What is a Neurodegenerative Disorder?

Jul 29

A neurodegenerative disorder is a disease that attacks the central or peripheral nervous system, causing it to progressively deteriorate.

These disorders typically worsen over time, and currently they have no known cures.

The most commonly known neurodegenerative disorders are Alzheimer’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and Parkinson’s Disease.

How Common are Neurodegenerative Disorders?

Over 7 million Americans are currently living with some form of Neurodegenerative

Disorder. By the year 2030, 1 out of every 5 Americans over the age of 65 will be living with neurodegenerative disease (1).

Almost 900,000 Americans live with Parkinson’s disease, with roughly 60,000 new diagnoses each year (2).

The risk of developing a neurodegenerative disease increases with age. As our lifespans increase, so does our risk of developing some form of degenerative condition.

What Causes Neurodegenerative Disorders?

The exact causes of neurodegenerative disorders are open questions. Neuroscience research has identified much about how these diseases develop and progress, but causes and effective treatments remain elusive (3).

In Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, failure to break down particular proteins lead to a progressive loss of communication between neurons, and ultimately to death of neural tissue (15,16).

In Multiple Sclerosis, the body’s immune system becomes dysregulated and begins to attack a neuronal protein that leads to failed communication and death of neurons (17).

In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, hyperexcitability of cortical neurons lead to excitotoxicity responses that cause motor neurons to degenerate (18).

In all of these conditions, while the progression of the diseases is well understood, the exact causes and triggers are not as well grasped by science and are still under review.

Whatever the causes, once they present these diseases are generally progressive, with symptoms and findings worsening over time. As more neurons are lost, patients progressively lose function. These diseases can be debilitating, and in some cases, can lead to catastrophic outcomes.

What are the Symptoms of Neurodegenerative Disorders?

There are myriad symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders, with different conditions manifesting in a series of associated syndromes.

In disorders involving dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease and a number of the Parkinson’s disease variants, often one of the earliest symptoms is a subtle memory deficit. While it is entirely normal for all of us to see some level of slow memory decline as we age, a sudden onset of progressive memory loss is a cause for concern and should lead to a neurological evaluation (19).

In other conditions, the first presenting symptom may be body stiffness and pain in shoulders and hips, or a loss of coordination. Balance may become impaired, people may feel unstable, and they may begin to drop or bump into things (20).

As symptoms progress, sufferers may start to show personality changes, and may struggle with mood regulation. Things like apathy, depression, anxiety, and mood instability may start to manifest (21).

As conditions worsen, symptoms may start to include things like gait disturbances, tremors and spontaneous movements. People may develop a significant fall risk, which can lead to further injury and accelerate their neurodegeneration. Cognitive symptoms may progress as well, leading to memory loss, difficulty with attention and focus, and loss of executive function. Autonomic functions such as heart rate and blood pressure may be affected as the diseases progress (22).

What Happens in the Brain with Neurodegenerative Disorders?

Many neurodegenerative conditions are considered to be protein aggregation disorders. In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, a particular set of ApoE genes predispose individuals to degeneration based on the inability to break down a protein called tau, which creates tiny fibrous tangles between neurons that impairs their communication. There is also a protein called beta-amyloid that builds up into clumps between cells. This further impairs neuronal communication. Ultimately the excess protein chokes out neurons, which begin to progressively die off (4).

Parkinson’s disease is somewhat similar, in that a genetic issue leads to clumps of a protein called alpha synuclein. This builds up in neurons that produce dopamine, and gradually destroys dopamine pathways. These pathways are critical for motor function, leading to difficulty with motor control, tremors, and balance difficulties (5).

In multiple sclerosis, the immune system develops an inappropriate response to a protein called myelin. This protein insulates axons, the long thin projection fibers between neurons that allow them to communicate. In MS the immune system is inappropriately activated, and an autoimmune response develops that causes it to destroy myelin. This impairs neurological communication, and can lead to progressive loss of neurological tissue (6).

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis appears to be a disorder involving glutamate excitotoxicty. Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter that stimulates neurons and causes them to fire impulses to other neurons. Too much glutamate release can fire neurons faster than they can handle, which can damage or kill cells. At least one aspect of the disorder involves neurons in the brain’s motor control pathways becoming excessively active. They fire motor neurons in the spinal cord at rates that the motor neurons are unable to sustain. This damages them and causes the motor system to degenerate (7).

How are Neurodegenerative Disorders Usually Treated?

