Brain Drain Trivia Quiz

Answer: Autism

A study, done by AutismSpeaks.org, states that about 1 in 62 children worldwide are affected by some form of the disorder.

Early ways to identify the spectrum in children is to look at how they interact with other humans. A typical child will respond well to outside stimuli and interact with others as it develops. A typical autistic child tends to prefer to be alone, and doesn't interact with children or adults as easily as their peers.

While there are some studies that show autism to be a genetic condition, and others that show it to be an environmentally caused one, the definitive answer eluded researchers in the field into the early 21st century.

Answer: Tay-Sachs Disease

According to the National Institute of Health, Tay-Sachs Disease patients rarely live past age four.

This disease causes infants to go blind, become deaf and stop being able to swallow within months of being born.

The disease doesn't show signs of being present for the first few months of life, but once it's known, the mental and physical abilities of the child decline rapidly. Eventually full paralysis sets in, and the child typically dies within months of diagnosis.

Answer: Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Disease doesn't usually show up until a patient is in their 60s, though it has been known to develop earlier in extreme cases.

Patients with the disease eventually must be under total care because they may wander and forget where they live. Early on with the disease patients forget things like how to brush their teeth, or comb their hair, or even to eat and drink.

The disease is more likely to be diagnosed in a person with a family history of it, but people with no family history of it can also suffer from it.

Answer: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome causes a dramatic increase in the patient's pain receptors.

Small cuts or scrapes cause intense pain to an entire hand, foot, leg or arm and often take hours, or even days, to dissipate.

CRPS patients often present discolored skin and an increase in temperature in the affected areas.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke lists the only treatment for the disease to be pain medication and anesthetics to dull the pain.

Answer: Dandy-Walker Syndrome

Dandy-Walker Syndrome typically causes many symptoms, all of which can be treated on their own, but a cure still eluded doctors and researchers in the early part of the 21st century.

One treatment that can be effective is to put a shunt in the brain that allows excess fluid to drain out of the cavity, relieving stress and lessening symptoms.

Answer: Dyslexia

'The problems of dyslexia can range from minor problems with reading to a total inability to comprehend the written word. Some people are able to read slowly, and manage to understand the written word. Others have cases so extreme they are never able to fully overcome the condition.

The disease affects the brain of each patient differently. Dyslexia is often discovered early in life, and can be generally overcome through remedial programs in school.

Answer: Epilepsy

Epilepsy, once diagnosed, can be mitigated through diet, medicine and surgical techniques in the vast majority of patients.

The full spectrum of the disorder ranges from the occasional seizure to very frequent and life-threatening seizures depending on the severity of the condition. This is caused by a disruption of the normal neuronal pattern of the brain.

Answer: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

ALS patients suffer from muscle atrophy and overall weakness. The disease typically affects one part of the body to start with and slowly spreads to the entire body.

Professor Stephen Hawking was another famous person to suffer from the disease that bears the name of the Major League Baseball legend.

The causes of the disease is still eluding doctors and researchers alike in the early 21st century.

Answer: Parkinson's Disease

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders, the four primary symptoms of the disease are tremors, or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face; rigidity, or stiffness of the limbs and body, bradykinesia, or slowness of movement; and postural instability, or impaired balance and coordination.

Answer: Tourette's Syndrome

Other than presenting with the "tics" or movements and vocalizations mentioned in the question, patients with Tourette's Syndrome don't require medicine for the condition.

In all but the rarest cases the "tics" present no impairment. For the patients with these extreme cases, there is medication that helps quell the symptoms.