Degenerative Nerve Diseases Many of these diseases are genetic. Sometimes the cause is a medical condition such as alcoholism, a tumor, or a stroke. Other causes may include toxins, chemicals, and viruses. Sometimes the cause is unknown.
Some neurotoxic metals, like lead (Pb), aluminium (Al), Mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As), and also pesticides and metal-based nanoparticles, have been implicated in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.
There is no cure for any neurodegenerative disease—not Alzheimer's disease, or Parkinson's, or Huntington's, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or any of the numerous other diseases that, slowly or quickly, erode away at a person's ability to think, remember, or control their body movements.
Conclusions. Lifestyle including high sugar diets, alcohol and tobacco addiction or high diets as well as some intrinsic factors such as ageing, neuroinflammation, brain injury and oxidative stress, negatively influence the onset, severity and duration of neurodegenerative diseases (Figure 1).
Most neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the accumulation of aggregated proteins within neurons. These aggregate-prone proteins cause toxicity, a phenomenon that is further exacerbated when there is defective protein clearance.
A large prospective study found that a diet characterized by high intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, fish, and poultry, as well as limited intake of saturated , and moderate alcohol consumption was significantly associated with a lower risk of PD 50.
Most neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the intracellular or extracellular aggregation of misfolded proteins such as amyloid-β and tau in Alzheimer disease, α-synuclein in Parkinson disease, and TAR DNA-binding protein 43 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Neurodegenerative diseases affect millions of people worldwide. Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease are the most common neurodegenerative diseases. In the United States, as many as 6.2 million people may have Alzheimer's disease, ing to a report from the Alzheimer's Disease Association in 2022.
Neurodegenerative disorders encompass a wide range of conditions that result from progressive damage to cells and nervous system connections that are essential for mobility, coordination, strength, sensation, and cognition.
Neurodegenerative Diseases Symptoms However, there are some common symptoms that many of these diseases share: Cognitive decline: This includes memory loss, difficulty in thinking, problem-solving, and understanding complex tasks. It's a sign of diseases like Alzheimer's and other dementias.