Neurologic Diseases

Neurologic diseases are disorders of the brain, spinal cord and nerves throughout your body. Together they control all the workings of the body. When something goes wrong with a part of your nervous system, you can have trouble moving, speaking, swallowing, breathing or learning. You can also have problems with your memory, senses or mood.

There are more than 600 neurologic diseases. Major types include

• Diseases caused by faulty genes, such as Huntington's disease and muscular dystrophy
• Problems with the way the nervous system develops, such as spina bifida
• Degenerative diseases, where nerve cells are damaged or die, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease
• Diseases of the blood vessels that supply the brain, such as stroke
• Injuries to the spinal cord and brain
• Seizure disorders, such as epilepsy
• Cancer, such as brain tumors
• infections, such as meningitis

External Resources

Neuroguide.com - Neurosciences on the Internet - Neurosciences on the Internet contains a searchable and browsable index of neuroscience resources available on the World Wide Web and other parts of the Internet. Neurobiology, neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, psychology, cognitive science sites and information on human neurological diseases are covered.

Boulianne Lab. - Neurological studies in Drosophila, applied to aging and human neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer's. Overview and contacts at Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Canada.

CNS Healthcare - Clinical Neuroscience Solutions - Advanced evaluations, treatments, monitoring, education, for those with psychiatric and neurological diseases.

Brain Update - "Science Friday" audio discussion with Martin Citron, Charles Gross, and Evan Snyder on the 1999 discovery that new neurons are continually being added to the brains of adult monkeys, even to parts of the brain responsible for very high-level functioning, and what this might mean for learning, memory and the treatment of neurological diseases. Features related links.

Peter Lansbury - From the Center for Neurologic Diseases and Laboratory for Drug Discovery in Neurodegeneration at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory - The University of Minnesota lab's research is concerned with the neural control of human movement during development and in neurological disease.

Electron-Transfer Factors in Psychosis and Dyskinesia - Article on the role of free radicals in neurological diseases from 1972.

Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental Health - Specializes in research in gastrointestinal, renal, carcinogenesis, birth defects, neurological diseases, adverse drug reactions, carciovascular and bioinformatics. Includes mission statement, laboratory facilities, and publications [pdf].

National Institute for Minamata Disease - Conducts medical research to improve treatment for victims of Minamata disease (neurological disorder caused by methylmercury poisoning). Provides project information.

Prionics AG - Focused on developing diagnostic tests for prion diseases, and other neurological disorders.

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