NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE
Neurodegenerative diseases are a group of chronic, progressive disorders characterised by the slow loss of neurons in localised areas of the central nervous system (CNS). A healthy brain enables the normal, routine functioning of everyday life. The brain relies on millions of cells called neurons to socialise, exercise, talk and perform other actions. A neurodegenerative disease arises from any minor miscommunication between cells, affecting basic actions until it reaches a point of complete collapse.
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The mechanism(s) underlying their progressive nature remains unknown. A timely and well-controlled inflammatory reaction is essential for the integrity and proper function of the CNS. Neurodegenerative disease is characterised by the slow progressive loss of neurons in the central nervous system (CNS), which leads to deficits in specific brain functions (e.g. memory, movement, cognition) performed by the affected CNS region.
Alzheimer's disease (AD)
causes a gradual loss of memory, movement, speech and ability to reason. As the brain atrophies, cells begin to die slowly, which is a precursor to dementia.
Parkinson's disease
is a progressive illness that hones in on the nervous system and affects mobility. Symptoms such as tremors, slow movements and muscle stiffness gradually progress with time.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS
is muscle deterioration due to injury to the nerve cells in the spinal cord leading up to the brain. Medically, there is no exact explanation for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as Lou Gehrig's disease, named after the baseball player inflicted by the disease.
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
is a condition that targets the central nervous system and severely affects the spinal cord and brain. The immune system mistakenly destroys the nerve fibre's protective sheath, and as a result, interrupts the brain's communicative patterns.
Huntington's disease (HD)
is a hereditary disease that progressively breaks down brain cells and causes neurological decline and psychiatric illness.
Multiple system atrophy (MSA)
affects the brain's nerve cells and therefore results in a decline in digestion or breathing and causes bladder incontinence.
