What is Motor Neurone Disease?

Motor Neurone Disease is a rare form of disease mainly affecting the nerves and the brain.

Motor Neurone disease is a condition that affects the nerves and brain, and is caused by a problem with cells brain and nerves that are called motor neurones. Those who have family members with this condition are more likely to also suffer from this disease.

Motor neurone disease is a rare condition affecting the brain and nerves. It causes weakness and becomes worse over time. It can significantly reduce life expectancy and unfortunately eventually lead to death

It is a disease that is caused by problems in the cells of the brain ( neurons ) and nerves and usually affects people in their 60’s and 70’s, but can affect adults of all ages.Main symptoms are, but not limited to,weakness and slurred speech.

The term Motor Neuron Disease (MND) encompasses several different conditions whose common feature is the premature degeneration of motor nerves (known as neurons or sometimes neurones). There are two groups of motor neurons - upper motor neurons travelling from the brain down the spinal cord, and lower motor neurons branching outwards to supply muscles in the face, throat, arms, chest and legs. Both groups of neurons tend to be involved in MND but to varying extents, which is one of the many reasons why each patient's disease is subtly unique.

Motor neurone disease happens when cells in the brain and nerves, called motor neurones, gradually stop working. It's not known why this happens.

A motor neurone disease (MND) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects motor neurones responsible for voluntary muscle movements. Consequently, muscle movement is impaired. An example of a MND is spinal muscular atrophy. Depending on what type of condition it is, an individual affected by the disease can experience a range of symptoms (on top of the impaired muscle movement) such as breathing and heart problems, behavioural changes etc. Symptoms and severity of the disease can vary and are usually dictated by the genetics.

Type of diseases that affect the motor neurone they mean that the motor neurone stop reaching the muscles and stop telling them what to do because of this muscles start to weaken and start to waste away and can lead to paralysis.