Glossary for Brain conditions

Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis: A rare neurological disorder where an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord occurs due to damage to the protective covering (myelin sheath) around the nerves.
Adrenoleukodystrophy: A rare disorder which has characteristic symptoms of Addison disease (adrenocortical insufficiency) and Schilder disease (cerebral sclerosis). Bronze skin, brain sclerosis and demyelination are the main symptoms.
Adult-onset ALD: Form of ALD in adults.
Agenesis of the corpus callosum: Congenital absence of connective part of the brain.
Agnosia: Agnosia is a loss of ability to recognize objects, persons, sounds, shapes, or smells while the specific sense is not defective nor is there any significant memory loss.
Aicardi syndrome: A rare genetic disorder where the structure connecting the two halves of the brain fails to develop which results in seizures and eye abnormalities .
Alexander Syndrome: Brain myelin disorder causing mental degeneration.
All Disease Categories: All major disease categories
Alpers Syndrome: A rare syndrome characterized by liver disease, seizures and progressive, episodic psychomotor retardation.
Alternating Hemiplegia: Episodes of one-sided paralysis.
Alveolar Hydatid Disease: Rare multi-organ tapeworm infection caught from animals.
Alzheimer's Disease: Dementia-causing brain disease mostly in seniors and the elderly.
Amnesia: Memory loss
Amnesic shellfish poisoning: Rare shellfish poisoning sometimes causing amnesia.
Amnestic disorder: Memory decline disorder
Anencephaly: A birth defect where most or all of the brain is missing - most die before birth. Usually the associated portions of skull and other tissue are also missing.
Angelman syndrome: A rare genetic disorder characterized by a puppet-like gait, fits of laughter and characteristic facial features.
Anoxia: Lack of oxygen to the body's tissues.
Aphasia: Language difficulty usually from brain damage or stroke.
Apraxia: A neurological disorder where the sufferer is unable to perform familiar actions such as tying shoelaces even though they understand the action required.
Arachnoid Cysts: A rare disorder involving a fluid-filled cysts on the arachnoid membrane which is one of the thin layers of tissue that form a membrane which covers the spinal cord and brain. The type and severity of symptoms is determined by the size and location of the cyst.
Arachnoiditis: A progressive disorder where the arachnoid membrane becomes inflamed and the brain and spinal cord may also become inflamed.
Arteriovenous Malformation: Birth defect of a tangle of veins and arteries.
Asperger syndrome: A neuropsychiatric disorder mainly involving the inability to understand and becoming involved in social interaction.
Astrocytoma: A malignant tumour of the nervous system composed of astrocytes.
Ataxia Telangiectasia: A rare inherited childhood disorder involving progressive degeneration of the nervous system.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Behavioral disorder with hyperactivity and/or inattention.
Auditory Processing Disorder: Failure of the brain to correctly process sound.
Autism: Childhood mental condition with social and communication difficulties.
Bacterial meningitis: Bacterial meningitis is a form of meningitis caused by bacteria that normally lives in the mouth and throat. When the immune system is unable to supress this bacteria, it travels to the cerebrospinal spinal fluid in the brain. From there it affects the membranes surrounding the brain.
Balance disorders: Various disorders impairing the body's sense of balance.
Behcet's Disease: Recurring inflammation of small blood vessels affecting various areas.
Binswanger's Disease: A type of senile dementia characterized by chronic cerebrovascular disease.
Bipolar disorder: Cycles of mania and depression; commonly called "manic-depression".
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy: This is a medical condition caused by the transmission of an infective prion causing an encephalopathy
Brain abscess: Pus accumulating into an abscess on the brain
Brain cancer: Cancer of the brain.
Brain compression: Internal compression of the brain
Brain damage: Damage to the brain from various causes
Canavan disease: Rare genetic degenerative brain disease in infants.
Central Pain Syndrome: Central pain syndrome is a neurological condition caused by damage to or dysfunction of the central nervous system (CNS), which includes the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord.
Cephalic disorders: Various congenital brain defects
Cephalic tetanus: Rare severe form of tetanus of the brain and head.
Cerebral Aneurysm: Dangerous swelling of a brain blood vessel that may rupture.
Cerebral Arteriosclerosis: Hardening or blockage of arteries in the brain.
Cerebral Atrophy: Wasting away of the brain.
Cerebral Palsy: Any brain disorder causing movement disability
Cerebral hemorrhage: Bleeding in the brain
Cerebrovascular Conditions: Conditions of the brain's blood vessels including stroke.
Chiari Malformation: Protrusion of the brain down the spinal column.
Chorea: Any disorder causing involuntary movement or spasms.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) of mule deer and elk: Prion brain disease affecting deer or elk but not humans
Classic childhood ALD: Classic severe form of ALD in boys.
