Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is a generative disorder of the brain in which nerve cells die over time, causing a progressive decline in the ability to move on or both sides of the body. This neurological disorder shares many symptoms with Parkinson’s disease.
Symptoms typically occur after the age of 60, and generally begin with clumsiness and slowness of a limb on one side of the body. As the disease progresses, symptoms which appeared on only one side of the body may begin to affect both sides. Symptoms which indicate disorder progression include myoclonus (jerkiness of a limb), difficulty controlling a limb that seems to move on its own, difficulty with speech generation and articulation, problems swallowing, difficulty walking, abnormal muscle postures, loss of ability to make familiar and purposeful movements, an absence of movement, rigidity, cognitive and behavioral problems and sensory loss.
Patients suffering from corticobasal degeneration will be diagnosed based on the severity of symptoms. They may be required to take numerous tests, such as mental status and neuropsychological assessments, speech and language assessments, psychiatric tests, blood tests, head scans such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and others, depending on the results of previous tests. Other tests include an electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG), urine tests, and tests on the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained by a lumbar puncture.
Currently, there is no found cure for corticobasal degeneration. However, several medications and many non-medication approaches have been created to improve daily functioning and quality of life. A coordinated approach to treatment options is key to effective management.
Many patients suffering from corticobasal degeneration can often benefit from physical, occupational and speech therapy.

Devic’s disease (also known as Neuromyelitis optica or NMO) is a rare disorder similar to multiple sclerosis (MS). It is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that causes episodes of inflammation and damage to the myelin, the fatty, protective covering of the nerves, in the eye and the spinal chord. It may cause temporary or permanent blindness, in one or both eyes, varying degrees of weakness or paralysis in the legs and arms, painful spasms, loss of sensation, and bladder or bowel dysfunction. Devic’s disease is most common in women. The onset varies from childhood to adulthood.
The main symptoms of Devic’s disease are a rapid, intense decrease in vision in either or both eyes, diminished light sensitivity, loss of color vision, loss of sensation, numbness, loss of bladder control, lack of coordination, and muscle weakness.
The outcome of this disease is highly variable, depending on whether there is a tendency for relapses to occur after the initial symptoms. The major risk to patients is severe damage to the upper spinal cord, which can lead to the inability to breathe on one’s own. Some patients seem to enter a long period of time where the disease remains stable.
Diagnosis of Devic’s disease requires several steps. First, a neurological examination is needed to examine parts of the nervous system such as muscle strength, reflexes, coordination and balance, sensation, vision and speech. Then, a 45 minute Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI) scan is done in order to examine the neck, spinal cord, soft tissues and brain. Evoked potentials, to test and record the brain’s responses to sound, touch and light are then performed using a gel to position small disks on the scalp and in some cases, the earlobes, neck, shoulders and back. This testing is harmless, painless and very sensitive in detecting damaged areas in the brain. In some cases, a spinal tap is necessary. In this procedure, a physician uses a thin, hollow needle to remove small samples of fluid from within the spinal canal.
Short-term treatment of Devic’s disease includes medication to manage acute attacks and prevent future ones. Currently, there have not been any controlled clinical trials that have proven effectiveness of any long-term treatment. However, plasma exchange may be a long-term option. Plasma exchange is a procedure that involves removing some blood and mechanically separating the blood cells from the fluid. Blood cells then are mixed with a replacement solution, such as albumin or a synthetic fluid with properties like plasma. The solution with the blood is then returned to the body. This works in approximately 40 percent of patients.

NorthShore University HealthSystem’s Medical Group Department of Neurology has appointed Demetrius (“Jim”) Maraganore, MD, as its new Ruth Cain Ruggles Chair of the Department of Neurology. Dr. Maraganore joins NorthShore from the Mayo Clinic where he served as the Chair of Movement Disorders and oversaw the practice, education, and research activities relating to Movement Disorders at the three sites in Rochester, MN, Scottsdale, AZ, and Jacksonville, FL.

Dr. Maraganore’s envisions a continued focus on neuroscience research as well as clinical and geographical growth for all of the department’s services including stroke, sleep disorders, movement disorders and neuro-oncology.

You can find out more about NorthShore’s Neurosciences Department, or call 847.570.2570 to schedule an appointment.

Compulsive hoarding is the acquisition of and failure to use or discard, such a large number of seemingly useless possessions that it causes significant clutter and impairment to basic living activities such as mobility, cooking, cleaning, showering or sleeping. A person who engages in compulsive hoarding is commonly said to be a “pack rat”, in reference to that animal’s apparent fondness for material objects. However, according to Fox New, compulsive hoarding may in fact be inherited.
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The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society writes that a study at the Institute of Neurology, performed by UCL and the Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, Barts and The London suggest that differing antibody levels produced in response to the common virus Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), may predict the course of MS.

The findings could help give insight into how the body progresses into patients that will develop MS, and how to find the appropriate treatments.
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Anxiety disorders are continuing to become more and more commonly diagnosed by doctors in America as the Anxiety Disorders Association of American (AADA) reported that over 18% of the U.S. population in 2008 suffered from an anxiety disorder. The more freighting fact is that the New England Journal of Medicine reported that 1 in 5 U.S. children suffer from anxiety disorders, but often go undiagnosed or mistreated. Delay in diagnosis and treatment can lead to depression, substance abuse and poor academic performance throughout childhood and adulthood. While the common consensus in the medical world is that anxiety disorders are biological and must be treated with medication, a recent study by John Hopkins University revealed that he key to reducing anxiety symptoms in the children was to treat the entire family.
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder that affects the daily lives of many people. According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, “[a]nxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older”.

But what about OCD?
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