Encephalopathy

Any disorder affecting the brain, especially chronic degenerative conditions. Wernicke’s encephalopathy is a degenerative condition of the brain caused by a deficiency of vitamin B (see Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome). Hepatic encephalopathy is caused by the effect on the brain of toxic substances (see toxin) that have built up in the blood as a result of liver failure. It may lead to impaired consciousness, memory loss, a change in personality tremors, and seizures. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, is a disorder contracted by cattle after they are given feed containing material from sheep or cattle. The cause seems to be an infective agent known as a prion. Some cases of new variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in humans have been attributed to infection with the prions responsible for BSE, probably transmitted in meat products.