What Are the Causes of Brain Atrophy?

Brain atrophy refers to a phenomenon in which atrophy of the brain tissue itself is caused by various causes. Pathologically, the volume of brain tissue is reduced, the number of cells is reduced, and the ventricles and subarachnoid space are enlarged. This disease occurs more than 50 years of age, and the course can reach several years to decades. There are more men than women. They can be divided into diffuse brain atrophy (including cortical atrophy, cerebellar atrophy and cortex, cerebellum, brain stem atrophy) and limitations Cerebral atrophy (most common after localized cerebral organic lesions such as trauma, vascular disease, intracranial localized infection, etc.). Cerebral atrophy was originally named after CT or MRI examination, which found that the volume of brain tissue was reduced and the ventricles were enlarged. Therefore, brain atrophy is a neuroimaging manifestation of many diseases.

Playing a mobile phone can cause brain atrophy?

Brain atrophy is not a disease, but a symptom. Genetic, brain trauma, poisoning, cerebrovascular malformations, brain tumors, cerebral arteriosclerosis, etc. Any disease that can change the blood circulation in the brain and cause chronic chronic ischemia of the brain tissue may cause brain atrophy. Imaging studies can reveal a decrease in brain tissue volume and enlarged ventricles. If the blood supply to the brain tissue is not improved, the patient will enter the early stage of the disease, the emotional behavior will be abnormal, and there will be doubts and speech disorders.

Lack of sleep and more brain atrophy

Researchers say that sleep is indeed related to brain tissue volume. Decreased cerebral cortex and gray matter are associated with increased daytime sleepiness, and decreased left olfactory volume is associated with longer sleep. However, the relationship between brain tissue lesions and sleep is still inconclusive.

Playing mobile phones late at night can cause brain atrophy? More

Playing mobile phones late at night is indeed harmful to health, but it does not cause brain atrophy. What really causes brain atrophy is addiction. Studies have shown that the gray matter volume of Internet addicts is significantly smaller than that of normal people of the same age.

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Basic Information

English name

brain atrophy

Visiting department

Neurology

Multiple groups

Men over 50

Common causes

Caused by multiple factors such as heredity, brain trauma, stroke, encephalitis, etc.

Common symptoms

Dementia, mental retardation, personality changes, memory and behavioral disorders

Etiology and pathology of cerebral atrophy

Brain atrophy is caused by many factors. Genetics, traumatic brain injury, stroke, encephalitis, meningitis, cerebrovascular malformations, brain tumors, seizures, excessive alcohol and tobacco, malnutrition, thyroid dysfunction, gas poisoning, alcoholism, cerebral arteriosclerosis, cerebral ischemia And hypoxia can cause brain parenchymal destruction and atrophy, deformation and disappearance of nerve cells. Clinically, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cerebral arteriosclerosis are important risk factors for senile cerebral atrophy.

The most important causative factor of cerebral atrophy is chronic chronic ischemia of cerebral blood vessels, which reduces the ability of red blood cells to deform, the effective blood perfusion of microvessels is insufficient, the brain tissue is in a state of chronic ischemia and hypoxia, and the brain cell shape and function are affected, that is, formation Brain atrophy. The pathological changes show that the brain gyrus is flattened, the sulci are widened, the ventricles and brain pools are enlarged, and brain weight is reduced. Mostly atrophy of the cerebral cortex. It can be divided into local and diffuse brain atrophy, atrophy of the brain, cerebellum, olive body, pontine, cortical and central atrophy due to different atrophy sites and areas of involvement.

Clinical manifestations of cerebral atrophy

The clinical manifestations of cerebral atrophy can be divided into two categories: brain function decline and cognitive decline, which are mainly related to the location and degree of brain atrophy. Diffuse cerebral cortex atrophy is mainly dementia, mental retardation, memory disorders, personality changes, and behavioral disorders. Some are accompanied by hemiplegia and seizures. Focal cerebral atrophy is dominated by changes in personality and behavior; cerebellar atrophy is dominated by speech impairment, limb ataxia, and intentional tremor.

Systemic symptoms

In the early stage of the disease, patients often experience dizziness, headaches, insomnia and dreams, weak waists and knees, numbness of hands and feet, tinnitus and deafness, slow response, slow movements, murmuring, and answering questions. On the physical side, it often shows old age, white teeth, dry skin, pigmentation, or hemiplegia, epilepsy, ataxia, tremor, etc. Neurological symptoms may exist or may be missing.

Memory impairment

Recent incidents of memory defects occur earlier, such as often missing items, forgetting what has been promised, and so on. With the development of the disease, memory is completely lost.

