Brain and Nervous System Medical Reference

Spasmodic dysphonia is a rare voice disorder. Learn more about the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of this condition.

Getting an ALS Diagnosis: One Person’s Story

Myasthenia gravis is a chronic condition that causes fast muscle weakness. Get the facts on the disease and how treatment with medications or surgery may help.

When you have Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), there’s a lot to learn and do. Find out what is, what kinds of therapies may help, and where to find support.

Discover how to spot signs of moyamoya disease, which can reduce blood flow to your brain.

Find out all you need to know about memories, including how memories form, how they work, why they form, and more.

Foreign accent syndrome is a rare motor speech disorder that causes you to suddenly develop a new accent. A stroke or a severe brain injury is the most common cause.

Find out what you need to know about the glossopharyngeal nerve. Learn about its location, functions, and the problems caused by injuries to this nerve.

Find out what you need to know about the trochlear nerve. Discover its functions, location, and related health conditions.

Learn what you need to know about the substantia nigra. Discover its function, location, and possible health risks.

Find out what you need to know about neurotransmitters, where they’re located, what their functions are, and how they affect health.

Find out what you need to know about your obturator nerve and its function. Learn the signs of injury and common conditions affecting it.

Find out what you need to know about the oculomotor nerve, and discover the function, location, and possible conditions.

Find out about the sural nerve, including its function, location, health problems, and more.

IQ tests have been around for 100 years, but their history is contentious. Learn their history, how they work, and how accurate they really are.

Lobotomy is the severing of connections between parts of the brain. Learn about the necessity, benefits, and dangers of this procedure.

Central cord syndrome is a spinal cord injury that affects motor functions in your hands and legs. Learn about its causes, symptoms, and treatments.

Myelopathy is a condition that compresses the spinal cord and affects nervous system functions. Learn more about myelopathy treatment and the conditions that cause it.

Stiff person syndrome is a rare disorder that causes muscle stiffness and spasms. Here’s what you need to know.

Find out more about the functions of the parasympathetic nervous system including regulating the heart rate and managing the body's stress response.

Find out what you need to know about Brown-Sequard Syndrome, its causes, symptoms, treatment, and more.

The Glasgow Coma Scale is used to assess patients with traumatic brain injuries. Find out how it works and what its limitations are today.

Find out what you need to know about the vagus nerve. Discover what it does and how it affects your health.

Find out what you need to know about your tibial nerve and its function. Discover the first signs of a problem and how to protect this nerve.

Find out what you need to know about your olfactory nerve and its function. Learn signs of a problem and how to protect your olfactory nerve.

Find out what you need to know about the anterior pituitary, including what it does and how it works.

Dysmetria is a lack of coordination resulting from damage to the cerebellum. It is a symptom of cerebellar ataxia. Learn more about dysmetria and its treatment.

Find out what you need to know about your pons and its function. Learn how this collection of nerves can affect your health.

Find out what you need to know about meninges, discover what they do, and learn how they may affect health.

Locked-in syndrome is a rare neurological condition caused by damage to a part of the brainstem called the pons. Read on to learn more about this condition.

The spinal cord is a cylindrical tube of nerves and other cells. It carries signals back and forth between the brain and the rest of the body. Learn more about its anatomy and functions.

Find out about the sympathetic nervous system, which causes your fight or flight response, and learn more about how it functions.

Find out what you need to know about the trigeminal nerve. Learn about the functions of this nerve and the disorders affecting it.

A myopathy is a disease that causes muscle weakness. Learn more about its symptoms, what causes it, and more.

What are parietal lobes, what do they do, and where are they located? All of these questions and more are answered in this guide.

Find out what you need to know about your occipital lobe and its function. Learn about signs of an injury and how to keep the occipital lobe healthy.

What are neurotransmitters? What do they do, where are they located, and is there more than just one type? Read on to find out!

The cerebellum is involved in coordinating movement and balance. It is also thought to aid learning and can process lots of information.

Find out what you need to know about the medulla oblongata, what role it plays in the body, and potential issues.

Are you wondering what the limbic system is? Read our guide to learn all you need to know about this vital component of our brains!

Find out more about the hippocampus's role in memory processing and learn about diseases that affect this important brain structure.

Find out what you need to know about cranial nerves, including what they do and more.

The cerebral cortex, also known as gray matter, is your brain’s outermost layer and is located above the cerebrum. Learn more about its vital functions.

Learn about the brainstem. Find out how this critical part of your brain functions and health problems that can affect it.

Learn about the autonomic nervous system. Discover different health problems and symptoms that can affect this system.

Find out what you need to know about the amygdala and how if affects emotional processing in the human brain.

Learn about pineal tumor causes, symptoms and how to diagnose and treat tumors in the pineal region.

Find out more about reading fluency and why it’s important for your child in this guide.

Are you experiencing weird tastes? Have you heard of Dysgeusia? Read our guide to find out all about metallic tastes and dysgeusia.