nervous system disease
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epilepsy
Epilepsy monitoring during a neurological evaluation.
Nervous system diseases affect the complex network responsible for processing information and coordinating bodily responses. These conditions can stem from various causes, including infections, autoimmune responses, and inherited metabolic disorders.123
Two primary categories of nervous system diseases are:
- Demyelinating diseases: These occur when the myelin sheath, which insulates nerve fibers, is destroyed. This damage disrupts the transmission of electrical impulses, leading to functional blockages. Examples include conditions following viral infections or immune deficiencies.3
- Degenerative diseases: These are characterized by the progressive destruction of neurons without a clear external cause. Well-known examples include Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, and Huntington disease, which affect different parts of the brain and nervous system.345
Many of these diseases involve disruptions in chemical signaling between nerve cells, known as neurotransmitters. Research is continually uncovering the metabolic and genetic bases for these conditions.43
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