3. Changes in Personality and Behavior

Personality changes are often the early symptoms of this disease, and patients become depressed and unwilling to interact with others; or they have no ideals, desires, or lack of affection for their children's loved ones; or they have weird lifestyle habits, irritable personality, increased speech, or repeated repetitions , Suspicious and selfish; or paying special attention to one's health and safety, often entangled by some minor discomfort; or manifesting as amnesia or mania, with fantasy, hallucinations, hallucinations, aphasia, and disorientation. All high-level emotional activities of the patient were diminished to varying degrees, as well as changes in sleep rhythm.

4. Decreased intelligence and dementia

It is manifested in a comprehensive decline in intellectual activities such as understanding, judgment, and calculation ability, unable to adapt to social life, difficult to work and housework; gradually unable to answer their names, ages, eating hunger and hunger, and returning to waste paper when they go out, collecting waste paper Debris is considered a treasure. In the later stages of the illness, he stays in bed all day, can't take care of himself, don't be intimidated, urinary incontinence, vague speech, slurred speech, and eventually complete dementia.

Brain atrophy test

Clinical examination

In addition to inquiring the medical history and observing symptoms, patients with cerebral atrophy can find that their various neural reflexes are slow or reduced in varying degrees. Shallow reflexes such as abdominal wall reflexes, cremaster reflexes, and anal reflexes are dull, and the biceps brachii, triceps reflexes, radial periosteum reflexes, knee tendon reflexes, and Achilles tendon reflexes may also be reduced, and occasionally pathological reflexes may appear. Cerebellar atrophy patients, through clinical examination can be found staggering gait, wide stride, can not walk in a straight line, was drunk like gait, eyes closed difficult to sign: eyes are closed and eyes are unstable, especially after closing eyes. Speech was slow, frustrated, intentional tremor, pathological signs were positive, finger-nose test was unstable, and heel-tib test was unstable.

2. Neuroimaging

CT and MR (magnetic resonance) and other neuroimaging examinations can reduce brain tissue volume and expand ventricles. If the brain atrophy shows an increase in the gap between the cerebral cortex and the skull plate, the widening and deepening of the cerebral sulcus, the flattening of the brain gyrus, the expansion of the lateral ventricle and the third ventricle, and the decrease of the density around the front and rear angles of the lateral ventricle. When the cerebellum atrophies, it can show that the cerebellar sulcus is widened and deepened, the volume is reduced, the image is branched and leaf-like, the space around the cerebellum is enlarged, and the fourth ventricle is enlarged. If there is atrophy of the pontine olive body, the brain stem can be seen to be narrower and narrower on the neuroimaging, the surrounding space can be enlarged, and the olive body flattened or shrunk.

3. Cerebral angiography

It can be seen that the cerebral arteries are tortuous and narrow, with stenosis or occlusion. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) examination can find slow blood flow and increased vascular resistance.

Brain atrophy diagnosis

It is not difficult to diagnose brain atrophy based on medical history, symptoms, clinical examination, and neuroimaging.

Brain atrophy treatment

The principle of treatment is to remove the cause; activate brain metabolic functions and indirectly inhibit the progress of the disease; activate brain cells in a state of inhibition and slumber; reduce the occurrence of various symptoms and complications caused by brain atrophy; Improve quality of life.

Symptomatic treatment

Cerebral atrophy is mainly treated symptomatically. According to the different symptoms of cerebral atrophy, relevant drugs are used symptomatically.

2. Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is meaningful for patients with cerebral atrophy, especially after the occurrence of cognitive and motor dysfunction. Rehabilitation is of great value for functional recovery.

3. Early treatment

Early treatment should be within 6 months after the appearance of various dysfunctions, at which time treatment recovery is optimal. For patients who started treatment after 6 months of onset, their recovery and speed were worse than those of early treatment.

Brain atrophy prevention

1. Because vascular diseases are the culprit of brain atrophy, we must actively prevent diseases that affect vascular health, such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, arteriosclerosis, etc., lightly adjust lifestyle, improve nutritional structure, and correct Bad living habits; the most important thing is to control the drug, of course, medication should be gradual and persistent.

2. Regular inspection, early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment can delay and control the development of the disease.

3. Use the brain reasonably, and use and retreat brain functions. Actively participate in various social activities to stimulate the continuous generation of new excitement points in the cerebral cortex, thereby delaying aging and slowing down brain function decline.

4. Pay attention to diet and nutrition, and change bad habits such as smoking and drinking. Usually eat more fruits and vegetables, light diet, those with severe constipation can drink some intestinal tea, senna and so on. In addition, ginkgo biloba, salvia miltiorrhiza, and other Chinese herbs that activate blood and strengthen the brain also have certain effects on preventing brain atrophy.

5. Participate in physical exercises that are suitable for you, such as playing gateball, walking, and Tai Chi. Get plenty of sleep.