: Referring to dystonia; sudden jerky or repetitive movements and muscle spasms due to impaired muscle tone and abnormal muscle rigidity.
Elder Abuse: Mistreatment of a person 65 years of age or older. Elder abuse may include physical abuse, neglect, intimidation, fiduciary abuse, abandonment, or other acts resulting in physical harm or mental suffering.
Elder Law Attorney: Attorneys who specialize in legal services affecting the elderly. These services include, but are not limited to, conservatorships, estate planning, decedent’ s estate, long-term care planning, Social Security, and elder abuse.
Electroencephalography( EEG): A noninvasive, diagnostic technique that records the electrical impulses produced by brain cell activity. An EEG reveals characteristic brain wave patterns that may assist in the diagnosis of neurologic conditions, such as seizure disorders, impaired consciousness, and brain lesions or tumors.
Epidemiological Study: Examination of the distribution of disease as well as the determining factors related to specific diseases or health-related problems in a specific population.