(Written from the view of the patient)
Brain Lesions, Symptoms, Causes, Treatments
Brain Lesions are a type of damage to any part of the brain due to different causes. At first these lesions may not produce any symptoms. The lesions can worsen with time, and the symptoms may become more noticeable.
Brain Lesions can be due to disease, trauma or a birth defect. They can also appear in a specific part of the brain and at times the lesions are present in a large part of the brain tissue.
How the brain works
The brain controls memory, thoughts, movements of the limbs, speech, and organ function. Each part of the brain has a specific role to play in the human body.
The brain is made up of the following sections:
1.Frontal lobe – It is the largest of the four lobes, and is responsible for the body’s motor skills, such as voluntary movement, language, and intellectual and behavioral functions. This specific area controls memory, intelligence, concentration, temper and personality.
2. Temporal lobe – Located on each side of the brain at ear level. It is important for hearing, memory and speech.
3.Parietal lobe – Is located at the center of the brain. This is where sensory information like heat, pressure and pain is received and interpreted.
4. Occipital lobe – Is located at the back of the head. The visual processing area of the brain. Is responsible for processing distance and depth perception, colour determination, object and face recognition, and memory formation.
Causes of Brain Lesions
Lesions can be caused by many different triggers. The following factors put a person at greater risk to get brain lesions:
1. Aging
2. Family history of brain lesions. – the risk increases if someone else in the family has had the same condition.
3. Vascular conditions – such as stroke, high blood pressure, and cerebral artery aneurysms. Vascular injury, or impaired supply of blood to the brain is perhaps the leading cause of lesions on the brain.
4. Trauma to the brain – which can cause internal bleeding, if not remedied, it could lead to death.
5. Infections, harmful germs or bacteria in the brain – These can cause diseases like meningitis and encephalitis (both types of swelling, inflammation of the brain).
6. Tumors – that either start in the brain (primary tumors) or by travelling there (metastatic) via blood or lymphatic vessels.
7. Autoimmune diseases – such as lupus and multiple sclerosis. These result when the body’s antibodies start to attack the body’s own tissues, such as those tissues in the brain. It affects almost all systems of the body ranging from the skin to heart, liver, muscles and brain. Brain lesions are typically a symptom of this disease.
8. Plaques – or excess build-up of abnormal protein in the brain tissue or in the blood vessels, slowing down the supply of blood to the brain, as seen in clogged arteries. Alzheimer’s disease – a condition that affects a person’s memory, thinking and behavior, can develop because of plaques in brain tissue. Multiple sclerosis can also cause plaques in the brain secondary to damaged tissue.
9. Exposure to radiation or certain chemicals – this will increase the chance of tumors and lesions in the brain.
10. Toxins – such as excessive amounts of alcohol, drug abuse, or cigarette smoke in the body. Other toxic substances are elevated levels of ammonia and urea in the body due to kidney issues – (it can affect brain function but may not show discrete brain lesions).
11. Poor diet – especially eating foods with excess fats and cholesterol.
Symptoms of Brain Lesions
Symptoms can vary depending on the type of lesion, its extent, and where it is found. Everyone is different and symptoms will vary in individual cases. Many lesions, however, may be in areas of the brain that don’t produce symptoms.
Typical symptoms may include:
Headaches, this is usually the first symptom to appear with brain lesions.
The pain appears suddenly and worsens as time passes. Over-the-counter medicine usually offers no relief for the pain.
Nausea and possible vomiting.
Impaired movement, if the lesion affects the part of the brain responsible for motor skills.
Lack of concentration, the inability to make quick decisions, and agitation.
Delayed speech, blurred vision,and imaired hearing.
Involuntary movements of body parts, which may progress to convulsions in severe cases.
The following symptoms are specific to lesions of the frontal lobe:
Absence of sense of smell, usually limited to one nostril.
Speech impairment.
Loss of motor activity on one or both sides of the body.
Behavioral changes.
The following symptoms are specific to lesions of the temporal lobe:
- A change in behavior and emotions.
- Disruption in the sense of smell, taste, and hearing.
- Language and speech disorders.
- Problems with field of vision.
- Forgetfulness and the inability to focus.
The following symptoms are specific to lesions of the parietal lobe:
- Loss of sensations like touch.
- Astereognosis, or the inability to identify things placed in the hand.
- Weakening of language development.
The following symptoms are specific to lesions of the occipital lobe:
- Change in vision, partial and word blindness
- Color agnosia
- Akinetopsia (Motion Blindness)
- Simsimultanagnosia (Balin’s syndrome)
Tests to diagnose brain lesions
After a physical examination from your Neurologist, he or she may also recommend that you should get a CT or CAT scan, or MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging)
These tests will help find the location of the lesion and can help assess the extent of damage that it caused the brain.
GenesisLightFoundation 