Editing Openai/691a41cd-2efc-800c-9eff-de439224a90d (section)

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These involve interruptions of blood supply or bleeding:
* Ischemic stroke – a blood clot blocks a vessel, starving brain tissue of oxygen
* Hemorrhagic stroke – a blood vessel ruptures and bleeds into or around the brain
* Transient ischemic attack (TIA) – “mini-stroke” with brief symptoms and no permanent damage, but a serious warning sign

Key features:
* Sudden weakness or numbness on one side
* Sudden trouble speaking or understanding speech
* Sudden vision loss or double vision
* Sudden severe imbalance or inability to walk

Time is critical; rapid treatment can save brain tissue.

===== A seizure is an abnormal burst of electrical activity in the brain. Epilepsy means a tendency to have recurrent, unprovoked seizures. =====

Neurologists classify seizures as:
* Focal (partial) – start in one part of the brain (may affect one limb, one side, or specific sensations)
* Generalized – involve the whole brain (e.g., classic convulsions with loss of consciousness)

Diagnosis uses:
* Detailed description from the patient and witnesses
* EEG (electroencephalogram) to record brain waves
* Imaging (e.g., MRI) to look for structural causes

Treatments include seizure medications, sometimes surgery or devices, and lifestyle adjustments to reduce triggers.

===== These involve slow, progressive loss of neurons: =====
* Alzheimer’s disease – affects memory, language, and thinking
* Parkinson’s disease – tremor, stiffness, slowed movement, balance issues
* Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – progressive weakness from motor neuron loss

Common threads:
* Gradual progression over years
* No single “cure” yet
* Treatment focuses on slowing progression, managing symptoms, protecting quality of life

===== These are conditions where the body’s own immune system attacks parts of the nervous system: =====
* Multiple sclerosis (MS) – immune cells attack myelin (the insulation around nerve fibers in the CNS), causing scattered patches of damage in the brain and spinal cord.
* Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) – immune attack on peripheral nerves, often after an infection, leading to ascending weakness.

Diagnosis often uses:
* MRI for MS
* Nerve conduction studies and spinal fluid analysis for GBS
* Blood tests for specific antibodies in autoimmune disorders

Treatments frequently involve immune-modulating drugs, steroids, or antibody-based therapies.

===== These affect communication between nerves and muscles, or the muscles themselves: =====
* Peripheral neuropathy – damage to peripheral nerves, often causing numbness, tingling, burning pain, or weakness. Diabetes is a very common cause.
* Myasthenia gravis – immune attack at the neuromuscular junction, causing fatigable weakness (muscles weaken with use and improve with rest).
* Primary muscle diseases (myopathies) – problems in the muscle fibers themselves.

Neurologists diagnose these with:
* History and physical exam pattern (which muscles, what kind of weakness)
* Electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies
* Blood tests (e.g., muscle enzymes, antibodies)
* Sometimes muscle or nerve biopsies

===== Headache disorders are among the most common neurological problems: =====
* Migraine – usually throbbing, often one-sided, associated with light and sound sensitivity, and sometimes nausea or aura (visual or sensory changes).
* Tension-type headache – band-like, pressure sensation, often related to stress or posture.
* Cluster headache – very severe, sharp pain around the eye, in clusters of attacks.

The key diagnostic tool is a careful history; imaging is used in red-flag situations (e.g., sudden worst headache of life, neurological deficits).