Doctors' Answers to "Frequently Asked Questions" - The Brain

These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.

Brain Lesions [posted 1/12/99]
Question: What are the side effects of these drugs taken in combination? I am experiencing severe hiccups that don't seem to subside for more than 5 to 10 minutes before they reoccur. I started on these drugs and radiation therapy on 9/21/98.

Answer: The drugs didn't transmit, try again.

Concussion
Question: What happens when a person gets a concussion?

Answer: The brain is actually kind of suspended in the cranium. When a blow occurs the brain can experience trauma by the initial blow or by striking the opposite side of the cranium. Either can affect brain function, cause swelling and the subsequent concussion.

Meningioma
Question: How serious is a 1 cm meningioma on the brain? What are the possible treatments? What symptoms might it cause? - i.e. headaches, high blood pressure, behavior changes. What are the typical growth rates?

Answer: It depends where it is and how fast it is growing. In general, meningiomas are slow growing and only produce problems when they impinge critical parts of the brain or grow large enough to increase pressure on part or all of the brain. The symptoms are strictly due to the local effect on the brain and not the tumor itself. Most meningiomas are found incidentally on a CT of the head for another reason. Some are found after producing symptoms. The growth rates vary widely, but generally they double every 10 -15 years. However, the best way to calculate growth is to redo the CT and calculate growth, which is the way we generally do this.

The Brain
Question: What are the different jobs of the brain? What causes paralysis?

Answer: The brain basically organizes all information coming into it and allows an appropriate response to that stimuli. Listing all the different jobs is too long and tedious. There are several different parts of the brain.

Brain Tumor
Question: I have a friend who was just told she has a type of brain tumor which is related to her pituitary gland. It is called a Meningioma. She is quite upset, as am I. Until she can select a neurosurgeon and begin following a course of treatment, is there any place I can go to help her find out more about this condition?

Answer: Meningiomas are benign growths of the lining of the brain. They can occur anywhere in the brain and are responsible for about 20% of brain tumors. These tumors are removed when their size causes problems in the brain. This is typically in people with ages in the 50s or 60s due to the slow growth of these tumors. They are not cancerous, but, do occasionally require surgery due to their mechanical problems in the brain (a limited space). Consult your neurosurgeon.

Brain
Question: Why does the brain have lines?

Answer: These lines represent the involutions of the cortex and represent the development of the brain over the millions of years necessary to produce a cortex.

Cerebellum Deterioration
Question: I would like to know what cerebellum deterioration is and its symptoms and treatment.

Answer: The cerebellum in the back of the brain is critical for proper balance and coordination. People who have cerebellar problems have difficulty with their walking balance as well as coordination problems using their arms, legs, and even their eyes. These symptoms are not exclusively from cerebellar problems as this part of the brain communicates with other areas and a deficit in one of these other areas could simulate a cerebellar problem.

Deterioration of the cerebellum has many causes, therefore it is difficult to discuss what treatment one can use. Deterioration can occur as a result of: a genetic defect, effects of toxins such as mercury and alcohol, heat stroke and occasionally after a cardiac arrest. There may also be inflammatory conditions which can cause the cerebellum or its connections to the rest of the brain to malfunction, for example in M.S. This type of problem can be evaluated by a neurologist who would specialize in the diseases affecting the cerebellum.

Brain Injury & Memory Loss
Question: I was involved in a construction accident about one year ago. I have been diagnosed with some short term memory loss. They told me that my verbal memory was better than my visual memory. Futhermore, they told me that I have possible right brain injury more so that left side injury. My question to you is what I can do to improve my short term memory loss? Also, could you explain what is meant by "right side" brain injury. Is there any drug natural or man-made which could help me with my short term memory loss?

Answer: Damage to the brain is a very complex issue. Unfortunately, our ability to measure damage and subtle damage is limited. Consequently, we can only measure gross brain function. The right side of the brain is usually thought to be responsible for emotional memory and artistic ability. The ability to sing, paint, compose, etc is usually located here. The left side of the brain is where the computer resides. Here one computes numbers, analyzes data etc. Most memory function improves with use-for example, the actor who can memorize a whole play in one night. Consequently, when your memory is damaged-practice with memory stretching games and situations may be helpful. Drugs will not help this situation-although nicotine has been implicated in improving memory function..

3 Critical Parts
Question: What are the 3 most critical parts of the brain?

Answer: They are all critical to the function that they perform. It depends on what you define as critical. Critical to sustaining life? Critical to intellectual thought? Critical to speech? Let me know your priorities and I'll tell you what part of the brain is involved.

Cause of Brain Freeze
Question: I have a bet with my sister what causes a brain freeze when eating something cold. What is going on?

Answer: Recent "research" has shown that the nerves in the back of the pharynx and nose are affected by the cold and produce a migraine like headache.


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