Symptoms of cranial nerve atrophy

There are many nerves distributed in the human brain, but if there is a problem with the nerves, it would be a very scary thing. Because every nerve is basically connected to each other, and if there is a problem with one nerve, it will affect other nerves. However, cranial nerve atrophy is a common cranial nerve symptom, and there are many causes of cranial nerve atrophy, which may be congenital or acquired. But what are the symptoms of cranial nerve atrophy?

Causes and pathology

Brain atrophy is caused by multiple factors. Genetics, brain trauma, stroke, encephalitis, meningitis, cerebral vascular malformations, brain tumors, long-term epileptic seizures, excessive smoking and drinking, malnutrition, thyroid dysfunction, gas poisoning, alcohol poisoning, cerebral arteriosclerosis, cerebral ischemia, hypoxia, etc. can all cause damage to the brain parenchyma and atrophy, deformation, and disappearance of nerve cells. Clinically, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cerebral arteriosclerosis are important risk factors for senile cerebral atrophy.

The main pathogenic factor of cerebral atrophy is long-term chronic ischemia of cerebral blood vessels, which leads to decreased deformability of red blood cells, insufficient effective blood perfusion of microvessels, and chronic ischemia and hypoxia of brain tissue. The morphology and function of brain cells are affected, thus causing cerebral atrophy. Its pathological changes include flattening of gyri, widening of cerebral sulci, enlargement of ventricles and cisterns, and reduction of brain weight. Most cases are cerebral cortical atrophy. Depending on the location and scope of atrophy, it can be divided into localized and diffuse brain atrophy, atrophy of the cerebrum, cerebellum, olive body, pons, cortical and central atrophy.

Clinical manifestations

The clinical manifestations of cerebral atrophy are divided into two categories: brain function decline and cognitive impairment, which are mainly related to the location and degree of cerebral atrophy. Diffuse cerebral cortical atrophy is mainly characterized by dementia, mental retardation, memory impairment, personality changes, and behavioral disorders. Some are accompanied by hemiplegia and epileptic seizures. Focal cerebral atrophy is mainly characterized by personality and behavioral changes; cerebellar atrophy is mainly characterized by language disorders, limb ataxia and intention tremor.

1. Systemic symptoms

In the early stages of the disease, patients often experience dizziness, headaches, insomnia, weak waist and knees, numbness of hands and feet, tinnitus and deafness, and gradually become unresponsive, slow in movement, mumbling, and answering irrelevant questions. In terms of the body, it is often manifested as senility, graying of the hair and loss of teeth, dry skin, pigmentation, or hemiplegia, epilepsy, ataxia, tremor, etc. Neurological symptoms may be present or absent.

2. Memory impairment

Recent memory impairment occurs early, such as frequently losing items, forgetting promises, etc. As the disease progresses, memory is completely lost.

3. Changes in personality and behavior

Personality changes are often early symptoms of this disease. Patients become depressed and dislike interacting with others; or they have no ideals, desires, and lack affection for their children and relatives; or they have rigid and strange living habits, an irritable personality, increased speech or verbose repetition, and are suspicious and selfish; or they pay special attention to their own health and safety, and are often entangled in some minor discomforts; or they show delirium or mania, and have hallucinations, visual hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, aphasia, and agnosia. All the patient's higher-level emotional activities, sense of shame, responsibility, honor and morality, etc. are reduced to varying degrees, and changes in sleep rhythm may also occur.

4. Mental decline and dementia

It manifests as a comprehensive decline in intellectual activities such as understanding, judgment, and calculation ability, inability to adapt to social life, and difficulty in doing work and housework; gradually, the patient cannot correctly answer his or her own name and age, does not know when he or she is hungry or full when eating, does not know the way home after going out, and collects waste paper and other items as treasures. In the later stages of the disease, the patient was bedridden all day, unable to take care of himself, unable to distinguish between relatives and strangers, had incontinence, spoke slurredly, and eventually suffered from complete dementia.