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Brain, Spinal Cord, and Nerve Disorders

Biology of the Nervous System
Symptoms of Brain, Spinal Cord, and Nerve Disorders
Diagnosis of Brain, Spinal Cord, and Nerve Disorders
Autonomic Nervous System Disorders
Brain Dysfunction
Brain Infections
Coma and Impaired Consciousness
Cranial Nerve Disorders
Craniocervical Junction Disorders
- Craniocervical Junction Disorders
  - Causes
    - Present at birth
    - Acquired
  - Symptoms
  - Diagnosis
  - Treatment
Delirium and Dementia
Headaches

Meningitis
Movement Disorders
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Related Disorders
Pain
Peripheral Nerve Disorders
Prion Diseases
Seizure Disorders
- Seizure Disorders
Sleep Disorders
Spinal Cord Disorders
Stroke (CVA)
Tumors of the Nervous System

The nervous system is an extraordinarily complex communication system that can send and receive large amounts of information simultaneously. The nervous system has two distinct parts: the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord). The basic unit of the nervous system is the nerve cell (neuron). Nerve cells routinely increase or decrease the number of connections they have with other nerve cells. This process may partly explain how people learn, adapt, and form memories. But the brain and spinal cord rarely produce new nerve cells.

Brain, Spinal Cord, and Nerve Disorders Sections (A-Z)

Autonomic Nervous System Disorders

The autonomic nervous system regulates certain body processes, such as blood pressure and the rate of breathing. This system works automatically (autonomously), without a person’s conscious effort.

Overview of the Autonomic Nervous System
Autonomic Neuropathies
Horner Syndrome
Multiple System Atrophy
Pure Autonomic Failure

Biology of the Nervous System

The nervous system has two distinct parts: the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord).

Overview of the Nervous System
Brain
Spinal Cord
Nerves
Effects of Aging on the Nervous System

Brain Dysfunction

Brain damage can cause many types of dysfunction. Such dysfunction ranges from complete loss of consciousness (as occurs in a coma), to disorientation and an inability to pay attention (as occurs in delirium), to impairment of one or several of the many specific functions that contribute to conscious experience.

Overview of Brain Dysfunction
Brain Dysfunction by Location
Agnosia
Aphasia
Apraxia
Dysarthria
Amnesia
Transient Global Amnesia
Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

Brain Infections

Infections of the brain can be caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, or, occasionally, protozoa or parasites. Another group of brain disorders, called spongiform encephalopathies, are caused by abnormal substances called prions.

Overview of Brain Infections
Abscess of the Brain
Encephalitis
Intracranial Epidural Abscess and Subdural Empyema
Parasitic Brain Infections
Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML)
Rabies

Coma and Impaired Consciousness

Consciousness has two parts:

Consciousness
Stupor and Coma
Vegetative State
Minimally Conscious State
Locked-In Syndrome
Brain Death

Cranial Nerve Disorders

Twelve pairs of nerves—the cranial nerves—lead directly from the brain to various parts of the head, neck, and trunk. Some of the cranial nerves are involved in the special senses (such as seeing, hearing, and taste), and others control muscles in the face or regulate glands. The nerves are named and numbered (according to their location, from the front of the brain to the back).

Overview of the Cranial Nerves
Internuclear Ophthalmoplegia
Conjugate Gaze Palsies
Third Cranial Nerve (Oculomotor Nerve) Palsy
Fourth Cranial Nerve (Trochlear Nerve) Palsy
Sixth Cranial Nerve (Abducens Nerve) Palsy
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Bell Palsy
Hemifacial Spasm
Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia
Hypoglossal Nerve Disorders

Craniocervical Junction Disorders

Craniocervical junction disorders are abnormalities of the bones that join the head and neck. (Cranio- means skull, and cervical means neck.)

Craniocervical Junction Disorders

Delirium and Dementia

Delirium and dementia are the most common causes of mental (cognitive) dysfunction—the inability to acquire, retain, and use knowledge normally.

Overview of Delirium and Dementia
Delirium
Dementia
Alzheimer Disease
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)
Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)
HIV-Associated Dementia
Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson Disease Dementia
Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus
Vascular Dementia

Diagnosis of Brain, Spinal Cord, and Nerve Disorders

The nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body (peripheral nerves).

Introduction to the Diagnosis of Brain, Spinal Cord, and Nerve Disorders
Medical History
Neurologic Examination
Tests for Brain, Spinal Cord, and Nerve Disorders

Headaches

A headache is pain in any part of the head, including the scalp, upper neck, face, and interior of the head. Headaches are one of the most common reasons people visit a doctor.

Overview of Headache
Cluster Headaches
Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension
Low-Pressure Headache
Migraines
Short-Lasting Unilateral Neuralgiform Headache With Conjunctival Injection and Tearing (SUNCT)
Tension-Type Headaches

Meningitis

Meningitis is inflammation of the layers of tissue that cover the brain and spinal cord (meninges) and of the fluid-filled space between the meninges (subarachnoid space).

Introduction to Meningitis
Acute Bacterial Meningitis
Viral Meningitis
Noninfectious Meningitis
Recurrent Meningitis
Subacute and Chronic Meningitis

Movement Disorders

Every body movement, from raising a hand to smiling, involves a complex interaction between the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), nerves, and muscles. Damage to or malfunction of any of these components may result in a movement disorder.

