Glossary of pseudobulbar affect (PBA) terms
Understanding the following terms may help you talk about pseudobulbar affect (PBA) with your doctor.
Affect: outward expression of emotions or feelings displayed through facial expressions, gestures, voice tone, and other emotional signs, such as laughter or tears.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, a chronic, progressive disease of the motor neurons (the nerves that come from the spinal cord to supply electrical energy to the muscles). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) usually begins in middle age, and is characterized by increasing and spreading muscular weakness. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is known to be a neurologic condition that can cause pseudobulbar affect (PBA).
Central nervous system (CNS): collectively, the spinal cord, cranial nerves, and brain.
CNS-LS: Center for Neurologic Study-Lability Scale, a validated instrument that provides a quantitative measure of perceived frequency of pseudobulbar affect (PBA) episodes. Your doctor may choose to use the CNS-LS to assist with a pseudobulbar affect (PBA) diagnosis.
Cognitive: related to intellectual activity including thinking, reasoning, remembering, imagining, and learning.
Depression: a psychiatric mood disorder marked by sustained periods of sadness, inactivity, difficulty with thinking and concentration, a significant increase in time spent sleeping or insomnia, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Some people have both depression and pseudobulbar affect (PBA).
Mood: a state of mind or emotion.
Multiple sclerosis (MS): a chronic, unpredictable neurodegenerative disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS). Symptoms include partial or complete paralysis, jerking muscle tremors, loss of coordination, and speech and visual disturbances. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is known to be a neurologic condition that can cause pseudobulbar affect (PBA).
Neurologic disorder: a disturbance in the structure or function of the nervous system resulting from developmental abnormality, disease, injury, or toxin.
Neurotransmitter: a specialized chemical messenger that sends a message from 1 nerve cell to another, or to other organs.
Pseudobulbar affect (PBA): a distinct neurologic disorder that is sometimes referred to as emotional lability. Pseudobulbar affect (PBA) may occur in people diagnosed with neurologic diseases and brain injuries, and causes sudden and unpredictable outbursts of crying or laughing.
Stroke: brain lesion caused by a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel to the brain. A stroke occurs when blood flow is interrupted, restricting oxygen to the brain. Stroke can lead to reversible or irreversible damage including paralysis, coma, speech impediments, and dementia. Stroke is known to be a neurologic condition that can cause pseudobulbar affect (PBA).
Traumatic brain injury (TBI): caused by a person’s head being hit or shaken violently, or penetrated. This injury disrupts the normal function of the brain and may permanently change how the person acts, moves, and/or thinks. Impairments can include sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities such as cognition, language, memory, and psychosocial behavior. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is known to be a neurologic condition that can cause pseudobulbar affect (PBA).