A person with a neurological disease has a disorder that affects nerves in the brain, spinal cord, or peripheral nerves.

Neurological disease may affect the nerve cells or the axons that transmit nerve impulses from nerve cell to nerve cell. Neurological disease may be due to an infection, injury, tumor, inherited condition, or some other inflammatory process.

Neurological disease may affect:

• The central nervous system:
• Brain disease
• Spinal cord disease
• The cranial nerves:
• Sends nerves to ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and other parts of the head
• The peripheral nervous system:
• Spinal nerves
• Peripheral motor nerves (nerves that control movement)
• Peripheral sensory nerves (nerves that control sensation and touch)
• The autonomic nervous system:
• Nerves that control involuntary body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion.