This section is from

The Dana Guide
to Brain Health

A Practical Family Reference from Medical Experts

by Floyd E. Bloom, M.D.;
M. Flint Beal, M.D.;
and David J. Kupfer, M.D.;
book includes a searchable CD-ROM.
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Chemicals and the Nervous System � The Dana Guide

A substance�s potential damage to the nervous system depends on its chemical makeup. Toxins that are fat soluble or have certain ionic structures readily penetr

Dystonia, Spasms, and Cramps � The Dana Guide

What dystonia, spasms, and cramps have in common are unwanted, involuntary, excessive muscle contractions.

Chronic Pain � The Dana Guide

For some people, chronic pain originates in an episode of acute pain; for others, there is an ongoing cause, such as arthritis or cancer.

Ischemic Stroke � The Dana Guide

Four strokes out of five are due to ischemia, meaning that part of the brain stops receiving enough blood.

Spinal Cord Injury � The Dana Guide

Spinal cord injury does much more than cause loss of sensation to, and paralysis of, the arms and legs.

Agnosias � The Dana Guide

An agnosic person can see and hear normally, and seems to think and speak adequately, but cannot recognize someone or something he or she once knew.

Headache � The Dana Guide

Certain people seem especially prone to headaches, and the cause appears to lie in the brain.

Movement, Balance, and Coordination � The Dana Guide

Whenever we move the three basic functions of movement, balance, and coordination work in concert to produce graceful, purposeful motions of body parts. This is

Lyme Disease � The Dana Guide

Although Lyme disease has taken on almost mythical proportions in the public mind, it is in fact a simple bacterial infection.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder � The Dana Guide

A disorder in which a person has recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses or imaginings that are intrusive and inappropriate, and that cause marked anxiety o

Recent Updates

Parkinson's Disease — The Dana Guide

Published Jul 06, 2009

by Mahlon R. DeLong

Parkinson's Disease is a progressive neurological disorder that most commonly develops between the ages of 55 and 65.

Alcoholism — The Dana Guide

Published Jun 16, 2009

by Charles P. O'Brien, M.D., Ph.D.

A disease defined by the compulsive use of alcohol to the point that it interferes with work or personal life or impairs health

Anxiety and Panic — The Dana Guide

Published Jun 10, 2009

by Jack M. Gorman

Anxiety is a normal human emotion, but at times can become abnormal and harmful.