NEUROLOGICAL DISORDER
Jul 14, 2015
Neurological disorder is any disorder of the body neurological
system. Structural, biochemical or electrical abnormalities in the brain,
spinal cord or other nerves can result in a range of symptoms.
Examples of symptoms include paralysis, muscle weakness, poor
coordination, loss of sensation, seizures, confusion, pain and altered
levels of consciousness
NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS
Acute Disseminated Encepalomyelitis (ADEM)
causes a person to experience a short and sudden
inflammatory attack in their spinal cord and brain.
The attack damages their myelin
sheath. Myelin assists nerve fibers in conducting
electrical impulses to and from a person's brain.
Conditions that cause damage to a person's myelin
sheath are referred to as, 'demyelinating disorders.'
APHASIA
Aphasia is a neurological disorder caused by damage
to the portions of the brain that are responsible for
language. Primary signs of the disorder include
difficulty in expressing oneself when speaking,
trouble understanding speech, and difficulty with
reading and writing. Aphasia is not a disease, but a
symptom of brain damage. Most commonly seen in
adults who have suffered a stroke, aphasia can also
result from a brain tumor, infection, head injury, or
dementia that damages the brain
APRAXIA
Apraxia (called "dyspraxia" if mild) is a
neurological disorder characterized by loss
of the ability to execute or carry out skilled
movements and gestures, despite having the
desire and the physical ability to perform
them. Apraxia results from dysfunction of
the cerebral hemispheres of the brain,
especially the parietal lobe, and can arise
from many diseases or damage to the brain.
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ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related, non-reversible
brain disorder that develops over a period of years. Initially,
people experience memory loss and confusion, which may be
mistaken for the kinds of memory changes that are
sometimes associated with normal aging.
However, the symptoms of AD gradually
lead to behavior and personality changes, a decline in
cognitive abilities such as decision-making and language
skills, and problems recognizing family and friends. AD
ultimately leads to a severe loss of mental function. These
losses are related to the worsening breakdown of the
connections between certain neurons in the brain and their
eventual death. AD is one of a group of disorders called
dementias that are characterized by cognitive and behavioral
problems. It is the most common cause of dementia among
people age 65 and older.
BELL'S PALSY
Bell's palsy is a form of temporary facial
paralysis resulting from damage or trauma to
one of the facial nerves. It is the most
common cause of facial paralysis. Generally,
Bell's palsy affects only one of the paired facial
nerves and one side of the face, however, in
rare cases, it can affect both sides. Symptoms
of Bell's palsy usually begin suddenly and reach
their peak within 48 hours.
Symptoms vary from person to person and can range in
severity from mild weakness to total paralysis. These symptoms
include twitching, weakness, or paralysis, drooping eyelid or corner of
the mouth, drooling, dry eye or mouth, impairment of taste, and
excessive tearing in the eye. Bell’s palsy often causes significant facial
distortion. Most scientists believe that a viral infection such as viral
meningitis or the common cold sore virus -- herpes simplex-- can
cause the disorder when the facial nerve swells and becomes inflamed
in reaction to the infection.
BENIGN ESSENTIAL BLEPHAROSPAS
BENIGN ESSENTIAL BLEPHAROSPASM
(BEB)
is a progressive neurological disorder characterized
by involuntary muscle contractions and spasms of
the eyelid muscles. It is a form of dystonia, a
movement disorder in which muscle contractions
cause sustained eyelid closure, twitching or
repetitive movements. BEB begins gradually with
increased frequency of eye blinking often
associated with eye irritation.
Other symptoms may include
increasing difficulty in keeping the eyes open, and
light sensitivity. Generally, the spasms occur during
the day, disappear in sleep, and reappear after
waking.
BINSWANGER'S DISEASE
Binswanger's disease (BD), also called
subcortical vascular dementia, is a type of
dementia caused by widespread, microscopic
areas of damage to the deep layers of white
matter in the brain. The damage is the result
of the thickening and narrowing
(atherosclerosis) of arteries that feed the
subcortical areas of the brain.
CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DEMYELINATING
POLYNEUROPATHY (CIDP)
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)
is a neurological disorder characterized by progressive
weakness and impaired sensory function in the legs and
arms. The disorder, which is sometimes called chronic
relapsing polyneuropathy, is caused by damage to the myelin
sheath (the fatty covering that wraps around and protects
nerve fibers) of the peripheral nerves. Although it can occur
at any age and in both genders, CIDP is more common in
young adults, and in men more so than women. It often
presents with symptoms that include tingling or numbness
(beginning in the toes and fingers), weakness of the arms
and legs, loss of deep tendon reflexes (areflexia), fatigue, and
abnormal sensations. CIDP is closely related to Guillain-
Barre syndrome and it is considered the chronic counterpart
of that acute disease.
CEREBRAL PALSY
The term cerebral palsy refers to any one of a number of
neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early
childhood and permanently affect body movement and
muscle coordination but don’t worsen over time. Even
though cerebral palsy affects muscle movement, it isn’t
caused by problems in the muscles or nerves. It is caused by
abnormalities in parts of the brain that control muscle
movements. The most common are a lack of muscle
coordination when performing voluntary movements
(ataxia); stiff or tight muscles and exaggerated reflexes
(spasticity); walking with one foot or leg dragging; walking on
the toes, a crouched gait, or a “scissored” gait; and muscle
tone that is either too stiff or too floppy.
CRANIOSYNOSTOSIS
is a birth defect of the brain characterized by the
premature closure of one or more of the fibrous joints
between the bones of the skull (called the cranial sutures)
before brain growth is complete. Closure of a single
suture is most common. In contrast to normal skull
growth, in which the skull expands uniformly to
accommodate the growth of the brain, premature closure
of a single suture restricts the growth in that part of the
skull and promotes growth in other parts of the skull
where sutures remain open. However, when many sutures
close prematurely, the skull cannot expand to
accommodate the growing brain, which leads to increased
pressure within the skull and impaired development of the
brain.).
DANDY -WALKER SYNDROME
Dandy-Walker Syndrome is a congenital brain
malformation involving the cerebellum (an area at the
back of the brain that controls movement) and the
fluid-filled spaces around it. The key features of this
syndrome are an enlargement of the fourth ventricle
(a small channel that allows fluid to flow freely
between the upper and lower areas of the brain and
spinal cord), a partial or complete absence of the area
of the brain between the two cerebellar hemispheres
(cerebellar vermis), and cyst formation near the lowest
part of the skull. An increase in the size of the fluid
spaces surrounding the brain as well as an increase in
pressure may also be present.
Dandy-Walker Syndrome is frequently associated with
disorders of other areas of the central nervous system,
including absence of the area made up of nerve fibers
connecting the two cerebral hemispheres (corpus callosum)
and malformations of the heart, face, limbs, fingers and toes.
DYSLEXIA
Dyslexia is a brain-based type of learning disability that
specifically impairs a person's ability to read. These
individuals typically read at levels significantly lower
than expected despite having normal intelligence.
Although the disorder varies from person to person,
common characteristics among people with dyslexia are
difficulty with phonological processing (the
manipulation of sounds), spelling, and/or rapid visual-
verbal responding. In individuals with adult onset of
dyslexia, it usually occurs as a result of brain injury or
in the context of dementia; this contrasts with
individuals with dyslexia who simply were never
identified as children or adolescents
SUBACUTE SCLEROSING PANENCEPHALITIS
Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a
progressive neurological disorder of children and
young adults that affects the central nervous system
(CNS). It is a slow, but persistent, viral infection
caused by defective measles virus.
The initial symptoms of SSPE are subtle and include
mild mental deterioration (such as memory loss) and
changes in behavior (such as irritability) followed by
disturbances in motor function, including
uncontrollable involuntary jerking movements of the
head, trunk or limbs called myoclonic jerks. Seizures
may also occur. Some people may become blind. In
advanced stages of the disease, individuals may lose
the ability to walk, as their muscles stiffen or spasm
STURGE-WEBER SYNDROME
Sturge-Weber syndrome is a neurological disorder
indicated at birth by a port-wine stain birthmark on the
forehead and upper eyelid of on The birthmark can vary
in color from light pink to deep purple and is caused by
an overabundance of capillaries around the trigeminal
nerve just beneath the surface of the face. Sturge-
Weber syndrome is also accompanied by abnormal
blood vessels on the brain surface and the loss of nerve
cells and calcification of underlying tissue in the cerebral
cortex of the brain on the same side of the brain as the
birthmark. Neurological symptoms include seizures that
begin in infancy and may worsen with agee side of the
face.