Corticobasal degeneration, also known as corticobasal syndrome, is a rare neurodegenerative disease that causes certain areas of the brain to shrink. Over time, nerve cells deteriorate and die.

This condition primarily affects parts of the brain responsible for processing information and controlling movement. Individuals with corticobasal degeneration experience increasing difficulty with movement, often on one or both sides of the body, which worsens progressively.

Other symptoms can include poor coordination, stiffness, cognitive difficulties, and speech or language impairments.

Symptoms

Common symptoms of corticobasal degeneration include:

• Progressive difficulty moving on one or both sides of the body
• Poor coordination
• Balance issues
• Muscle stiffness
• Uncontrollable postures of the hands or feet, such as a clenched fist
• Muscle jerks
• Difficulty swallowing
• Changes in eye movements
• Cognitive and language impairments
• Slow and halting speech

Over a period of 6 to 8 years, corticobasal degeneration progressively worsens, eventually leading to a loss of the ability to walk.

Causes

Corticobasal degeneration is often caused by an accumulation of a protein called tau in brain cells, leading to cellular breakdown and the associated symptoms. Approximately half of those with corticobasal symptoms have corticobasal degeneration, while the other half may have conditions like Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, Pick's disease, or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Risk Factors

There are no known risk factors for corticobasal degeneration.

Complications

Complications from corticobasal degeneration can be severe, including pneumonia, blood clots in the lungs, and sepsis, a dangerous response to infection. These complications are often fatal.