Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a neurodegenerative brain disease that has no known cause, treatment or cure.  It affects nerve cells that control walking, balance, mobility, vision, speech, and swallowing.  Five to six people per 100,000 will develop PSP, a number similar to that of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease).  Symptoms begin, on average, when an individual is in the early 60's, but may start as early as in the 40's.  It is slightly more common in men than women, but PSP has no known geographical, occuptional or racial preference.

PSP displays a wide range of symptoms including:

+  Loss of balance.
+  Changes in personality such as a loss of interest in ordinary pleasurable activities or increased irritability.
+  Weakness of eye movements, especially in the downward direction.  Later there is often difficulty controlling the eyelids, producing a wide-eyed stare, and poor blinking ability resulting in dry and irritated eyes.
+  Weakend movements of the mouth, tongue and throat.
+  Slurred speech.
+  Difficulty swallowing.  The inability of throat muscles to create a watertight seal outside the patient's lungs often results in aspiration pneumonia - the most common cause of death in PSP patients.

PSP currently has no effective treatment or medication, although some drugs may have temporary or modest benefit.

Read more detailed information about PSP.