Lesion location & symptoms
 

I can't/won't take credit for this but the person who took the time to research and type this has given me permission to re-post it here. I would like to express my thanks to that person.


Lesions & Symptoms reprinted

Lesion Locations and Symptoms

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



CEREBRUM - cognitive area; includes:

Parietal Lobe - receives and evaluates sensory information. It processes information about touch, taste, blood pH, pain, pressure and temperature. Inability to discriminate between sensory stimuli. Damage can cause inability to locate and recognize parts of the body (Neglect), severe Injury: Inability to recognize self, disorientation of environment space, inability to write.

Occipital Lobe - receives and integrates visual input. Can cause loss of ability to recognize object seen in opposite field of vision, "flash of light", "stars"

Temporal Lobe - receives and evaluates auditory and olfactory (smell) input. It's also associated with abstract thought, judgment and memory. Can cause hearing deficits, agitation, irritability, childish behavior, receptive/sensory aphasia.

Somesthetic Cortex - Receives sensory input from various parts of the body. If the primary sensory areas aren't intact, may not be aware of stimulus or not be able to tell where it's coming from.

Somesthetic Association area - takes visual input and compares it to what you already know. Damage can make it hard to recognize familiar objects or people. It also puts 'emotional value' on objects, which can account for some phobias or attractions. You tend to pay more attention to something that's familiar and you have a strong 'association' with.

Primary Motor Area - controls voluntary movement especially fine movements in the hands. It sends the messages to stimulate muscles to contract or relax.

FRONTAL LOBE - helps coordinate movement (balance and muscle coordination). Damage may result in ataxia which is a problem of muscle coordination. This can interfere with a person's ability to walk, talk, eat, and to perform other self care tasks. Can cause impairment of recent memory, inattentiveness, inability to concentrate, behavior disorders, difficulty in learning new information. Lack of inhibition (inappropriate social and/or sexual behavior). Emotional lability. "Flat" affect. Contra-lateral plegia, paresis. Expressive/motor aphasia.
Includes:

Premotor Area - determines which muscles must contract, in what order and to what degree, and sends the messages to the Primary Motor area. It also is involved in motivation and forethought, and helps control emotional behavior and mood. It lets people carry out complex skills and learned tasks, and affects manual dexterity. Damage can cause hesitancy in performing actions that you have learned to do.

Prefrontal area - controls aggression and motivation. It's the area destroyed when a frontal lobotomy is performed, which controls aggression, but also affects personality and motivation in other areas.

Broca's Area (motor speech area) - initiates the movements needed to speak. Hesitant or distorted speech is usually from damage in this area. A word is formulated here as it will be spoken, then it sends the information to the premotor area to decide which muscles have to be used to actually speak it.

Wernicke's Area (sensory speech area) - responsible for understanding and formulating coherent speech. Problems naming objects, comprehending visual language (reading) and repeating spoken sentences can be from damage in this area. Poor word finding is caused by damage isolating this area from parietal or temporal association areas. Being able to speak fluently, but unintelligibly, or poor repetition but good comprehension, is usually caused by damage between this area and Broca's area.

BASAL GANGLIA - inhibits unwanted muscular activity and affects planning and co-ordinating movements and posture. Damage to the area can cause exaggerated or uncontrolled movements, chorea, tremors at rest and with initiation of movement, abnormal increase in muscle tone, difficulty initiating movement.

LIMBIC SYSTEM - influences emotions, responses to the emotions, motivation, mood and sensations of pain and pleasure. Can cause loss of sense of smell and loss of recent memory. Different parts of this system are:

Olfactory Cortex - smell can stimulate hunger in the hypothalamus, and the smell of pheromones bring about sexual attraction. Damage in this area can cause excessive/decreased appetite, increased/decreased sexual activity and increase/loss of fear/anger responses.

Hyppocamus - help transform information from short term to long term memory; damage can cause loss of memory.

Amygdala - mediates both inborn and acquired emotional responses. It seems to be involved in mediating both conscious and unconscious emotional feeling.

Hypothalamus - helps regulate body functions, such as temperature, water and fat metabolism, sleep, sexual activity and emotional control.

