neurodegenerative disease

noun

variants or neurodegenerative disorder

plural neurodegenerative diseases or neurodegenerative disorders

: a chronic progressive disease (such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) that is characterized especially by the gradual deterioration or impaired function of neurons of the nervous system and especially the brain and that usually manifests later in life

Neurodegenerative diseases remain among the most complex and least understood conditions in modern medicine, with few effective treatments available for patients and families facing diagnoses …

—Columbian-Progress (Mississippi)

… there is a link between repeated head impacts and long-term brain health consequences, like developing into neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia.

—Lindsay Starling, quoted in The Observer (London)

Huntington's is a rare, inherited neurodegenerative disorder that gradually deteriorates a person's physical and mental abilities, often leading to death within 10 to 30 years of onset.

—Katherine Gaither

Examples of neurodegenerative disease in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Aluminum can be toxic at high levels and has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases. —Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026

Parkinson’s is the fastest-growing brain neurodegenerative disease in the world. —Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026

French media reported that Baye died on Friday in Paris from a neurodegenerative disease, quoting a statement from her relatives. —ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026

Lewy body dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by abnormal protein clumps that form in the brain, which can impact cognitive thinking, movement and behavior, according to the Mayo Clinic. —Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026

There's even been research to suggest that coffee waste could be repurposed into carbon quantum dots that could protect our brains from the microbes that cause neurodegenerative diseases. —New Atlas, 12 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above