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What are the major diseases of the brainstem?

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What are the major diseases of the brainstem?

Brainstem syndromes and assessment

  • Brainstem motor and sensory deficits and cranial nerve palsy.
  • Impairment of consciousness.
  • Autonomic nervous system impairment.
  • Neurogenic respiratory failure.

What causes brain stem herniation?

A brain herniation, sometimes described as a cerebral herniation, occurs when brain tissue, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shift from their normal position inside the skull. The condition is usually caused by swelling from a head injury, stroke, bleeding, or brain tumor.

What happens in brain herniation?

Brain herniation occurs when pressure within the skull (intracranial pressure) is increased, causing the brain to be pushed sideways and downward through small normal openings in the relatively rigid sheets of tissue that divide the brain into compartments. Brain herniation is a medical emergency.

What happens when midbrain is damaged?

The midbrain serves many roles, including motor function. It also plays a major role in receiving and integrating sensory information, particularly visual and auditory input. Damage to the midbrain can result in a wide variety of movement disorders, difficulty with vision and hearing, and trouble with memory.

Why is it called Alexander disease?

Accordingly, it is more appropriate to consider Alexander disease a disease of astrocytes (an astrogliopathy) than a white matter disease (leukodystrophy). Alexander disease is named after the physician who first described the condition in 1949 (WS Alexander).

What is cerebellar syndrome?

Cerebellar dysfunction causes balance problems and gait disorders along with difficulties in coordination resulting in ataxia, uncoordinated movements, imbalance, speech problems(dysarthria), visual problems (nystagmus) and vertigo as a part of the vestibulocerebellar system.

Which brain herniation is the most life threatening?

Central herniation Downward herniation can stretch branches of the basilar artery (pontine arteries), causing them to tear and bleed, known as a Duret hemorrhage. The result is usually fatal.

What are the signs of brain herniation?

Symptoms

  • High blood pressure.
  • Irregular or slow pulse.
  • Severe headache.
  • Weakness.
  • Cardiac arrest (no pulse)
  • Loss of consciousness, coma.
  • Loss of all brainstem reflexes (blinking, gagging, and pupils reacting to light)
  • Respiratory arrest (no breathing)

What 2 things does the midbrain control?

The midbrain or mesencephalon is the forward-most portion of the brainstem and is associated with vision, hearing, motor control, sleep and wakefulness, arousal (alertness), and temperature regulation. The name comes from the Greek mesos, “middle”, and enkephalos, “brain”.

What is a midbrain stroke?

Definition. A brainstem stroke happens when blood supply to the base of the brain is stopped. This can affect many functions in the body, such as heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. There are two main types: ischemic and hemorrhagic . An ischemic stroke is the most common type.

How long can you live with Alexander disease?

Newborns with neonatal Alexander disease are severely disabled. Most pass away before their second birthdays. Children with the infantile type may live five to 10 years. Children with the juvenile-onset disease may live into their 30s or 40s.

Is Alexander disease always fatal?

Alexander disease is an extremely rare, usually progressive and fatal, neurological disorder. Initially it was detected most often during infancy or early childhood, but as better diagnostic tools have become available has been found to occur with similar frequency at all stages of life.