Meaning & use
neurogenic
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounmedical
Caused by a fault in the nerves or nervous system, rather than by damage to the organ or tissue that shows the symptoms.
Grammar: Usually comes before the noun it describes: a neurogenic bladder.
Patterns
- neurogenic pain
- a neurogenic disorder
The doctor explained that the patient's weak bladder was neurogenic, not the result of an infection.
Neurogenic shock can happen after a severe spinal injury.
Researchers are studying why some people develop neurogenic pain long after an injury has healed.
adjectivebefore a nounbiologyspecialist
Relating to the formation and growth of new nerve cells.
Grammar: Used in research writing before nouns such as region or process.
Patterns
- neurogenic regions of the brain
The hippocampus is one of the few neurogenic regions in the adult brain.
Exercise may boost neurogenic activity in older mice.
Common combinations
- neurogenic bladder
- A spinal injury left him with a neurogenic bladder that needed daily management.
- neurogenic shock
- Neurogenic shock lowers blood pressure because the nerves can no longer keep blood vessels tight.
- neurogenic pain
- Ordinary painkillers rarely help with neurogenic pain.
- neurogenic disorder
- The clinic specializes in neurogenic disorders of the gut.
- neurogenic origin
- The scan suggested the weakness had a neurogenic origin.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nerve-related
- Nerve-related is a plain everyday phrase that is vaguer than neurogenic, which names a precise medical cause.
- neuropathic
- Neuropathic points to actual disease or damage in the nerves, whereas neurogenic only says the nervous system is the source.
- neural
- Neural simply means connected with nerves and does not suggest that nerves are the cause of a problem.
Opposites
Word family
- neurogenesis noun
- the growth of new nerve cells
- neuron noun
- a nerve cell
- neurology noun
- the branch of medicine dealing with the nervous system
- neurological adjective
- relating to the nervous system and its diseases
Commonly confused: neurogenic or neurotic?
neurogenic vs neurotic
Neurotic describes a person who is anxious or overly worried, not a condition caused by the nerves in the medical sense.
Practice
The specialist concluded that the patient's weak bladder control was ____, caused by a spinal nerve problem rather than a bladder infection.
Choose one answer.
Neurogenic means caused by the nervous system. Myogenic would point to muscle, and neurotic and nervous describe personality or feelings, not a medical cause.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “neurogenic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.