Alexander disease

noun

A rare, progressive, and usually fatal neurological disorder; classified as a leukodystrophy, it is fundamentally a disease of the brain’s astrocytes; caused by genetic mutations that lead to the abnormal accumulation of proteins, known as Rosenthal fibers, which destroy the protective myelin sheath in the central nervous system.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounAlexander disease (uncountable)

alternative Alexander's disease

  1. uncountableA rare, progressive, and usually fatal neurological disorder; classified as a leukodystrophy, it is fundamentally a disease of the brain’s astrocytes; caused by genetic mutations that lead to the abnormal accumulation of proteins, known as Rosenthal fibers, which destroy the protective myelin sheath in the central nervous system.

Origin

Named after the American physician Dr. W. Stewart Alexander, who was the first to describe the disorder in 1949.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Alexander disease. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Alexander%20disease

MLA

“Alexander disease.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Alexander%20disease. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Alexander disease,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Alexander%20disease.

Source: Alexander disease on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.