Loading
Skip to main content
Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
Find a hospital Careers
My Health Record
  • Conditions & treatments

    icon for Conditions and treatments

    • Bladder, kidney and urinary system
    • Blood and blood vessels
    • Bones, muscles and joints
    • Brain and nerves
    • Cancer
    • Diabetes
    • Ear, nose and throat
    • End of life planning and care
    • Emergencies and first aid
    • Eyes
    • Feet and ankles
    • Food and water-borne diseases
    • Heart
    • Hormones
    • Immune system
    • Infectious diseases
    • Liver
    • Lungs
    • Medical tests and procedures
    • Medicines and prescriptions
    • Men's health
    • Older people's health
    • Rongoā māori
    • Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
    • Skin
    • Stomach and bowel
    • Teeth and mouth
    • Surgery
    • Home equipment
    • Women's health
  • Immunisations

    icon for Immunisations

    • National Immunisation Schedule
    • Vaccines given in Aotearoa
    • When to immunise
    • Book a vaccine
    • Catching up on missed immunisations
    • Preparing for a vaccination appointment
    • Immunising your whānau
    • Benefits of immunisation
    • Vaccine side effects, reactions and safety
    • How vaccines work
    • Get a copy of your immunisation record
    • Immunisation clinics
  • Keeping well

    icon for Keeping well

    • Brain health for adults
    • Cancer screening
    • Dental care
    • Eating well
    • Emergencies and natural disasters
    • Healthy homes and environments
    • Smoking
    • Sexual health
    • Tattoos
    • Transgender and gender diversity
    • Sleep
    • Travel
    • Vaping
    • Workplace wellbeing
    • Drinking responsibly
    • Physical activity
  • Pregnancy & maternity

    icon for Pregnancy and maternity

    • Planning your pregnancy
    • Finding out you are pregnant
    • Having a healthy pregnancy
    • Health problems in pregnancy
    • Pregnancy and immunisations
    • Screening
    • Lead maternity carers — midwives and doctors
    • Miscarriage and baby loss
    • Labour and birth
    • Postnatal depression
    • Breastfeeding
    • Pregnancy, birth and children services
    • You and your newborn
  • Mental wellbeing

    icon for Mental wellbeing

    • Where to get help for mental health
    • Alcohol and drugs
    • Assault and abuse
    • Mental health conditions
    • Crisis assessment teams
    • Mental health medication
    • Mārama — feedback on mental health and addiction services
  • Locations

    icon for Locations

    • Auckland
    • Bay of Plenty
    • Canterbury
    • Hawke’s Bay
    • Manawatū-Whanganui
    • Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman
    • Northland
    • Otago and Southland
    • Rotorua and Taupō
    • South Canterbury
    • Tairāwhiti
    • Taranaki
    • Wellington, Hutt and Kapiti
    • West Coast
    • Waikato
    • Wairarapa
  • Services

    icon for Services

    • Find the right healthcare for you and your whānau
    • Asian, migrant and refugee
    • Dentists
    • Emergency departments (ED)
    • General practices
    • Public hospitals
    • Health professionals
    • Online and over-the-phone healthcare
    • Pharmacies
    • Your rights using a health or disability service
    • Sexual health clinics
    • Service support and eligibility
    • National Public Health Service
    • Provide suggestions, feedback or a complaint
    • Calendar of health events
Find a hospital Careers
  • Conditions & treatments

    icon for Conditions & treatments Conditions & treatments

    • Bladder, kidney and urinary system
    • Blood and blood vessels
    • Bones, muscles and joints
    • Brain and nerves
    • Cancer
    • Diabetes
    • Ear, nose and throat
    • End of life planning and care
    • Emergencies and first aid
    • Eyes
    • Feet and ankles
    • Food and water-borne diseases
    • Heart
    • Hormones
    • Immune system
    • Infectious diseases
    • Liver
    • Lungs
    • Medical tests and procedures
    • Medicines and prescriptions
    • Men's health
    • Older people's health
    • Rongoā māori
    • Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
    • Skin
    • Stomach and bowel
    • Teeth and mouth
    • Surgery
    • Home equipment
    • Women's health
  • Immunisations

