Kids' Dictionary

Howdy Partners! How’s that for a greeting? I find words and sayings plum fascinating. Oxymorons are especially delightful. They’re words that contradict each other like ‘awfully good’, ‘half full’, ‘young adult’, and ‘clear as mud’. I like homonyms too - words that are pronounced the same but have different spellings and meanings (e.g., ‘guessed’ and ‘guest’; sic and sick). The English language can be tough to master even if it’s your mother tongue.

My decision to develop the Kids' Dictionary was the direct result of my love of words and my realization that if the wrong defining words were selected, it could result in confusion for the reader. This dictionary includes terms that are linked to Alzheimer's disease in some fashion. The defining words were chosen very carefully and I hope they will aid you in understanding the terms listed.

Alzheimer's disease: A disease of the brain that destroys brain cells leading to problems with memory, thinking, and reasoning plus changes in behavior. The condition worsens over time and cannot be reversed.

Cerebral cortex: The outer layer of the brain, covering the cerebral hemispheres, and largely made up of gray matter. This is the part of the brain where thought processes take place and nerve cells are destroyed by Alzheimer's disease.

Cerebral hemispheres: The two halves of the brain that have specialized functions. The left hemisphere or left brain is specialized for speech, writing, language and mathematics; the right hemisphere (right brain) is specialized in the area of music, artistic and creative expression, and visual recognition of faces.

Cerebrospinal fluid: The clear fluid made in the ventricles of the brain that bathes and protects the brain and spinal cord (bundle of nerves that carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body).

Contagious: Illnesses or diseases that are spread from one person to another. If a disease is contagious, it means that anyone can catch it. Colds and the flu are contagious.

Dementia: This is not a specific disease but rather a group of symptoms that certain diseases or conditions have in common. There are losses in the area of thinking, remembering, and reasoning as well as changes in the person’s personality, mood, and behavior. Of the many diseases and conditions which can cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease is the most common.

Lobes (of the brain): Different parts of the brain (Frontal, Parietal, Temporal, and Occipital) having special functions.

Logo: An image consisting of such things as graphics and characters that is used by a company or organization to identify them to the public

Neuron: The major actor in the brain. Neurons are nerve cells that receive and send messages from one part of the brain to another.

Neurotransmitters: Special chemical substances made in the brain that allows nerve cells to communicate with each other.

Plaque (Amyloid): Weird shaped globs of tissue made up of dead and dying nerve cells and clumps of protein that replace normal neurons. Plaques and tangles are two abnormal structures characteristically found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.

Progressive: In reference to Alzheimer's disease, it means that the disease becomes more severe; it advances and the person's condition worsens.

Reality: The truth about something or the way it is.

Short term memory: Memory of recent events or actions.

Special Care Home: A facility providing specialized care to people with needs that can no longer be met in their homes.

Symptoms: Signs recognized by ordinary people and doctors as an indication of possible disease.

Synapse: The gap that occurs between one nerve cell and the next. This is the site where electrochemical activity takes place (electrical signal + the release of neurotransmitters).

Tangles (Neurofibrillary): These structures are pieces of protein that form inside nerve cells and eventually choke them. Tangles and plaques are two abnormal structures characteristically found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.

Ventricles (brain): Spaces within the brain that contain cerebrospinal fluid to bathe and protect the brain.

Volunteer: A person who offers his/her services without pay.

Wandering: This is a common behavior of people with Alzheimer's disease when they leave home and become lost in surroundings that were familiar to them.