Glossary
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, it is a rare neurological disease that impacts voluntary muscle movement and progressively weakens muscles and decreases physical functioning.Bell’s palsy: Also called idiopathic facial paralysis, it causes sudden, temporary weakness in the facial muscles that makes half of the face to droop.
Botulism: A rare poisoning caused by toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.
Cerebral palsy: A congenital disorder caused by brain damage that affects movement, muscle tone, motor skills or posture.
Curare: A classic antagonist of acetylcholine receptors (AChR) that competes with acetylcholine for the binding site and is an effective neuromuscular blocking agent that produces anesthesia.
Guillain-Barré syndrome: An autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the nerves and is characterized by progressive muscle weakness that can result in paralysis.
Lyme disease: A tick-borne illness caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is characterized by fatigue, flu-like symptoms, and a bull’s eye pattern at the bite site.
Multiple sclerosis (MS): A disease in which the immune system attacks the protective myelin sheath that covers nerve fibers and causes problems with nerve impulse transmission from the brain to the peripheral parts of the body.
Neurofibromatosis: A genetic disorder in which tumors form anywhere in the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.
Polio: Also called poliomyelitis, it is caused by the polio virus and can lead to paralysis, but can be prevented by the polio vaccine.
Spina bifida: Also called split spine, it is a birth defect in which a developing baby’s spinal cord fails to develop properly due to incomplete closure of the backbone and membranes surrounding the spinal cord.
Stroke: Also called cerebrovascular accident (CVA), it is caused by damage to the brain due to interruption of its blood supply.
