Because of its special function in the body, diseases of the central nervous system can be very dramatic, especially if they affect the centres controlling the most vital functions of the body. They can develop as primary diseases or as secondary diseases, i.e. complications of another disease, the focus of which is located outside the nervous system. Diseases of the nervous system may affect its peripheral part (inflammation of nerves, polyneuropathies, radicular syndrome) or its central part (neuroinfections, developmental anomalies, dementia, trauma, tumors, epilepsy, stroke). There are also neurological diseases causing simultaneous changes to the peripheral and central parts. They are demyelination diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and transverse myelitis. There are also diseases affecting the spinal cord selectively. Muscle diseases such as myasthenia and muscular dystrophy, in which disorders of neuromuscular transmission are observed, may also be considered as neurological diseases. There is also a group of neurological diseases in which mental disorders can occur. Such diseases include, most importantly, dementia (Alzheimer’s disease, dementia with Levy bodies, fronto-temporal dementia) and encephalopathies (metabolic, traumatic, ischemic). During later stages of a neurological disease, mental symptoms resulting directly from numerous injuries to the central nervous system may occur. Neurodegenerative diseases in domestic animals are quite rare. However, they represent a very important and very large group of diseases. Many of these degenerations are similar to diseases occurring in humans, which makes it possible to understand them better by carrying out research on animals. Unfortunately, in many cases all we know about these diseases are their clinical symptoms, pathological changes that occur in their course and conclusions drawn from genealogical examinations. The introduction of more recent examination methods and new instruments makes it possible to obtain increasingly detailed knowledge of these diseases on the molecular level and, above all, a better understanding of their causes. Neurodegenerative disorders are among the most life-altering diseases and are therefore very costly to society.
JavaScript jest wyłączony w Twojej przeglądarce internetowej. Włącz go, a następnie odśwież stronę, aby móc w pełni z niej korzystać.