cerebral ischemia

a condition in which brain tissue is deprived of an adequate blood supply and thus lacks oxygen and nutrients. It is usually marked by loss of normal function of the affected area and may be accompanied by cerebral edema. A brief interruption in blood supply—a transient ischemic attack (TIA)—usually causes no serious damage. An interruption lasting more than several minutes may result in cerebral infarction. See cerebrovascular accident; stroke.

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Psychology term of the day

December 27th 2024

self-organizing system

any system whose elements spontaneously interact in such a way as to create a higher level structure as a result of their intrinsic properties. Many biological molecules show spontaneous self-organization, but purely physical systems do so as well, as in phase changes in water at different temperatures.