What is PSP & CBD?

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degneration (CBD) are neurodegenerative brain diseases that have no known cause, treatment or cure.  They affect nerve cells that control walking, balance, mobility, vision, speech, and swallowing.  Five to six people per 100,000 will develop PSP.  That ratio is even smaller for CBD patients.  Symptoms begin, on average, when an individual is in the early 60's, but may start as early as in the 40's.  PSP is slightly more common in men than women, but PSP has no known geographical, occuptional or racial preference.

PSP displays a wide range of symptoms including:

+  Loss of balance.
+  Changes in personality such as a loss of interest in ordinary pleasurable activities or increased irritability.
+  Weakness of eye movements, especially in the downward direction.
+  Weakened movements of the mouth, tongue and throat.
+  Slurred speech.
+  Difficulty swallowing.

Symptoms of CBD include:

+  Stiffness, shakiness, jerkiness, slowness, and clumsiness in either the upper or lower extremities
+  Difficulty with speech generation (dysphasia)
+  Difficulty with articulation (dysarthria)
+  Difficulty controlling the muscles of the face and mouth
+  Walking and balance difficulty
+  Asymmetric onset of symptoms (occuring on one side of the body first then gradually moving to the other side)
+  Memory or behavior problems

PSP and CBD currently have no direct course of effective treatment or medication, although some drugs and therapies provide  temporary or modest benefit to treat symptoms.

Read more detailed information about PSP.

Learn more about corticobasal degeneration (CBD).