Is brain atrophy the same as cerebral palsy?

Written by Shi De Quan

Neurology

Updated on November 08, 2024

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Brain atrophy is definitely not cerebral palsy. Brain atrophy is generally caused by various reasons in adults leading to a reduction in brain volume. This is often seen in cognitive impairments or memory decline in adults. Cerebral palsy, on the other hand, is generally caused by congenital diseases or perinatal reasons, leading to damage to the central nervous system. It is a disease characterized primarily by non-progressive motor disorders. Therefore, it manifests as spastic diplegia, hemiplegia, athetosis, and symptoms of the extrapyramidal system, mainly focusing on motor disorders.

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Written by Zhang Hui

Neurology

43sec

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Is cerebellar atrophy hereditary?

Whether cerebellar atrophy is hereditary depends on the cause of the atrophy. In neurology, there is a disease called spinocerebellar ataxia, which is caused by genetic mutations and results in significant ataxic symptoms. The imaging studies show cerebellar atrophy. This disease can be inherited, so it is important to conduct prenatal counseling to promote eugenics. Cerebellar atrophy caused by other reasons is not hereditary. For example, if the atrophy is due to neurodegenerative disease such as multiple system atrophy, there is no clear genetic tendency. If the atrophy is caused by a cerebellar infarction, it is also not hereditary.

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Written by Zhang Hui

Neurology

43sec

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Symptoms of cerebral atrophy

Mild cerebral atrophy may not present any clinical symptoms, and many elderly people show some degree of cerebral atrophy during imaging examinations, which should not be overly worrying. If the cerebral atrophy is more pronounced, it mainly manifests as cognitive dysfunction, such as a decline in memory, reduced computational abilities, diminished executive functions, and possibly the inability to perform complex movements, such as being unable to brush one's teeth or dress oneself. In severe cases, individuals may experience personality changes, becoming irritable, easily angered, suspicious, and may even exhibit psychiatric symptoms, primarily hallucinations.

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Written by Li Jiao Yan

Neonatology

1min 22sec

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Symptoms of baby brain atrophy

The symptoms of baby brain atrophy include the following: First, the child shows no interest in the surroundings, poor responsiveness, significantly reduced movements, poor sucking ability, and often chokes on milk. Second, the child with brain atrophy exhibits abnormal muscle tone and posture. Symptoms of cerebellar atrophy include difficulty in abducting the thighs, difficulty in extending the knees, legs straightened and adducted when held upright, legs crossed in a scissor-like manner, bent elbow and wrist joints, and the hands often clenched with the thumb turned inward. Third, congenital reflexes are weakened or may not appear at all, such as the rooting reflex, grasp reflex, and embrace reflex, which are either weakened or completely absent. Fourth, there is limited voluntary movement; the baby cannot reach out voluntarily to grab liked objects after five months or always uses one hand to reach for things. Fifth, there are signs of intellectual disability, delayed language development, or language disorders.

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Written by Zhang Hui

Neurology

58sec

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The difference between cerebral atrophy and cerebellar atrophy.

Whether it is cerebral atrophy or cerebellar atrophy, these are concepts in imaging. They are generally detected through cranial CT or MRI scans, resulting in such diagnoses in imaging reports. Generally, cerebral atrophy mainly refers to the atrophy of the cerebral cortex, which includes areas like the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, hippocampus, and parietal lobe. The cerebral cortex is closely related to cognitive functions, movement, sensation, and emotions of the limbs. Patients with cerebral atrophy typically show a decline in intelligence, slow reactions, and dysfunction of bladder and bowel control, etc. The cerebellum mainly coordinates the body's integrative movements and ensures the fluent execution of limb movements. Therefore, cerebellar atrophy primarily leads to symptoms of ataxia, like finger tremors and unsteady walking.

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Written by Zhang Hui

Neurology

56sec

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What are the symptoms of cerebral atrophy?

Some patients with brain atrophy may not exhibit any specific clinical symptoms and are only found to have brain atrophy through imaging studies, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. Some patients do exhibit clinical symptoms, and the common symptoms of brain atrophy mainly include the following manifestations. First, patients may experience a decline in memory function, such as frequently forgetting things they have just done, forgetting where they placed their wallet, or forgetting to bring keys when going out. Second, there may also be a decline in executive functions, such as difficulties in dressing or brushing teeth by oneself. Third, there may be a decline in computational abilities, to the extent that the patient cannot perform simple arithmetic. Additionally, brain atrophy may also present some psychiatric symptoms, such as hallucinations and incoherent speech.