NEUROLOGICAL

DISORDER

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.

.

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.

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