The doctor named the most common brain diseases

The brain is the most complex and mysterious organ in the human body. It controls everything from breathing and movement to thinking and memory. However, this complex structure is susceptible to special diseases that can significantly affect the quality of life. Ekaterina Demyanovskaya, a neurologist and expert at the Hemotest laboratory, told Izvestia about the most common brain diseases on April 1.

"In neurodegenerative diseases, brain cells are gradually lost, and with them, the functions they performed," she explained.

According to her, such conditions may be hereditary or develop sporadically. They are united by a slow but sure progressive clinical manifestation that cannot be reversed, but can be slowed down. One of the most common degenerative diseases of the brain is Alzheimer's disease.

Most often, it leads to dementia, an irreversible loss of mental abilities: memory, thinking, attention, orientation in space, and even speech. The exact causes of the disease have not yet been established, but there are several hypotheses. Some scientists believe that the trigger is a lack of acetylcholine, a substance that transmits signals between nerve cells. Others are convinced that in people suffering from Alzheimer's disease, a defective protein, beta—amyloid, accumulates in the neurons of the brain. Its accumulations eventually form plaques, and brain cells are damaged and die.

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Only about 25% of people worldwide have a gene with this mutation.

Another common neurodegenerative disease, Parkinson's disease, also affects the central nervous system. It is only in Parkinson's disease that dopamine—producing neurons are lost, providing communication between the neurons of those brain centers that control motor skills and muscle tone, motivation, and movement initiation. Characteristic symptoms: trembling (tremor) of the head, arms and legs, and even the tongue at rest, stiffness of movements and, as a result, stooping, slow staggering gait.

One of the first signs of Parkinson's disease may be a complete loss of the sense of smell — anosmia. Presumably, it is associated with damage to the neurons of the olfactory brain.

Common vascular diseases of the brain include stroke.

There are two types of stroke: ischemic (associated with blockage of a blood vessel) and hemorrhagic (caused by rupture of a vessel). Their symptoms are similar: sudden motor and sensory disturbances, dizziness, nausea, restless movements, inability to formulate phrases, hallucinations, seizures.

"Another common brain disease, already from the category of primary headaches, is migraine. It is believed that it is based on an increase in the excitability of the trigeminal nerve and the sensitivity of the cerebral vessels. A variety of triggers can provoke an attack of excruciating headache — a pungent smell, a loud sound, a flash of light, lack of sleep, the smell of cigarettes," Demyanovskaya summed up.

On March 22, Alexey Kovalenko, a urologist at the European Medical Center, told Izvestia about the non-obvious symptoms of kidney disease. One of the possible signs may be dizziness and impaired coordination. He also attributed them to decreased attention and cognitive abilities and anemia. This may also be indicated by itching, dryness and decreased elasticity of the skin.