Overview of Movement Disorders
Chorea, Athetosis, and Hemiballismus
Coordination Disorders
Dystonia
Cervical Dystonia
Fragile X–Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome
Huntington Disease
Myoclonus
Parkinson Disease (PD)
Parkinsonism
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)
Tremor

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Related Disorders

Most nerve fibers inside and outside the brain are wrapped with many layers of tissue composed of a fat (lipoprotein) called myelin. These layers form the myelin sheath. Much like the insulation around an electrical wire, the myelin sheath enables nerve signals (electrical impulses) to be conducted along the nerve fiber with speed and accuracy. When the myelin sheath is damaged, nerves do not conduct electrical impulses normally. Sometimes the nerve fibers are also damaged.

Overview of Demyelinating Disorders
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD)
Other Primary Demyelinating Diseases

Pain

Pain is an unpleasant sensation signaling actual or possible injury.

Overview of Pain
Chronic Pain
Neuropathic Pain
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Nociceptive Pain
Psychologic Factors That Contribute to Pain
Evaluation of Pain
Treatment of Pain

Peripheral Nerve Disorders

The peripheral nervous system refers to the parts of the nervous system that are outside the central nervous system, that is, those outside the brain and spinal cord.

Overview of the Peripheral Nervous System
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Other Motor Neuron Diseases (MNDs)
Overview of Neuromuscular Junction Disorders
Myasthenia Gravis
Eaton-Lambert Syndrome
Isaacs Syndrome
Stiff-Person Syndrome
Plexus Disorders
Thoracic Outlet Syndromes (TOS)
Mononeuropathy
Multiple Mononeuropathy
Polyneuropathy
Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)
Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)
Hereditary Neuropathies
Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
Hereditary Neuropathy With Liability to Pressure Palsies (HNPP)
Spinal Muscular Atrophies (SMAs)

Prion Diseases

Prion diseases are rare progressive, fatal, and currently untreatable degenerative disorders of the brain (and rarely of other organs) that result when a protein changes into an abnormal form called prion.

Overview of Prion Diseases
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)
Fatal Insomnia
Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker Disease (GSS)
Kuru
Prion Disease Associated With Diarrhea and Autonomic Neuropathy
Variably Protease-Sensitive Prionopathy

Seizure Disorders

In seizure disorders, the brain's electrical activity is periodically disturbed, resulting in some degree of temporary brain dysfunction.

Seizure Disorders

Sleep Disorders

Sleep is necessary for survival and good health, but why sleep is needed and exactly how it benefits people are not fully understood. One of sleep's benefits is its restorative effect on people's ability to function normally during the daytime. Sleep may be restorative because during sleep, the body removes a toxic protein called beta-amyloid (a waste product of the brain's normal activity) from the brain. When this protein accumulates, it interferes with the brain's functioning.

Overview of Sleep
Snoring
Insomnia and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS)
Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders
Narcolepsy
Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) and Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)
Parasomnias
Sleep Disorders in Dementia

Spinal Cord Disorders

The spinal cord is the main pathway of communication between the brain and the rest of the body. It is a long, fragile, tubelike structure that extends downward from the base of the brain. The cord is protected by the back bones (vertebrae) of the spine (spinal column). The vertebrae are separated and cushioned by disks made of cartilage.

Overview of Spinal Cord Disorders
Acute Transverse Myelitis
Blockage of the Spinal Cord’s Blood Supply
Cervical Spondylosis
Compression of the Spinal Cord
Hereditary Spastic Paraparesis
Subacute Combined Degeneration
Syrinx of the Spinal Cord and Brain Stem
Tropical Spastic Paraparesis/HTLV-1–Associated Myelopathy

Stroke (CVA)

A stroke occurs when an artery to the brain becomes blocked or ruptures, resulting in death of an area of brain tissue due to loss of its blood supply (cerebral infarction) and causing sudden symptoms.

Overview of Stroke
Ischemic Stroke
Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs)
Overview of Hemorrhagic Stroke
Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Symptoms of Brain, Spinal Cord, and Nerve Disorders

Disorders that affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerves are called neurologic disorders.

Introduction to Symptoms of Brain, Spinal Cord, and Nerve Disorders
Memory Loss
Muscle Cramps
Numbness
Weakness

Tumors of the Nervous System

A tumor is an abnormal growth, whether noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). In many parts of the body, a noncancerous tumor causes few or no problems. However, if any growth or mass in the brain (brain tumor) or spinal cord (spinal cord tumor) is getting larger, it can cause considerable damage because the structures that contain the brain (the skull) and spinal cord (the spine) cannot expand to make room for any increase in their contents.

Overview of Tumors of the Nervous System
Overview of Brain Tumors
Some Specific Brain Tumors
Spinal Cord Tumors
Damage to the Nervous System Due to Radiation Therapy

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Also of Interest

Test your knowledge

Chorea is repetitive, brief, irregular, somewhat rapid involuntary movement that starts in one part of the body and moves to another part. Athetosis is a continuous stream of slow, flowing, writhing involuntary movements. Some drugs and disorders tend to worsen chorea and athetosis by increasing levels of which brain chemical?