Neurodegenerative disorders are usually treated with medication once diagnosed (23-26).

These medications can help aid in the management of symptoms, and in some cases slow the progression of the disorder. Medications that can cure these diseases have yet to be developed.

How is the NeuroRescue Program Different?

We strive to treat the person, not the disorder. We do not claim to be able to cure neurodegenerative conditions; that is not the point of our therapy. The NeuroRescue Program is not about attempting to cure incurable diseases, but rather is about maximizing function in the tissue that has yet to be impacted by the disease process.

We are focused on preserving and maximizing as much neurological function as possible. We strive to take whatever neurological tissue and pathways you have that are still viable, and improve their functionality, endurance, and connectivity. By doing so, we may be able to improve your ability to function in the world.

This may mean performing various types of computerized cognitive exercises (8), using eye exercises to activate specific parts of the brain (9), or using electrical stimulation to facilitate brainstem function (10). It may involve using laser and LED therapies to improve neuronal cellular energy (11), or transcranial magnetic stimulation to directly activate frontal lobe pathways (12). It may mean performing multimodal exercises to coordinate eyes, neck and inner ear to restore sensory integration (13). It may even mean performing virtual reality exercises to stimulate and facilitate specific pathways in a safe environment (140.

By doing so, we regularly see our neurodegenerative patients improve their balance, decrease their fall risk, regain motor control, and enhance their cognition. We cannot guarantee results, but we can guarantee our best effort. Outcomes will always vary depending on the condition and the individual. That said, we almost always see a significant level of functional improvement in our patients, which makes it easier for them to engage with the world and improves their quality of life.

How Does the NeuroRescue Program Work?

We design your unique NeuroRescue Program to be among the most comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic protocols available today. We create individual NeuroRescue Programs based on a comprehensive analysis of every relevant neurological system and pathway, using gold-standard, cutting edge neurodiagnostic technologies and examination procedures and state-of-the-art therapies.

We begin with your Discovery Day, wherein we perform a comprehensive history of not only your condition, but your life on a timeline. This allows us to dive deeply into your case and see all of the factors that led to where you are now. It helps us uncover hidden problems and associated conditions that may be making it difficult for you to move your recovery forward.

In the case of neurodegenerative disorders, this may also require a deep dive into the gut microbiome, intestinal wall permeability, mechanisms of oxidative stress and mitochondrial failure, and many other factors that can be provoking your issues.

Our examination allows us to identify the areas and pathways of your brain that have been impacted by your condition. We begin by precisely quantifying the function of your visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems through computerized analysis of your eye movements, your inner ear reflexes, and your balance in a host of different sensory conditions.

We employ technologies including Videooculography and Saccadometry to measure several classes of eye movements. We use Video Head Impulse Testing to measure the function of your inner ear, and Computerized Dynamic Posturography to assess your balance in different sensory conditions.

We use NeuroSensoryMotor Integration testing to evaluate hand-eye coordination and cognition, and Virtualis testing to assess dynamic eye tracking and perception of vertical in a virtual reality environment.

We combine all of this with a comprehensive physical and neurological examination of your sensory, motor, autonomic, and cognitive systems. We review any relevant laboratory testing, radiological imaging, and prior neurodiagnostic testing, and integrate that information with our findings.

We use this information to identify which parts of your brain are working properly, which systems are struggling, and the precise point at which your systems fatigue.

We can then design a NeuroRescue Program that is unique and specific to your brain, and yours alone. Your NeuroRescue Program works to rejuvenate and reintegrate the damaged neurons and pathways in your brain. It works to improve energy, endurance, and functional capacity within your fragile systems.

We use our technologies and procedures to not only see what we need to address, but also when it is time to stop and let you rest. We address your impaired neurological function from multiple angles of therapy, and provide metabolic support to improve neurological recovery.

While we cannot bring back neurons that have been lost to your pathology, your NeuroRescue Program allows us to take the pathways that remain and maximize their efficiency and endurance. And by focusing on the integration of systems, we can do more than just get pathways working better, we can get them working together again. This gives us our best opportunity to help you live a healthy, vibrant, and fulfilling life.

Your Next Best Step:

Living with any neurodegenerative condition is challenging. While we cannot offer a cure for these disorders, we find that with our therapies many of the symptoms can be manageable, function can be enhanced, and quality of life can often be significantly improved.

To see if the NeuroRescue Program is right for you, contact one of our patient care coordinators to schedule your Discovery Day.

And remember, it’s never too late to start getting better.