CEREBELLUM - Affects coordination and voluntary movement. Can cause tremors, nystagmus, ataxia and lack of coordination/balance. Includes:

Fluccolonodular Lobe - helps with balance

Anterior - helps with gross motor coordination

Posterior - helps with fine motor coordination

All 3 compare signals received from different areas to keep them coordinated and give smooth movements. If retraining is needed, it helps with learning new functions and getting the right muscles to respond if the actions are repeated enough times.

BRAIN STEM - Neurological functions located in the brain stem include those necessary for survival (breathing, digestion, heart rate, blood pressure) and for arousal (being awake and alert). It is the pathway for all fiber tracts passing up and down from peripheral nerves and spinal cord to the highest parts of the brain. This includes:

Medulla Oblongata - primarily a relay station for the crossing of motor tracts between the spinal cord and the brain. It also contains the respiratory, vasomotor and cardiac centers, as well as many mechanisms for controlling reflex activities such as coughing, gagging, swallowing and vomiting

Mid-brain - nerve pathway of the cerebral hemispheres and contains auditory and visual reflex centers

Pons - links different parts of the brain and serves as a relay station from the medulla to the higher cortical structures of the brain. It contains the respiratory center.

______________________________________________
SPINAL COLUMN

C1: blood supply to the head, pituitary gland, scalp, bones of the face, inner and middle ear, sympathetic nervous system, eyes, ears

C2: eyes, optic nerves, auditory nerves, sinuses, mastoid bones, tongue, forehead, heart

C3: cheeks, outer ear, face, bones, teeth, trifacial nerve, lungs

C4: nose, lips, mouth, Eustachian tube, mucus membranes, lungs

C5: vocal cords, neck glands, pharynx

C6: neck muscles, shoulders, tonsils

C7: thyroid gland, bursa in the shoulders, elbows, ulnar nerve

T1: arms from the elbows down, including hands, arms, wrists and fingers; esophagus and trachea, heart

T2: heart, including its valves and covering coronary arteries; lungs bronchial tubes

T3: lungs, bronchial tubes, pleura, chest, breast, heart

T4: gallbladder, common duct, heart, lungs, bronchial tubes

T5: liver, solar plexus, circulation (general), heart, esophagus, stomach

T6: stomach, esophagus, peritoneum, liver, duodenum

T7: kidneys, appendix, testes, ovaries, uterus, adrenal cortex, spleen, pancreas, large intestine

T8: spleen, stomach, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, adrenal cortex, small intestine, pyloric valve

T9: adrenal cortex, pancreas, spleen, gallbladder, ovaries, uterus, small intestine

T10: kidneys, appendix, testes, ovaries, uterus, adrenal cortex, spleen, pancreas, large intestine

T11: kidneys, ureters, large intestine, urinary bladder, adrenal medulla, adrenal cortex, uterus, ovaries, ileocecal valve

T12: small intestine, lymph circulation, large intestine, urinary bladder, uterus, kidneys, ileocecal valve

L1: large intestine, inguinal rings, uterus

L2: appendix, abdomen, upper leg, urinary bladder

L3: sex organs, uterus, bladder, knee, prostate, large intestine

L4: prostate gland, muscles of the lower back, sciatic nerve

L5: lower legs, ankles, feet, prostate

Sacrum: hip bones, buttocks, rectum, sex organs, genitalia, urinary bladder, ureter, prostate

Sacral Plexus: Forms the sciatic as well as other nerves that go to muscles, joints and other structures of the legs, knees, ankles, feet and toes

Coccyx: rectum, ****

_________________
Corpus Callosum: What I've found says it's a commonly affected area, but many times causes no symptoms. When it does, it tends to be slight memory loss, sometimes personality changes and sometimes mild cognitive deficits.

Temperoparietal Region: Can affect the memory, language and reading ability among other things. One common symptom seems to be one the person doesn't really notice; 'neglecting' a part of the visual field. From what I've read, you might see an entire image, but only "see" one side of it - the right/left side doesn't register, depending on which side has the lesion.

Thanks so much, Snoopy.

I remember researching this information when I saw it posted on another board. There was one bit of information that I ran across that was inaccurate . . . but do you think I can remember which part it was now?

