neurodegenerative

adj

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-wr̥ Proto-Indo-European *snéh₁wr̥der. Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron) Ancient Greek νευρο- (neuro-)der. English neuro- English degenerate Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus Old French -ifbor. Middle English -yf English -ive English degenerative English neurodegenerative From neuro- + degenerative.

1. Of, pertaining to, or resulting in the progressive loss of nerve cells and of neurologic function.

   “neurodegenerative disease”

   “A very rare polymorphism in the prion protein gene recently has been identified that appears to protect against prion disease; this finding, in addition to providing greater understanding of the prionlike mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders, might lead to potential treatments.”