Brain atrophy: definition, symptoms, causes and ways to prevent it

The human brain consists of various connected nerve cells that function to regulate the body's organs. This function is highly dependent on brain nerve cells or neurons that are connected to each other. Now, when neurons or connections between neurons are damaged or even lost, the brain can shrink and change shape. This condition is known as brain atrophy, which can lead to serious cognitive disorders, such as dementia.

What is brain atrophy?

Brain atrophy is a condition of damage or loss of brain cells and connections between brain cells on an ongoing basis. The loss of brain cells and neuron tissue causes the brain to shrink in size, making it smaller than its original size. This can occur as a whole (general) which causes the brain to appear completely deflated and shrink.

This condition tends to occur over a long time. Brain atrophy also generally precedes or presents as a symptom of various diseases of the brain over time.

However, this condition can also only occur in certain brain areas (focal), causing a person to lose the function of the organs connected to that brain area and experience atrophy.

If the two lobes of the cerebrum experience a contraction, the functions of the conscious mind, such as emotions, feelings, awareness and perception, can be disturbed. Likewise, various subconscious functions, such as moving muscles, response to stimuli and the ability to make decisions, are also affected.

What are the symptoms of brain atrophy?

This condition can be characterized by various brain diseases, especially:

Dementia

Dementia is characterized by a gradual decline in memory and intelligence functions. It can also significantly interfere with the ability to work and interact socially.

The shrinkage of brain size in dementia causes sufferers to experience impaired orientation, difficulty learning and abstract thinking, difficulty recognizing space, and impaired executive functions such as decision making, arranging and sorting objects.

Seizures

Another symptom that may appear when a person experiences this condition is seizures. These symptoms can appear in a variety of signs, such as disorientation, repetitive movements, loss of consciousness, and convulsions or a very rapid process of muscle contraction and relaxation.

Aphasia

Aphasia is a disorder that causes a person to have difficulty communicating, especially problems in speaking and understanding a language.

Aphasia can be receptive, which is difficulty understanding speech and expressiveness. This means that people who experience these symptoms will have difficulty in choosing sentences and difficulty in saying complete sentences or phrases.

Causes and risk factors for brain atrophy

The progress of recovery from brain atrophy is usually determined by the cause of the condition itself. The following are some medical conditions that may cause brain atrophy, such as:

1. Stroke

Stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted or reduced. This prevents the brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients as needed. At that time, the brain cells will die in a matter of minutes.

This condition certainly causes various body functions that are controlled by the brain to not work. In this condition, as mentioned above, brain atrophy is present as a symptom of a stroke.

2. Alzheimer's disease

In people with Alzheimer's disease, neurons in the brain are damaged and die. This condition causes the connections between neurons to also be damaged, so that many areas of the brain begin to shrink. At an already severe level, brain shrinkage can cause a reduction in brain volume.

3. Cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy is a movement disorder that can affect a person's ability to move and maintain body balance.

Usually, this condition is experienced by children and occurs due to abnormal brain development or damage to the brain that is going through the development process. Therefore, cerebral palsy can be a factor in causing brain atrophy.

4. Huntington's disease

This condition is a hereditary disease that can damage neurons. Usually, this condition occurs in middle age and the longer the disease can attack the sufferer's physical and mental condition.

In fact, Huntington's disease can cause depression and chorea, which are diseases that cause the body to move as if it were dancing uncontrollably.

5. Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a condition that occurs at a young age and is more susceptible to women than men. This condition is an autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack the protective membrane surrounding nerve cells.

Over time, the nerve cells will be damaged, causing problems with body movement and coordination. Brain atrophy is usually part of the progression of the disease, and in fact, the condition that causes the most severe damage from multiple sclerosis.

What can be done to prevent or treat brain atrophy?

Brain atrophy is a permanent condition because the damage and reduction in brain volume and size cannot be repaired or cannot return to normal. Therefore, actions that can be taken are prevention and slowdown of atrophic disease in brain cells.

Prevention of this condition, in general, can be done by adopting a healthy lifestyle. The goal is to prevent disease in the blood vessels of the brain. Not only that, you are also advised to avoid excessive alcohol consumption.

Treatment for causative factors or brain cell damage is needed to inhibit the acceleration of the atrophy process. In addition, lifestyle changes with active physical activity and supplementation of B vitamins (vitamins B12, B6 and folate) are known to slow down the process of brain damage.