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

Per the Mayo Clinic, the condition is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that impacts the brain and spinal cord, causing muscle weakness and slurred speech, among other symptoms. — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026

By 2006, Ronstadt was already experiencing the effects of the neurodegenerative disease that would later be diagnosed as progressive supranuclear palsy, and this greatly affected her ability to control her voice. — Rance Collins, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026

While weight-loss medications offer significant benefits for many patients, experts say maintaining body weight and muscle mass remains an important consideration for people with neurodegenerative diseases. — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 16 July 2026

People with severe psychiatric disorders or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s would not be eligible. — ABC News, 15 July 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