Degenerative Nerve Diseases (Print Version)

Also called: Also called: Neurodegenerative diseases

Degenerative nerve diseases cause worsening of many of your body's activities, including balance, movement, talking, breathing and heart function. Many of these diseases are genetic, which means they run in families or you have a genetic mutation. Certain medical conditions such as alcoholism, a tumor or a stroke can cause other types. Toxins, chemicals or viruses might cause still other types.

Examples of degenerative nerve diseases include

Alzheimer's disease
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Friedreich's ataxia
Huntington's disease
Lewy body disease
Parkinson's disease
Spinal muscular atrophy

Degenerative nerve diseases can be serious or life-threatening. It depends on their type. Most of them have no cure. The goal of treatment is usually to improve symptoms, relieve pain and increase mobility.

Start Here

Motor Neuron Diseases(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/motor_neuron_diseases/motor_neuron_diseases.htm

Diagnosis/Symptoms

Electromyography and Nerve Conduction Velocities(Muscular Dystrophy Association) - http://www.mda.org/publications/Quest/q75ss.html

Specific Conditions

Alpers' Disease(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/alpersdisease/alpersdisease.htm
Ataxia(We Move) - http://www.wemove.org/ataxia/
Cerebro-Oculo-Facio-Skeletal Syndrome(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cofs/cofs.htm
Corticobasal Degeneration(We Move) - http://www.wemove.org/cbd/
Leigh's Disease(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/leighsdisease/leighsdisease.htm
Machado-Joseph Disease(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/machado_joseph/detail_machado_joseph.htm
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/trastornos/Enfermedad_de_Machado-Joseph.htm
Monomelic Amyotrophy(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/monomelic_amyotrophy/monomelic_amyotrophy.htm
Multiple System Atrophy(We Move) - http://www.wemove.org/msa/
Multiple System Atrophy with Orthostatic Hypotension(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/msa_orthostatic_hypotension/msa_orthostatic_hypotension.htm
Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/nbia/nbia.htm
Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/opca/opca.htm
Opsoclonus Myoclonus(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/opsoclonus_myoclonus/opsoclonus_myoclonus.htm
Paraneoplastic Syndromes(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/paraneoplastic/paraneoplastic.htm
Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/pml/pml.htm
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (Prion Diseases)(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tse/tse.htm

Anatomy/Physiology

Atlas of the Body: The Nervous System(American Medical Association) - http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZB2KOBGJC&sub_cat=185

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Ataxia(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Ataxia%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Neurodegenerative Diseases(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Neurodegenerative+Diseases%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Prion Diseases(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Prion+Diseases%22

Genetics

Genetics Home Reference: Andermann syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=andermannsyndrome
Genetics Home Reference: Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=ataxiawithoculomotorapraxia
Genetics Home Reference: Autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=autosomalrecessivespasticataxiaofcharlevoixsaguenay
Genetics Home Reference: Familial encephalopathy with neuroserpin inclusion bodies(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=familialencephalopathywithneuroserpininclusionbodies
Genetics Home Reference: Infantile-onset ascending hereditary spastic paralysis(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=infantileonsetascendinghereditaryspasticparalysis
Genetics Home Reference: Juvenile primary lateral sclerosis(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=juvenileprimarylateralsclerosis
Genetics Home Reference: Marinesco-Sjögren syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=marinescosjogrensyndrome
Genetics Home Reference: Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=pantothenatekinaseassociatedneurodegeneration

Research

Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/womenshealth/research/pregbirth/birthdefects.cfm
Prion Diseases: Basic Research(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/prion/basicResearch.htm

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: The cell cycle molecules behind neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease: perspectives... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18855671&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Research in motion: the enigma of Parkinson's disease pathology spread. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18769444&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Grey matter pathology in multiple sclerosis. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18703006&tool=MedlinePlus
Degenerative Nerve Diseases -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=nerve+degeneration[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+systematic[sb])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Directories

Find a Board-Certified Neurosurgeon(American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons) - http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/findaneuro/
Find a Neurologist(American Academy of Neurology) - http://www.thebrainmatters.org/index.cfm?key=1.2.2
Find a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician(American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) - http://www.e-aapmr.org/imis/imisonline/findphys/find.cfm

Organizations

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/
We Move - http://www.wemove.org/

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Alzheimer's Disease - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alzheimersdisease.html
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/amyotrophiclateralsclerosis.html
Brain Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/braindiseases.html
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/creutzfeldtjakobdisease.html
Friedreich's Ataxia - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/friedreichsataxia.html
Genetic Brain Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/geneticbraindisorders.html
Multiple Sclerosis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/multiplesclerosis.html
Parkinson's Disease - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/parkinsonsdisease.html
Peripheral Nerve Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/peripheralnervedisorders.html
Polio and Post-Polio Syndrome - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/polioandpostpoliosyndrome.html
Rett Syndrome - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/rettsyndrome.html
Brain and Nerves - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/brainandnerves.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Degenerative Nerve Diseases is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/