Cognitive impairment: General loss of mental or cognitive ability
Coma: Prolonged unconsciousness
Concussion: Brain injury causing loss of consciousness and bruising of the brain
Convulsions: Involuntary spasms especially those affecting the full body
Corticobasal Degeneration: A rare progressive neurological disorder where parts of the brain deteriorate.
Craniosynostosis: A defect involving the fusion of one or more bones in the skull before it has finished growing which affects the head size and shape and can affect the growth of the brain. The defect is often associated with other conditions. Symptoms are determined by which skull bones are prematurely fused.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: A very rare degenerative brain disease that can be inherited, transmitted (eg in surgical transplants using infected tissue) or as a result of genetic mutations. The condition is fatal.
Cryptococcal Meningitis: Cryptococcal meningitis is an infection of the meninges (the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord), caused by the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans.
Dandy-Walker Syndrome: A congenital brain malformation characterized by increased fluid in the brain.
Delirium: Severe state of mental confusion
Dementia: Various mental impairment conditions.
Dementia With Lewy Bodies: Second most frequent cause of dementia in elderly adults.
Dysarthria: Imperfect articulation of speech
Dysgraphia: Difficulty with writing.
Dyslexia: Dyslexia is a name for a condition where people have difficulty with reading and writing. People with dyslexia have normal intelligence and are not in any way mentally retarded or intellectually challenged. The difficulty with certain tasks is believed to be related to problems with perception capability in certain parts of the brain. Researchers have discovered that there are a number of genes linked to an increased susceptibility to dyslexia.
Dystonias: Muscle problems causing movement disorders
Eastern equine encephalitis: Is a mosquito born virus that occurs in the eastern united states and causes disease in humans, horses and some birds
Embolism: Blockage of an artery or blood vessel
Empty Sella Syndrome: Congenital defect of the brain.
Encephalitis: Dangerous infection of the brain
Encephalitis, California serogroup viral: A mosquito borne viral illness
Encephaloceles: Improper protrusions of parts of the meninges and brain.
Epilepsy: Brain condition causing seizures or spasms.
Fahr's Syndrome: A rare neurologic disorder where calcium is deposited in various parts of the brain resulting in progressive loss of motor and mental function.
Falls: When a person losses balance and falls over
Fatal familial insomnia: A very rare inherited brain disease that severely affects sleep and causes progressive deterioration of mental and movement functions.
Febrile Seizures: Fever-caused seizures in infants or children.
Feline spongiform encephalopathy: A prion disease believed to affect felines in a similar fashion to bovine spongiform encephalitis
Female carrier ALD: Mild form of ALD in female carriers
Fetal alcohol syndrome: A pattern of mental and physical birth defects caused by excessive alcohol use during pregnancy. The range and severity of the symptoms may vary greatly.
Friedreich's ataxia: Progressive muscle weakness from nerve damage.
GSS (Gerstmann Sträussler Syndrome): Rare brain disease due to prions
Gaucher Disease: A rare inherited biochemical disorder characterized by the deficiency of the enzyme called glucocerebrosidase and accumulation of glycosylceramide (glucocerebroside). There are three forms of this disease: type 1, 2 and 3.
Gerstmann's Syndrome: Brain defect causing various cognitive problems.
Head Conditions: Conditions that affect the head
Head injury: An injury to the head
Headache: In medicine a headache or cephalalgia is a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and sometimes neck. Some of the causes are benign while others are medical emergencies. It ranks among the most common pain complaints
Hemangioblastoma: A benign tumor that tends to occur in the central nervous system such as the brain and spinal cord. The tumor arises from the stem cells that develop into blood vessels or blood cells (hemangioblasts). Symptoms vary depending on the exact location and size of the tumor.
High altitude cerebral edema: Brain condition related to high altitude.
Holoprosencephaly: A rare disorder where abnormalities of the fetal forebrain development lead to various birth defects.
Huntington's Disease: Inherited disease causing progressive mental deterioration.
Hydranencephaly: A very rare condition where fluid replaces a portion of the brain.
Hydrocephalus: A rare condition where the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid is impaired by dilated brain ventricles which causes the fluid to accumulate in the skull and hence result in increased brain pressure.
Hysteria: Psychological disorder causing physical symptoms
Infantile Refsum Disease: Genetic disease affecting nerve and muscle control.
Japanese encephalitis: A form of encephalitis caused by a flavivirus (Japanese B encephalitis virus - JBEV) and transmitted by mosquito bites. Most cases are mild and asymptomatic but severe cases can lead to death.
Joubert Syndrome: A rare neurological disorder where there is a defect in the part of the brain that controls coordination and balance.
Kluver-Bucy Syndrome: A condition where damage to the temporal brain lobes from any of a variety of causes (accident, hypoglycemia, Alzheimer's and others) results in symptoms such as memory loss and abnormal behavior.
