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

The disease is a common neurodegenerative disease that impacts memory, motor function and cognitive ability, per Mayo Clinic. —Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026

Instead of focusing on the late-stage symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases, the research initiative will investigate the root causes of cellular aging. —Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2026

Langs was diagnosed in 2021 with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a progressive neurodegenerative disease, also known as Lou Geherig’s disease after the Hall of Fame New York Yankees first baseman. —Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2026

Parkinson’s Disease by the Numbers Parkinson’s is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation, and the scope of it is significant. —Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 May 2026

Scientists are studying whether the mushroom’s antioxidants, primarily the amino acid ergothioneine and the tripeptide glutathione, may help prevent cancer, coronary heart disease, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease and Parkinson disease. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 May 2026

What to Know About Parkinson’s Disease Parkinson’s is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s. —Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 1 May 2026

Parkinson’s is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s. —Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 1 May 2026

Two years almost to the day of getting a diagnosis of ALS, an incurable neurodegenerative disease that disrupts how nerve cells communicate with the muscles and leads to total paralysis, Nakakihara died at his Laguna Niguel home April 22, surrounded by his wife, Denise, and other family members. —Samantha Dunn, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above