Canavan disease facts* *Canavan disease facts medical author: Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD Canavan disease is a gene-linked neurological disorder that results in brain tissue degeneration. The cause of the disease is a genetic disorder that causes oligodendrocytes to remain immature and then die, thereby not completing the synthesis of myelin sheaths. The mutation is...
*Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) facts Readers Comments 2 Share Your Story *Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) facts medically edited on Oct. 28, 2015, by Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is composed of types of inherited neurological disorders that affect motor and sensory peripheral nerves (neuropathy), resulting in weakness in the musculature; the disease may get...
Facts you should know about head injuries Picture of the brain and potential brain injury areas. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) account for thousands of deaths each year in the U.S. As well, significant numbers of people suffer temporary or permanent disability due to brain injury. Head injury does not necessarily mean brain injury. The bony...
What is peripheral artery disease? Patients with peripheral artery disease have a higher risk of heart attack or stroke than patients with other diseases. Peripheral artery disease is a condition in which extremities (usually the legs) do not receive sufficient blood flow due to the narrowing of or blocks in arteries. Peripheral artery disease is...
Can the vagus nerve cause seizures? Stimulation of the vagus nerve is used to treat seizures. No, in fact, the vagus nerve is used to treat seizures that do not respond to medications. The vagus nerve is an important pathway to the brain in addition to helping to control seizures. Stimulation of the vagus nerve...
What is multiple sclerosis (MS)? Readers Comments 2 Share Your Story Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that causes demyelination of the brain and spinal cord, or a loss of the protective covering around nerve fibers called axons. When this occurs, the axons (the parts of the nerve cells that transmit impulses to other cells)...
Seizures are a medical emergency. Whether the seizure is a first-time onset or a recurring episode, it is advisable to dial 911 and call for help. A group of drugs called benzodiazepines is usually administered to stop multiple seizures. Seizures are a medical emergency. Whether the seizure is a first-time onset or a recurring episode,...
The exact triggers of dystonia are not entirely known. However, researchers believe it can develop from genetic mutations, as a side effect of medications or as a symptom of another disease. Dystonia may be inherited as in cases of several syndromes or acquired as a result of environmental, infectious or disease-related brain damage. Certain types...
What is multiple sclerosis (MS)? Symptoms of MS include weakness, fatigue, tingling, pain, and vision problems. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks myelinated axons in the brain and spinal cord nerve fibers (central nervous system), damaging or destroying the myelin (demyelination) and/or the axons (nerve tissue). Sclerosis means...
Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) or Devic disease is a rare, autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) doesn't cause fatigue, but living with the disease can lead to fatigue. Fatigue is the lack of mental or physical energy. Fatigue can be a direct result of a disease process (primary...