Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Immunity acquired by infection or vaccination (active immunity) or by the transfer of antibody or lymphocytes from an immune donor (passive immunity). Acquired immunity is in contrast to innate immunity (natural immunity).

Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS) is a childhood disorder. A major feature of LKS is the gradual or sudden loss of the ability to understand and use spoken language. All children with LKS have abnormal electrical brain waves that can be documented by an electroencephalogram (EEG), a recording of the electric activity of the brain. Approximately 80 percent of the…

The loss of hearing that occurs or develops some time during a person’s life but was not present at birth. Acquired deafness contrasts to congenital deafness which is present at birth. The distinction between acquired and congenital deafness specifies only the time that the deafness appears. It does not specify whether the cause of the deafness is…

Not inherited, or present at birth (congenital), but developing after birth. For example, AIDS is an acquired, not an inherited, form of immune deficiency.

A medical society for internal medicine. The ACP motto is “Doctors for Adults.” Its mission is “to enhance the quality and effectiveness of health care by fostering excellence and professionalism in the practice of medicine.” ACP members include over 100,000 physicians in general internal medicine and related subspecialties, including cardiology, gastroenterology, nephrology, endocrinology, hematology, rheumatology, neurology,…

A benign tumor that may develop on the hearing and balance nerves near the inner ear. The tumor results from an overproduction of Schwann cells — small sheet-like cells that normally wrap around nerve fibers like onion skin and help support the nerves. When growth is abnormally excessive, Schwann cells bunch together, pressing against the hearing and balance nerves,…

Neurofibromatosis. Also called Recklinghausen’s disease, neurofibromatosis is characterized by areas of pigmentation like this café au lait spot on a 16-year-old. NF1 is a genetic disorder of the nervous system causing neurofibromas (tumors) to grow on the fibrous covering of nerves. Spots like this one can appear on the skin and can sometimes be accompanied by physical…

A benign tumor that may develop on the hearing and balance nerves near the inner ear. The tumor results from an overproduction of Schwann cells — small sheet-like cells that normally wrap around nerve fibers like onion skin and help support the nerves. When growth is abnormally excessive, Schwann cells bunch together, pressing against the hearing and balance nerves,…

The eighth cranial nerve which is concerned with hearing, balance, and head position. It branches into two parts’a cochlear part that transmits sound reception for hearing and a vestibular part that senses balance and head position. Also known as the vestibulocochlear nerve.

Impairment in the understanding of auditory language and communication. Sounds are heard but they convey no meaning. The 20th century Russian composer Vissarion Shebalin had auditory aphasia after a stroke but remained an outstanding composer. The comprehension of auditory language and the musical organization of acoustic perception rely on different systems in the brain. Auditory aphasia is also known…