What is corticobasal degeneration?
Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is a form of frontotemporal degeneration, a dementia that involves the loss of cognitive functions such as the ability to think, remember, or reason to the point that it interferes with a person's daily life and activities. CBD can affect:
CBD primarily affects the cerebral cortex (the outer part of the brain) and the basal ganglia (movement-related structures located deep within the brain). CBD cause nerve cells to die and multiple areas of the brain to shrink (atrophy).
Not everyone who has corticobasal degeneration experiences problems with memory, cognition, language, or behavior. Following symptom onset, people with CBD may live 6 to 8 more years, or longer.
For more information on research about CBD, check NIH RePORTER, a searchable database of current and past research projects funded by NIH and other federal agencies. RePORTER also has links to publications and resources from these projects.
For research articles and summaries on CBD, search PubMed, which contains citations from medical journals and other sites.
How can I or my loved one help improve care for people with corticobasal degeneration?
Consider participating in a clinical trial so clinicians and scientists can learn more about CBD and related disorders. Clinical research with human study participants helps researchers learn more about a disorder and perhaps find better ways to detect, treat, or prevent disease safely.
All types of participants are needed—those who are healthy or may have an illness or disease—of all different ages, sexes, races, and ethnicities. This makes sure that study results apply to as many people as possible and that treatments will be safe and effective for everyone who will use them.
For information about participating in clinical research, visit the NINDS Clinical Trials site and NIH Clinical Research Trials and You. Learn about clinical trials currently looking for people with CBD at ClinicalTrials.gov, a searchable database of current and past clinical studies and research results.
Where can I find more information about corticobasal degeneration?
Information may be available from the following sources: