What is a Neurologic Disorder?

June 27, 2022

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Our nervous system helps us see, smell, and move around the world. It organises, explains, and connects us to the things we see and hear.

In other terms, Neurological disorders are a category of illnesses that affect the central and peripheral nervous systems. The central nervous system (CNS) includes the brain and the spinal cord, while the peripheral nervous system (PNS) consists of the nerves that branch out from these areas and into other body parts.

Neurological diseases affect the brain and the nerves in the body. Structural, biochemical, or electrical abnormalities in the brain, spinal cord, or other nerves can cause various symptoms. Examples of symptoms include paralysis, muscle weakness, poor coordination, loss of sensation, seizures, memory loss, confusion, pain, and an altered level of consciousness.

There are many possible causes of neurological problems, including genetic disorders, congenital abnormalities or disorders, infections, lifestyle or environmental health problems, malnutrition, brain injury, spinal cord injury, or nerve injury. In addition, there are many types of neurological disorders, some of which are more common than others. On the other hand, mental disorders primarily involve abnormalities of thought, feeling or behaviour, which can cause distress or impairment of function.

Neurological disabilities encompass various disorders, such as epilepsy, learning disabilities, neuromuscular disorders, autism, ADD, brain tumours, and cerebral palsy. Some neurological conditions are genetic, appearing before birth. Neurological disabilities can be caused by various factors, including tumours, degeneration, trauma, infections, and structural defects. Regardless of the cause, all neurological disabilities resulting from damage to the nervous system. If the damage is located in specific areas of the body, the extent to which those areas of the body are impacted can vary.

There are over 600 neurological disorders with various causes. Some of these reasons include:

Genetic disorders
Congenital anomalies
Infections
Brain injury

Headache

Headache is one of the most common types of pain. There are many types of headaches, including migraine, sinus headaches, cluster headaches, and tension headaches. The most common type of headache is tension, which is caused by tight neck, jaw, scalp, and shoulders muscles. The common trigger factors of headaches include stress, lack of sleep, consumption of alcohol and missing out on meals.

Seizure

There are two main types of seizures: generalised seizures that affect both sides of the brain and focal seizures that only affect one specific brain area.

The two types of generalised seizures are:

Absence seizures: Absence seizures can cause symptoms such as blinking rapidly or staring into space.
Tonic-clonic seizure: Tonic-clonic seizures can cause crying out, falling on the ground, muscle spasms or cramps, and loss of consciousness.

The two types of focal seizures include

Simple focus seizure May cause an unusual taste or odour and twitching
A complex focal seizure can cause confusion or disorientation.

Alzheimer’s’ disease and dementia

Dementia is a group of symptoms associated with a progressive decline in brain function. There are various forms of dementia. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.

Signs of AD include:

Amnesia
Lost or misplaced items
Wander and get lost
Repeated questions
Impaired judgment
Difficulty handling money and paying invoices
It takes time to complete daily tasks
Loss of spontaneity and sense of initiative
Increased anxiety, aggression, or both
Changes in mood and personality

Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is caused by a loss of nerve cells in the part of the brain that controls movement and coordination. This can lead to the following symptoms:

Muscle tremors that typically start in the hand or arm
Muscle stiffness that can affect movement and facial expressions
slowed movement, which may manifest as slow and shuffling walking

Parkinson’s Disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s Disease. There is currently no known cause for the loss of nerve cells in PD.

Stroke

Stroke is the medical term for interrupting the blood supply to part of the brain. If the brain doesn’t have enough blood flow, its cells can’t get the oxygen and nutrients they need to function and survive.

There are three types of stroke:

Ischemic stroke resulting from a blood clot in a blood vessel that supplies the brain
Hemorrhagic stroke resulting from a ruptured blood vessel in the brain
Transient ischemic attack (TIA) results from a temporary interruption in the blood supply to the brain.

As cells within the affected brain area die off, they can no longer perform their vital functions. Therefore, the stroke symptoms a person experiences will depend on the area of the brain affected.

The signs of a stroke can include

Sudden confusion
Difficulty understanding speech
Difficulty speaking
Difficulty seeing in one or both eyes
Severe headache
Numbness or weakness on one side of the body
Difficulty walking and dizziness

ALS: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rare neuromuscular condition that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Doctors aren’t sure what causes ALS, but genetics and environmental factors may contribute to the disease. The symptoms of muscle weakness and twitching, tight and stiff muscles, slurred speech, and difficulty breathing and swallowing can be challenging to diagnose and often require the evaluation of a neuromuscular neurologist.