Glossary

As in Gallie/Brooks-type fusion.  Sublaminar wires are placed at the first two levels of the spine (C1-C2) then a piece of bone graft laid over the lamina of the two levels.  The wire are then twisted over the bone graft to hold it in place.  Once the wires are tightened, movement between the two levels is prevented, allowing the bone graft to grow into the lamina resulting in completion of the fusion of the two levels of the spine.

GABA Transporter 1 – a protein that is a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter. It functions to remove GABA, a neural transmitter, from the nerve junction.

Glioblastoma multiforme or Glioblastoma for short.

Glascow Coma Scale – A 15 point scale that assesses eye opening, verbal ability and movement that is used to describe and follow a patient’s level of consciousness. Originally developed to evaluate head injury patients in the field, it is now used widely for inpatient and outpatient assessment.

Germ Cell Tumor – Tumor comprised of germ cells or cells ordinarily residing inside of the gonads (ovary and testes). GCT arising outside of the gonads are felt to represent a developmental anomaly.

Germ Cell Tumors – Tumors comprised of germ cells or cells ordinarily residing inside of the gonads (ovary and testes). GCTs arising outside of the gonads are felt to represent developmental anomalies.

Glial fibrillary acidic protein – a marker for glial differentiation. It is present in astrocytomas and other neural tumors with glial elements.

Germinomatous germ cell tumor – a pure germinoma tumor.

Germinal Matrix. The germinal matrix is the site of proliferation neuronal and glial precursors in the developing brain. It is located under the lateral ventricles floors’ ependymal wall.

Germinal matrix intraventricular hemorrhage – Bleeding into the ventricular system resulting from hemorrhage within the germinal matrix. It is felt to be due to rupture of delicate vascular vessels within the germinal matrix resulting from hypoxic ischemic injury and death to those vessels’ cell walls. The resulting hemorrhage then ruptures into the ventricles, spreading throughout the system in a variable degree.