Progressing (cortical) atrophy of the brain.
Progressing (cortical) atrophy of the brain. Brain atrophy is the process of gradual death of the cerebral cells and destruction of the inter-neuron connections. The pathological process can spread to the brain cortex or subcortical structures. Despite the cause of the pathological process and treatment, the prognosis is not quite favorable. Atrophy can happen in any functional part of the grey matter, leading to the disorder of the cognition and sensitive and motor spheres.The most part of the registered cases are elder females. The disease can manifest after the age of 55 and lead to complete dementia in a couple of decades. Brain atrophy is a serious pathology induced by age-related degenerative processes, genetic mutation, accompanying pathologies and radiation. In some cases, one of the factors comes to the fore and the others make a background. The basis for atrophy is age-related reduction of the size and weight of the brain. However, the disease is noted not only in elderly people, there is a brain atrophy in young children including new born babies. Almost all scientists agree that the reason is inheritance, when there are errors in the transfer of the genetic information. The surrounding negative factors are considered the background that can promote the process. The causes for the brain atrophy of the innate character imply genetic anomalies, mutations in the chromosomes or the infectious process during the pregnancy. Most frequently, these are the viruses but the bacterial infections are also possible. The group of additional risk factors are chronic intoxications, especially, negative influence of alcohol, infectious processes in the brain, both acute and chronic, traumatic injury and ionizing radiation. Of course, non-heritable reasons come to the fore only in 5% of the cases, in other 95% they are provoking factors against the genetic mutation. Despite the focal process in the beginning of the disease, gradually a whole brain, encephalon is damaged. So far, it is not possible to pathogenetically describe all processes in the brain, as the nervous system and its functions are still not completely studied. However, we have recorded some evidence.
Due to the age-related processes in the encephalon, the processes of involution are observed in the brain as well as other organs. This is conditioned by the increased destruction and slowdown of the cell regeneration. Thus, the symptoms of the brain atrophy gradually become more pronounced depending on the damaged area. At an early stage of the disorder the person becomes less active, impassionate, apathic and the personality changes. Sometimes, moral conduct and actions are ignored. The vocabulary reduces and this conditions primitive speech. Thinking becomes less productive, the critical attitude to behavior and actions is lost. The locomotion also gradually disorders leading to changes in handwriting and inability to express themselves.
The symptoms of the brain atrophy also concern memory, thinking and other cognitive functions. The patient can stop recognizing the familiar objects and forget how to use them. Such patients require constant attendance to avoid emergency situations. The difficulties in space orientation are conditioned by memory disorders. Such a person is unable to evaluate the attitude of other people to them and easily succumbs to suggestion. Further, as the moral and physical degeneration progresses, the idiocy develops. The atrophy has several degrees. Atrophy of the 1st stage. The degenerative changes in the brain activate with age, but can develop more rapidly depending on the accompanying factors. The first stage atrophy is observed at the very beginning of the disease, when the pathological deviations in the function of the encephalon are minimal. It is also important to know where initially the disease localizes: in the cortex or subcortical structures. The first manifestations of the disease depend on its localization in the brain.
At an early stage, the atrophy can have no clinical symptoms at all. The patient might start to worry because of other accompanying pathology that affects the encephalon functioning directly or indirectly. Then the periodic headaches and dizziness appear and become more and more frequent. If an individual addresses the doctors at this stage, the atrophy slows down its progress and symptoms are absent. With age the therapy requires correction and update of the drugs and doses. The therapy permits slowing down the exacerbation and development of new clinical manifestations. Atrophy of the 2nd stage. The second stage of the atrophy has some clear manifestations that help suspect specific pathological processes. The onset of the disease may only manifest with dizziness, headaches or some symptoms of the accompanying disease that affects the function of the brain. However, if no therapy is administered, the pathology progresses and clinical manifestations exacerbate. Apart from periodical dizziness, thinking and analytical capacities disorder. Besides the level of critical thinking reduces and self-estimation of the actions deteriorates. Further, the hand-writing and speech alter, old habits are lost while new are acquired. As the atrophy progresses, the patient becomes incapable of small movements so that the person is unable to do anything with their fingers. The movement coordination is also disordered, and the walking and other activities slow down. Cognitive functions deteriorate. Habitual skills, such as use of Ta V remote control or of a toothbrush are lost. Sometimes, the individuals copy the manners and behavior of other people due to loss of independency of thinking and motions.
