Glossary - C to D

A report on the features and progress of disease in an individual patient.

The basic structural and functional unit of all organisms; they may exist as independent units of life (such as bacteria) or may form colonies or specialised tissues as in more complex plants and animals.

The “hub” of a nerve cell that receives incoming messages and passes them on down the axon (a long thin extension of the cell that connects with the next nerve); it also includes the nucleus containing all of the cell’s genetic material.

The brain and spinal cord. Compare peripheral nervous system.

Fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord. It acts as a shock absorber as well as carrying nutrients and removing waste.

Long strand of DNA (the material that holds genetic information) found in the nucleus of a cell. Human cells each contain 46 chromosomes.

Studies that assess the value of treatments in human patients. They should always be controlled trials, comparing the progress of a group of patients given the trial treatment with a group receiving a dummy treatment (placebo), and double blind, so that the patients and the scientists carrying out the trial are unaware which is the trial treatment group and which is the placebo group. Read about some of the treatment trials currently underway in MND research.

A reduction in intellectual functioning, such as a reduced ability to think, reason or remember. It is not necessarily severe enough to interfere with everyday life.

Trials that compare the progress of a group of patients receiving a trial treatment with a group of patients receiving a placebo (a dummy drug). This gives a true picture of the effect of the treatment and ensures that any apparent benefits are not due to factors unrelated to the trial drug.

See Umbilical cord blood stem cells.

The bundle of nerves that reach from the area of the brain that controls movement to the spinal cord.

The supporting framework of a cell.

Group of symptoms that is characterized by a decline in intellectual functioning (such as thinking or memory) that is severe enough to interfere with the ability to perform routine activities.

Thin extensions of a nerve cell that pick up messages, either from other nerve cells or other stimuli, and carry them to the cell body, the “hub” of the nerve cell. One nerve cell may have several dendrites.

The Dementia and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network. Established in 2006, it aims to provide the infrastructure for more effective clinical research.

The material that carries genetic information. It is found inside the cell’s nucleus, the control centre of the cell.

A project funded by the MND Association that aims to collect and store samples of DNA from people with MND (who experienced their first symptoms after January 2002) and their unaffected carers / family; the bank will provide a resource for future investigation into the genetic causes of MND. Find out more about the DNA Bank.

Impaired speech. In MND this results from weakness in the muscles used for speaking.

Difficulty in swallowing. In MND this results from weakness in the muscles used for swallowing.

Difficulty breathing. In MND this is caused by weakness of the diaphragm and other respiratory muscles. For more information on how MND may affect breathing, read our information sheet.