Corticobasal degeneration
Overview
Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is a rare condition that can cause gradually worsening problems with movement, speech, memory and swallowing.
Symptoms
The symptoms of CBD get gradually worse over time. They are very variable and many people only have a few of them. Symptoms can include: difficulty controlling your limb on one side of the body (a "useless" hand)muscle stiffnessshaking (tremors), jerky movements and spasms (dystonia)problems with balance and co-ordinationslow and slurred speechsymptoms of dementia, such as memory and visual problemsslow, effortful speechdifficulty swallowing One limb is usually affected at first, before spreading to the rest of the body. The rate at which the symptoms progress varies widely from person to person. Read more about thesymptoms of CBD.
Causes
CBD occurs when brain cells in certain parts of the brain are damaged as a result of a build-up of a protein called tau. The surface of the brain (cortex) is affected, as well as a deep part of the brain called the basal ganglia. Tau occurs naturally in the brain and is usually broken down before it reaches high levels. In people with CBD, it isn't broken down properly and forms harmful clumps in brain cells. CBD has been linked to changes in certain genes, but these genetic links are weak and the risk to other family members is very low.
Treatment
As someone with CBD can be affected in many different ways, treatment and care is best provided by a team of health and social care professionals working together. Treatments may include: medication – to improve stiffness and muscle spasms, sleep and mood, pain or memoryphysiotherapy– to help with movement and balance difficultiesspeech and language therapy – to help with communication and swallowing problemsoccupational therapy– to improve the skills and abilities needed for daily activities at homepalliative care and advanced care planning Read more abouttreatment for CBD.