Glossary

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ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of behavioural therapy that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies to help increase psychological flexibility.
Alzheimer’s disease: Progressive mental deterioration that occurs in middle or old age, due to generalised degeneration of the brain.
Amniotic fluid: Protective liquid surrounding the foetus in pregnant women.
Antidepressant: Antidepressants are a type of medication used to treat clinical depression or prevent it recurring.
Antipsychotic: Antipsychotics are a range of medications that are used for some types of mental distress or disorder.
Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A range of conditions of developmental disorders (such as autism and Asperger syndrome) characterised by social deficits and communication difficulties, restricted or repetitive behaviours and interests, sensory issues, and in some cases, cognitive delays.

CBT: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave. It is most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for other mental and physical health problems.
Cerebral Palsy: A condition marked by impaired muscle coordination and other disabilities, typically caused by damage to the brain before or at birth.
CLBP: Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) is defined as pain that persists for 12 weeks or longer, even after an initial injury or underlying cause of acute low back pain has been treated.
Connectome: A precise 4D map of the neural pathways.
CPAP: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure is a treatment using mild air pressure to keep the airways open, typically for people with breathing problems.
CT scan: A computerised tomography scan uses a computer that takes data from several X-ray images of structures inside a human’s body and converts them into pictures on a monitor.

Dermatologist: Doctor who specialise mostly in the study of the skin. Read more about this area of medicine here.
Dialysis: The process or purifying the blood, as a substitute for the normal function of the kidney.
DNA: DNA is a molecule that carries most of the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, functioning and reproduction of all known living organisms and many viruses.

ILM certificate: Institute of Leadership and Management certificate; read more about it on the Institute of Leadership and Management website.
Informatics: The study of the structure, behaviour and interactions within computer information systems.
Infra-red thermometer: A thermometer with the ability to measure temperature from a distance by measuring the amount of infra-red energy being emitted by an object.

Linear accelerators: A device used for external beam radiation treatments for patients with cancer through delivery of high-energy X-rays.

Melanoma: Malignant tumour most often associated with skin cancer.
MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a type of scan that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body
MRI scanner: Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a type of scan that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body.

National Institute for Health Research: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centres (BRC) are based within the most outstanding NHS and University partnerships in the country, and are leaders in scientific translation – taking research at the bench to the bedside.
Neural pathways: The connections wiring the brain.
NHS: The National Health Service (NHS) is the publicly funded healthcare system for England. Primarily funded through the general taxation system, the system provides healthcare to every legal resident in the United Kingdom, with most services free at the point of use.

Osteoarthritis: A condition that causes the joints to become painful and stiff. It is the most common type of arthritis in the UK.
Osteoporosis: A condition where the bones become brittle, and easily fractured.

PACT: The PACT study is the combination of traditional Physiotherapy with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with which to treat patients with chronic back pain.
Pharmaceutical Sciences CAG: Pharmaceutical Sciences Clinical Academic Group; read more about it on the group's website.
Pharmacist: Pharmacists, also known as chemists, are healthcare professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use.
Physiotherapy: Physiotherapy helps to restore movement and function when someone is affected by injury, illness or disability. It can also help to reduce your risk of injury or illness in the future.
PTP: Practitioner Training Programme: provider of an accredited BSc in Healthcare Science.

QCF: Qualifications and Credit Framework is the national credit transfer system for education qualification.

Raspberry Pi: The Raspberry Pi is a series of credit card-sized single-board computers used to promote the teaching of basic computer science.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: A condition that mainly affects the body’s joints, causing inflammation, pain and swelling that can make movement very difficult.

SaIL: Simulation and Interactive Learning; read more about it on the Simulation and Interactive Learning Centre's website.
Stem cells: Cells that can develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. They are unspecialised and are therefore capable of becoming any tissue- or organ-specific cells. They have unique regenerative abilities, which offers new potential for treating disease.
STP: Scientist Training Programme is a postgraduate entry programme leading to more senior scientist roles.

Telomere: Telomeres are compound structures found at the end of chromosomes. When chromosomes replicate, to create new cells, the telomere acts as a disposable buffer to make sure that none of the vital genetic information is lost from the copy.

USB: USB (Universal Serial Bus) defines the cables, connectors, and communication protocols used to connect between computers and other electronic devices.