Symptoms of Cerebral Atrophy
Brain atrophy essentially means that neurons and their bonds to each other have undergone necrosis (cell death). The affected regions cannot function as they should. Where this happens determines what symptoms you have.
Atrophy in the brain can be focal or generalized:
- Focal brain atrophy affects one or more specific regions.
- Generalized cerebral atrophy affects the whole brain almost equally throughout all regions.
Normally, with cerebral atrophy, there are still some working neurons among those that have undergone necrosis, so the symptoms may be partial rather than complete. Progressive atrophy generally occurs during adulthood, manifesting with a loss of skills. It tends to be generalized, although there may be areas of the brain that are more affected than others. The symptoms tend to slowly exacerbate over the course of months or even years.
Symptoms of progressive brain atrophy are:
- Dementia [2]
- Behavioral changes
- Memory loss
- Thinking and functioning impairment
- Muscle stiffness, slow movements, and/or tremors characteristic of Parkinson’s disease [3]
Acute focal brain atrophy, that which is observed weeks after the sudden symptoms of a stroke, head trauma, or infection, can lead to:
- Weakness of the face, arm, and/or leg
- Numbness
- Vision changes
- Problems with balance
In some cases, congenital brain atrophy may affect certain regions of the brain, rather than the whole brain equally. Symptoms may be seen during infancy or early childhood and can include seizures [4], trouble walking, delayed speech and learning difficulties.