Progressive supranuclear palsy

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) (or the Steele-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome) is a rare degenerative disorder involving the gradual deterioration and death of selected neurons in the brain. more...

Typical effects are problems with control of gait and balance, and an inability to aim the eyes properly. Other symptoms may be alterations of mood and behavior, depression and apathy as well as mild dementia. There is currently no effective treatment for the disease.

Unlike most palsies, which result in the wholesale death of patches of cerebral or spinal tissue, PSP generally starts with the deterioration of synpatic connections between neurons. Because of the insidious, often lifelong and gradual nature of this deterioration, it is difficult to diagnose until it is fairly advanced.

Geneticists are studying the human genome to determine if there is a hereditary trait that predisposes one for this disease; its rarity as well as its progressiveness makes it difficult to study objectively.

Actor Dudley Moore, suffering from the disease and dying from its side effects, increased public awareness of this disease. In the United Kingdom alone, there could be as many as 10,000 cases of PSP.

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