    icon for Immunisations Immunisations

    • National Immunisation Schedule
    • Vaccines given in Aotearoa
    • When to immunise
    • Book a vaccine
    • Catching up on missed immunisations
    • Preparing for a vaccination appointment
    • Immunising your whānau
    • Benefits of immunisation
    • Vaccine side effects, reactions and safety
    • How vaccines work
    • Get a copy of your immunisation record
    • Immunisation clinics
  • Keeping well

    icon for Keeping well Keeping well

    • Brain health for adults
    • Cancer screening
    • Dental care
    • Eating well
    • Emergencies and natural disasters
    • Healthy homes and environments
    • Smoking
    • Sexual health
    • Tattoos
    • Transgender and gender diversity
    • Sleep
    • Travel
    • Vaping
    • Workplace wellbeing
    • Drinking responsibly
    • Physical activity
  • Pregnancy & maternity

    icon for Pregnancy & maternity Pregnancy & maternity

    • Planning your pregnancy
    • Finding out you are pregnant
    • Having a healthy pregnancy
    • Health problems in pregnancy
    • Pregnancy and immunisations
    • Screening
    • Lead maternity carers — midwives and doctors
    • Miscarriage and baby loss
    • Labour and birth
    • Postnatal depression
    • Breastfeeding
    • Pregnancy, birth and children services
    • You and your newborn
  • Mental wellbeing

    icon for Mental wellbeing Mental wellbeing

    • Where to get help for mental health
    • Alcohol and drugs
    • Assault and abuse
    • Mental health conditions
    • Crisis assessment teams
    • Mental health medication
    • Mārama — feedback on mental health and addiction services
  • Locations

    icon for Locations Locations

    • Auckland
    • Bay of Plenty
    • Canterbury
    • Hawke’s Bay
    • Manawatū-Whanganui
    • Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman
    • Northland
    • Otago and Southland
    • Rotorua and Taupō
    • South Canterbury
    • Tairāwhiti
    • Taranaki
    • Wellington, Hutt and Kapiti
    • West Coast
    • Waikato
    • Wairarapa
  • Services

    icon for Services Services

    • Find the right healthcare for you and your whānau
    • Asian, migrant and refugee
    • Dentists
    • Emergency departments (ED)
    • General practices
    • Public hospitals
    • Health professionals
    • Online and over-the-phone healthcare
    • Pharmacies
    • Your rights using a health or disability service
    • Sexual health clinics
    • Service support and eligibility
    • National Public Health Service
    • Provide suggestions, feedback or a complaint
    • Calendar of health events
My Health Record

What are you looking for?

What are you looking for?

Search for conditions, treatments, healthcare facilities and hospital information

Popular topics

  • Bowel screening
  • Heathline
  • Hospitals
  • National Immunisation Schedule
  • Breast screening
  • Hand, foot and mouth disease
  • Shingles vaccine
  • COVID-19

Other languages and alternative formats

Get information in your language

  • Te reo Māori
  • عربي | Arabic
  • 简体中文 | Chinese (Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 | Chinese (Traditional)
  • Te Reo Māori Kuki ‘Āirani | Cook Islands Māori
  • فارسی | Farsi
  • Vosa Vakaviti | Fijian
  • हिन्दी | Hindi
  • 日本語 | Japanese
  • Te taetae ni Kiribati | Kiribati
  • 한국어 | Korean
  • Vagahau Niue | Niuean
  • NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language)
  • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ | Punjabi
  • Fäeag Rotuḁm | Rotuman
  • Gagana Sāmoa | Samoan
  • Sinhala
  • Español | Spanish
  • Tamil
  • Te Gagana Tokelau | Tokelauan
  • Lea Faka-Tonga | Tongan
  • Te Gana Tuvalu | Tuvaluan

Get information in alternate formats

  • Easy Read
  • Audio
  • Braille
  • Large Print
  • NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language)

This page contains location specific content

Select your location to make sure you are viewing the most relevant information.

