ABSTRACT
Symptoms 281 • Cells of Neuroepithelial Origin 283 • The Reactions of the Nervous System to
Disease 283 • Raised Intracranial Pressure, Brain Swelling
and Oedema and Hydrocephalus 285 • Head Injury 287 • Circulatory Disturbances: Vascular Disease
and Hypoxic Brain Damage 289
• Infections of the Nervous System 294 • Demyelinating Diseases 300 • Metabolic Disorders 302 • Deficiency Disorders and Intoxications 303 • Ageing and Dementia 304 • Disorders of Movement 309 • Developmental Abnormalities 310 • The Spinal Cord 312 • Tumours of the Nervous System 315 • The Peripheral Nervous System 321 • The Eye 324 • Summary 328 • Further Reading 329
The central nervous system (CNS), i.e. the brain and the spinal cord, is composed of two types of tissue, both involved in disease processes. The first consists of the highly specialized nerve cells (neurons) and the neuroglial cells, all of which are of neuroepithelial origin. The second comprises the meninges, the blood vessels and their supporting connective tissue, all derived from mesoderm and the microglia (phagocytic cells).
