Home / Disease Headache. Causes, symptoms and treatment. / Brain atrophy: causes, symptoms and treatment

Brain atrophy: causes, symptoms and treatment

What is brain atrophy?

Atrophy of the brain is not a single disease but a pathological process which is the gradual progressive death of nerve cells in the brain, smoothness of convolutions, flattening of the cerebral cortex and reducing the weight and size of the brain itself. Naturally, this process has a negative impact on all functions of the human brain and affect intelligence.

The brain of any man with age undergoes atrophic changes. But they are minimal and do not manifest severe symptoms. Brain aging begins at 50-55 years. In 70-80 years the mass of the brain decreases. Associated typical changes of character (curmudgeonly, irritability, impatience, tearfulness), decrease of mental function and intelligence quotient of all the elderly. But physiological age-related atrophy never leads to severe neurological and mental symptoms, not causes of dementia.

Important! If such symptoms are present in the elderly or occur in young patients, the children, you should search for the disease that has caused the atrophy of the brain substance, and there are many.

Causes death of nerve cells

There are many diseases and adverse pathologic processes that can cause damage to neurons and their progressive destruction.

The main causes of atrophy of the brain:

  1. Genetic propensity. There are a few dozen genetic diseases that are accompanied by progressive atrophy of the brain substance, for example, Huntington's chorea.
  2. Chronic intoxication. The most striking example can be alcoholic

    Kinds of atrophy of the brain

    There are several types of atrophy of the brain depending on prevalence of process and type of pathological changes:

    • Cortical – die neurons of the cerebral cortex. This is the most common form of atrophy, is accompanied by General illness of the body with a negative impact on the brain

      What is brain atrophy?

      Clinical signs of atrophy of brain tissue is largely dependent on the disease which caused it, but the most common symptoms is the frontal lobe syndrome, psycho-organic syndrome and dementia of different severity.

      Frontal lobe disorder

      As has been said, often atrophy lends itself to the bark of frontal lobes of the brain. Causing specific symptoms:

      • the lower self-control;
      • falls creative activity and spontaneous activity;
      • irritability;
      • selfishness;
      • the lack of care for others;
      • the tendency torudeness, impulsivity, emotional breakdowns;
      • loss of memory and intellect that did not reach the level of dementia;
      • apathy and abulia;
      • the tendency to primitive humor and hypersexuality.

      Psychoorganic syndrome

      This syndrome most often in varying degrees of severity occurs in atrophy of the brain. It includes:

      • impaired memory and intellect;
      • affective disorders;
      • tserebroastenicheskie symptoms.

      Patients cannot self-criticism and adequate assessment of what is happening around, you lose the ability to acquire new skills and knowledge, you lose the amount of previously acquired knowledge. Thinking becomes primitive and one-sided, people can not grasp the whole essence of the phenomenon, but only its individual parts. Suffers speech, reduced vocabulary. When speaking to people unable to allocate the main subject, it is easy to switch to other topics. Not knowing what he was talking about before, and what was the question.

      The memory of suffering in all directions. Deteriorating short-term and long-term memory is significantly reduced memorability, appear amnesia, to many cases of paramnesia, confabulation.

      Affective disorders are as follows. As a rule, the mood of depression, a person is prone to depression and inappropriate emotional responses. He strongly manifested aggressiveness, irritability, resentment and tearfulness. As suddenly comes the euphoria and unfounded optimism.

      Cerebrasthenia is

      Brain atrophy in children

      Brain atrophy is found not only in the elderly and adults, but also newborns. Among all the possible reasons should be made:

      • congenital malformations of the Central nervous system;
      • Principles of treatment and prevention

        The main treatment of atrophy of the brain is the elimination of its causes. But, unfortunately, it is not always possible. It is also necessary to emphasize that the return of the dead of the neurons is impossible, you can only stop or slow the progression of the pathological process.

        In other cases, treatment is symptomatic. It is important to ensure good care and safety, the support of loved ones. For symptoms prescribed antidepressants, antipsychotics, tranquilizers. This medicines help to keep a sick person calm, not to harm yourself and your family.

        It is more important to pay attention to the prevention of atrophy of the brain and it should be done from a young age, before the manifestation of any disease.