Korsakoff's psychosis: Brain condition with progressive memory loss
Krabbé Disease: Brain myelin disorder with various symptoms.
Kuru: An infectious prion disease that is only found in New Guinea
Landau-Kleffner Syndrome: A neurological disorder which results in aphasia, epileptic seizures and inability to recognize sounds.
Leukodystrophy: A very rare group of metabolic diseases where chemical anomalies affect the development or maintenance of the protective coating around nerves (myelin sheath). The brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves may be involved. The range and severity of symptoms is determined by the chemical involved but one of the main symptoms for all the leukodystrophies is a gradual loss of previously acquired mental or physical skills.
Leukoencephalopathy - metaphyseal chondrodysplasia: A rare syndrome characterized by brain disease and abnormal skeletal development.
Liver failure: Acute liver failure (ALF) is an uncommon condition in which the rapid deterioration of liver function results in coagulopathy and alteration in the mental status of a previously healthy individual.
MELAS: A mitochondrial disorder characterized by stroke-like episodes, headaches, vomiting and other neurological symptoms.
Megalencephaly: Abnormally large brain.
Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome: A rare inherited neurological disorder involving episodes of facial paralysis and swelling.
Meningioma: A slow-growing tumor of the meninges that is not cancerous. Symptoms are determined by the size and location of the tumor.
Meningitis: Dangerous infection of the membranes surrounding the brain.
Meningococcal disease: Dangerous bacterial infection causing meningitis or bacteremia.
Mental illness: Any psychological syndrome
Metachromatic Leukodystrophy: An inherited biochemical deficiency involving a deficiency of the enzyme called arylsulfatase A which leads to a harmful buildup of fatty material in the body.
Microcephaly: Small head circumference
Moyamoya Disease: Brain blood vessel disorder.
Multi-Infarct Dementia: Dementia due to brain blood clots and strokes.
Multiple Sclerosis: Autoimmune attack on spinal nerves causing diverse and varying neural problems.
Murray Valley encephalitis: Severe viral form of encephalitis in Australia
Myoclonus: Sudden involuntary muscle twitching or movement.
Narcolepsy: Narcolepsy is characterized by the classic tetrad of excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, hypnagogic hallucinations, and sleep paralysis.
Neural tube defect: Any defect that occurs to the neural tube
Neuroblastoma: Neuroblastoma is a malignant (cancerous) tumor of infants and children that develops from nerve tissue.
Neurocysticercosis: Brain/CNS infection with the tapeworm Cysticercosis
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome: A severe, potentially fatal reaction to antipsychotic drugs.
Neuronal Migration Disorders: Group of disorders caused by abnormal growth of nerves in the brain and head.
Ohtahara Syndrome: A very rare syndrome characterized mainly by epilepsy that starts within a month of birth.
Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy: A group of diseases progressive degeneration occurs in a particular area of the brain (olivopontocerebellar area) which results in various neurological symptoms.
Opsoclonus Myoclonus: Condition with involuntary muscle and eye movement.
Pain: A feeling of suffering, agony, distress caused by the stimulation of pain fibres in the nervous system
Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis: Limbic encephalitis is an inflammation of the limbic system which is the part of the brain responsible for basic autonomic functions. In the paraneoplastic type, the inflammation is caused by cancers such as small cell lung cancer.
Parkinson's Disease: Degenerative brain condition characterised by tremor.
Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease: Rare brain myelin disorder.
Persistent Vegetative State: Physically alive with basic mental function but without high mental capacity.
Pick's Disease: Degenerative dementia condition.
Pneumococcal meningitis: Pneumococcal meningitis is an inflammation or infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (also called pneumococcus).
Polyarteritis nodosa: A serious blood vessel disease where small and medium-sized arteries become swollen and damaged and are unable to adequately supply oxygenated blood to various tissues in the body. The disease can occur in a mild form or a serious, rapidly fatal form.
Porencephaly: A central nervous system disorder involving cysts in the brain cortex caused by stroke, infection or genetic anomaly.
Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy: Progressive degenerative condition of the brain.
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A disorder characterized by reduced motor control, dementia and eye movement problems.
Pseudotumor Cerebri: A condition involving increased intracranial pressure which can produce symptoms similar to a brain tumor.
Rabies: An infectious disease that can affect any mammal including humans and is transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal. The infectious agent is the Neurotropic lyssavirus which affects the salivary gland and also causes neurological symptoms.
Rasmussen's Encephalitis: Rare possibly-autoimmune brain condition.
Refsum Disease: A metabolic disorder where a deficiency of phytanic acid alpha-hydroxylase results in a buildup of phytanic acid in the body which causes neurological disorders.
