neuropathology

medicine

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June 17, 2026

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Neuropathology is the study of diseases affecting the nervous system. It involves examining nervous system tissue, often through a biopsy, to diagnose conditions that may not be apparent otherwise.12

Neuropathologies can manifest in various ways, including demyelinating diseases where myelin, the insulation for nerve fibers, is destroyed, leading to impaired electrical impulse conduction. Degenerative diseases involve the progressive destruction of neurons, affecting areas like the cerebral cortex or basal ganglia. Genetic factors also play a significant role, with inherited neurological diseases impacting different parts of the nervous system. Understanding these conditions is crucial for diagnosing and managing a wide range of neurological disorders.34

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autism
Neurodevelopmental features
In the 1970s and ’80s, studies of children living with autism and postmortem investigations of autistic individuals led to the identification of associations between autism and minor physical anomalies, such as increased body size, enlarged head circumference, and increased brain weight. Later research…
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In the 1970s and ’80s, studies of children living with autism and postmortem investigations of autistic individuals led to the identification of associations between autism and minor physical anomalies, such as increased body size, enlarged head circumference, and increased brain weight. Later research…
Read More

chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Neuropathology of CTE
Postmortem analyses have indicated that the symptoms of CTE are associated with neuropathological changes in the brain that are specific to repeated head trauma. Such changes include the atrophy of certain brain structures, such as the cerebral cortex, diencephalon, and medial temporal…
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Postmortem analyses have indicated that the symptoms of CTE are associated with neuropathological changes in the brain that are specific to repeated head trauma. Such changes include the atrophy of certain brain structures, such as the cerebral cortex, diencephalon, and medial temporal…
Read More

mental disorder
Neuropathology
In the past the postmortem study of the brain revealed information upon which great advances in understanding the etiology of neurological and some mental disorders were based, leading to German psychiatrist Wilhelm Griesinger’s postulate “All mental illness is disease of the brain.” The application…
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In the past the postmortem study of the brain revealed information upon which great advances in understanding the etiology of neurological and some mental disorders were based, leading to German psychiatrist Wilhelm Griesinger’s postulate “All mental illness is disease of the brain.” The application…
Read More