What Is Krabbe Disease?
Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky
4. How Does Krabbe Disease Impact the Nervous System?
For the nervous system to send and receive messages between cells, an array of chemical processes must occur. Krabbe disease prevents the body from making galactosylceramidase, which protects the nerve cells. A lack of this substance causes an excess of galactolipids, which can wreak havoc on the system when present in an abundance
The excessive levels of galactolipids causes a toxic effect that begins to kill off the nerves. As the nerves die, fewer messages can be sent throughout the system. This leads to the patient slowly losing control of motor functions.
Advertisement