Rett's syndrome: Autism-like behavioral syndrome in infant girls
Schizencephaly: A very rare disorder where the brain fails to develop normally and slits or clefts form in the brain. They type and severity of symptoms is determined by the degree of abnormality.
Schizophrenia: A psychiatric disorder characterized by hallucinations and delusional beliefs where a person is unable to distinguish between reality and imagination. The condition tends to have a chronic nature and can be severely debilitating if treatment isn't sought.
Sepsis: The presence of pathological micro-organisms in the blood
Septo-Optic Dysplasia: A rare birth defect characterized by impaired vision and pituitary deficiency.
Shaken Baby Syndrome: A condition caused by violent shaking of a baby.
Soto's Syndrome: A rare hereditary disorder characterized by excessive growth during the first few years of life as well as various other mental and physical anomalies.
Spastic disorders: Brain disorders leading to sustained spasms, stiffness and rigidity
St. Louis encephalitis: Mosquito-borne type of brain infection (encephalitis)
Stroke: Serious brain event from bleeding or blood clots.
Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis: A progressive neurological disorder involving inflammation of the brain caused by a complication of the measles virus. It can occur up to 10 years after the initial measles virus and may be due to a defective immune response to the virus or a reactivation of the virus.
Subarachnoid hemorrhage: Brain bleeding in the subarachnoid area
Subdural hematoma: Type of bleeding in the brain
Susac syndrome: A very rare characterized by poor blood supply resulting in damage to chochlear, retinal and brain tissue. It is results form inflammation of small blood vessels. Recurring attacks occur over a couple a couple of years and are months apart. The condition resolves itself eventually and the severity of persisting symptoms is variable.
Sydenham chorea: Brain disease causing involuntary movements or spasms.
Syncope: Temporary loss of conciousness or fainting.
Tapeworms: Parasitic worm infestation of digestive or other organs.
Tardive Dyskinesia: The toxic neurological side effects of neuroleptic drugs that have been used long term.
Tay Sachs: Rare genetic disease leading to fatty deposits in the brain.
Todd's Paralysis: Recurrent episodes of seizure and paralysis.
Tourette Syndrome: A neurological disorder involving vocal and movement tics where where uncontrollable movements or verbal utterances are made.
Transient Ischemic Attack: Temporary disturbance of blood supply to a restricted area of the brain, resulting in brief neurologic dysfunction that persists, by definition, for less than 24 hours.
Transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME): Prion brain disease affecting mink but not humans.
Traumatic Brain Injury: Brain injury from trauma or accident.
Tremor: Involuntary trembling most commonly of the hands.
Tuberous sclerosis: A rare genetic disorder characterized by harmartomatous skin nodules, seizures, phakomata and bone lesions.
Variant CJD: New human CJD subtype linked to mad cow disease (BSE).
Variegate porphyria: A rare metabolic disorder characterized by a deficiency of a certain enzyme which results in a build-up in the body of porphyrins or their precursors. This form of hepatic porphyria causes the sufferer to have acute attacks as well as skin sensitivity.
Vertigo: The odd balance sensation of inappropriate spinning or movement of the environment
Viral meningitis: Viral meningitis refers to meningitis caused by a viral infection
Vitamin B12 Deficiency: A deficiency of Vitamin B12 primarily causes anemias the body is unable to make sufficient quantities of normal red blood cells. Severe cases can lead to permanent nervous system problems. The vitamin B12 deficiency can result from absorption problems, insufficient dietary intake, certain medications (e.g. metformin), inherited conditions (e.g. transcobalamin deficiency) and certain chronic parasitic intestinal infestations.
Wallenberg's Syndrome: A rare neurological condition caused by a stroke (involving the cerebellar artery) and resulting in symptoms such as facial paralysis or weakness on one side of body.
Wernicke's encephalopathy: Brain condition with various effects
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome: A rare degenerative brain disorder caused by thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency. Chronic alcoholics are prone to this condition.
Western equine encephalitis: An infectious disease caused by an arbovirus (Alphavirus - Togaviraidae) and transmitted by infected mosquitoes. The infection primarily attacks that central nervous system and severity can range from asymptomatic to severe complications and even death in rare cases.
Williams Syndrome: A syndrome characterised by mental retardation, facial abnormalities and emotional instability
Wilson's Disease: Wilson disease, or hepatolenticular degeneration, is a neurodegenerative disease of copper metabolism.
Zellweger Syndrome: Zellweger spectrum disorders are a group of rare, genetic, multisystem disorders that were once thought to be separate entities. These disorders are now classified as different expressions (variants) of one disease process. Collectively, they form a spectrum or continuum of disease. Zellweger syndrome is the most severe form; neonatal adrenoleukodystrophy is the intermediate form; and infantile Refsum disease is the mildest form.