    Searching
    Using your current location
    Using your selected location

    There was a problem locating you

    QR Code
    1. Home
    2. Conditions and treatments ,current page
    3. Brain and nerves ,current page

    Brain and nerves
    Roro me akaaka

    Bell's palsy

    Bell's palsy is a temporary weakness of the face due to damage to a nerve that controls the facial muscles.

    Chronic fatigue syndrome

    Chronic fatigue syndrome is a debilitating, long-term illness that affects many systems in the body. It is also called myalgic encephalomyelitis or ME/CFS. It can affect people of all ages and ethnic and socio-economic groups. Women are more likely to be diagnosed with it than men.

    Chronic (persistent) pain

    If pain lasts for more than 3 months or longer than the expected healing time, it is called chronic or persistent pain. In medicine, the word chronic means long-lasting.

    Dementia

    Dementia is the name for symptoms caused by different diseases that affect the brain. Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common types.

    Delirium

    Delirium is a temporary state of confusion. It is a serious condition but usually has an underlying cause.

    Epilepsy

    People with epilepsy have seizures that are caused by brief abnormal electrical activity in their brains.

    Essential tremor

    Essential tremor (also called familial or benign tremor) is an uncontrollable shaking of part of the body. It can run in families and can get worse with age.

    Fatigue

    Fatigue is the feeling of being tired all the time, even after you have rested. It is different from the feeling of sleepiness you get at bedtime, or tiredness after exercise or a late night.

    Functional neurological disorder (FND)

    A disorder of the way your nervous system functions (works).

    Guillain-Barré syndrome

    Guillain-Barré syndrome is a disorder where your body's immune system attacks the covering of certain nerves (called the myelin sheath). This causes damage to the nerves.

    Headache

    Headaches are very common. Most headaches do not have a serious cause and will go away over time.

    Head injuries and concussion

    Head injury first aid, head injuries in adults.

    Memory loss and mild cognitive impairment

    Forgetfulness and memory loss are relatively common in older people. Some people also develop mild cognitive impairment if they have problems with language, thinking, and judgement.

    Motor neurone disease

    Motor neurones are nerves that control your body movement. With motor neurone disease, something goes wrong with these nerves and messages from your brain cannot get through to your muscles.

    Multiple sclerosis

    Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects your central nervous system. It causes scarring (sclerosis) on your nerves or damage to the nerve fibres themselves. This can interrupt the signals between your brain and your body, and cause a range of symptoms.

    Pain after shingles (postherpetic neuralgia)

    Some people who have had shingles go on to have pain that lasts for months or years after the rash has gone. The medical term for this is postherpetic neuralgia.

    Parkinson disease

    Parkinson disease is a neurological condition, which means it affects your brain and nervous system, and movement in particular.

    Peripheral neuropathy

    Peripheral neuropathy means there is damage to one or more of the nerves around your body. Your brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) are not involved.

    Restless legs syndrome

    Restless legs syndrome is a problem where you feel the need to move your legs due to uncomfortable or unpleasant feelings in them. The symptoms are usually worse in the evening or at night. This can cause you problems getting to sleep and staying asleep.

    Stroke

    When you have a bleed or a blood clot blocking the blood supply to part of your brain. The effects of a stroke depend on which part of your brain is affected.

    Transient ischaemic attacks

    A warning stroke or mini-stroke. It is very serious and you should not ignore it.

    Trigeminal neuralgia

    Trigeminal neuralgia is a pain condition affecting the nerves that control the feeling on each side of your face (trigeminal nerves). It affects women more often than men and is more likely to occur over the age of 50.

    Ulnar nerve compression

    The ulnar nerve travels down the inside of your arm, around the inside of your elbow and finishes on the little-finger side of your hand. When it is damaged or compressed, it affects the strength and feeling you have in your hand, and sometimes your arm.
    Get QR code
    Print
    Back to top
    Link to Health NZ
    • Careers
    • Conditions and treatments
    • About us
    • Immunisations
    • News and updates
    • Keeping well
    • Contact us
    • Pregnancy and maternity
    • Data and statistics
    • Mental wellbeing
    • Websites and apps
    • Locations
    • Disclaimer
    • Services and support
    Link to NZ Government
    © Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
    • Privacy
    • Accessibility
    • Copyright
    Women’s Refuge Shielded Site