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

Her work also focuses on whether gut health is linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. — Norah O'Donnell, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026

Researchers noted that many cases of dementia were not captured on death certificates, suggesting the burden of neurodegenerative disease among former players may be underestimated. — Dr. Onaola Adedeji, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026

Additionally, researchers wrote, an analysis of death certificates of football players who did not donate their brains revealed another 215 whose certificates listed a neurodegenerative disease as a cause of death. — Becky Sullivan, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026

Sandra Bullock has opened up about the loss of her partner Bryan Randall and his private battle with neurodegenerative disease ALS. — Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for neurodegenerative disease

• abcs
• absentees
• addressees
• adoptees
• allottees
• amputees
• antifreeze
• appellees
• appointees
• arrestees
• artistes
• assamese

Medical Definition

neurodegenerative disease

noun

variants or neurodegenerative disorder

: 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

Filamentous deposits made of the microtubule-associated protein tau are a defining characteristic of a number of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer disease …

—Maria Grazia Spillantini et al., The Journal of the American Medical Association

The chronicity of neurodegenerative diseases allows the brain to engage compensatory mechanisms—for example, increasing neuronal activity in undamaged brain regions that normally participate in affected functions …

—Jorge J. Palop et al., Nature