Anyway, it is very helpful on the most part.

Cherier

Cherie,

The person who did this has stated she is not 100% sure it's accurate.

Do you think it's accurate enough to make it a *sticky*?

IMO, not unless you have an author and a link, and I would think that it has to be 100% accurate or perhaps a disclaimer with it??

What do you think?

There isn't a link because someone spent time researching for the information and I don't feel I have the right to name the person - all I did was ask to post it on another board and she gave her permission.

I don't have a problem with it not being a *sticky* it was just a thought.
Should it be 100% accurate to be a sticky....probably....maybe I was a bit hasty but there is a lot of information there that could help someone trying to figure out their MRI and what a lesion might be affecting.

I agree that this very valuable information, and I too would like to see it readily available to the members in a sticky.

I would suggest that it is unlikely that your source actually "wrote" the majority of this, and as I have done with much of my notes, s/he probably pieced together information from a number of reliable sources. (Feel free to correct me if I am wrong though!).

Then the question becomes, are we infringing upon copyright protection by not providing the source(s) of this research information? I guess that consideration depends a lot on how much is, or almost is, word for word?

When I googled some of the sentences, I got hits. There were a few words changed around, and not all on one website, but it's out there in pieces.

I've always struggled with this, personally, as I have been on the receiving end of decisions to delete my information because parts of it were "too close" to copyright infringement.

Anyway, either way I can't make a decision about this for our board in isolation of the mod team . . . but I would be more than happy to present it for their input and final resolution.

As for the other point, about things being 100% correct, I'm not so sure anyone could claim this . . . not even scientists/medical professionals. As with all the information we are exposed to though, I think we all appreciate that there are no "absolutes", yet.

I really do appreciate you posting this, and for asking the question to have this available for everyone, Snoopy. I'll present this for further discussion, if there are no sources available.

Cherie

I'm not going to correct you, I'm sure your pretty close to the truth;)

My son did a report for his AP History class, he submitted it during the summer (yep, summer homework). The teacher uses a program that picks up any hint of copyright infringement and he actually had hits on words such as....*This* and *article*....needless to say we were all a little suprised about that.

Anyway, thanks for at least considering it.

Thanks and since i failed biology one and a half times does this come w/a road map?
:>) I'll find one.

I got a lot from this
 

Reading this helped me considerably in making sense of the effect of sclera I have in various brain parts. I am glad you posted this even if it is not l00% accurate.
One area I am not sure about (not sure I have sclera) was so suggestive of damage that I am assuming I may have spots in that area. My doctors never have ever discussed this with me, and I think they should have.

Mariel

Thanks Snoopy. I found it a very useful and thorough summary, so really appreciate you passing it on to us. The brain is so complex, and so many areas need to work together to carry out any particular function. I think its dangerous to assume loss of a function directly relates to damage in a particular area, or vice versa, but it sure helps to have some clue.

Cheers -karaline

lesion and symptoms
 

Thank you for that info, it is what I have been searching for, for a long long time.

lesion @ symptoms
 

[CENTER][That was more information I have gotten since I was diagnosied in 1984. Thank You.:)/CENTER]

Hippocampus is the accurate spelling. Helpful info. thank you

Lesions & symptoms!
 

Guys, trying to track down symptoms and correlate them with lesion location is really not very helpful. I know how tempting it can be, as I've done it myself. But the brain is so complex and we know so little about it that what you think might be true, probably isn't.

I'd like to post a link to another forum thread, but because my post count is so low, I won't be able to do so yet - so if you'd like to get to it, just PM me and I'll send it to you.

The forum thread is by Quixotic, and it's on MedHelp. This is one of the better write-ups and collections of information I've found.

"Secondly, all good MS doc's will tell you that they believe that many brain
lesions are still invisible to the MRI. So we know that there are some lesions that can't be seen which can still cause symptoms. So that makes drawing conclusions IMPOSSIBLE between where the lesions in the brain sit and what the symptoms are. But, sometimes they can form generalities. Some researchers have found a statistical relationship betwee frontal lobe lesions (which is not one of the commonest places) to the very debilitating fatigue. Lesions in the brainstem are often associated with balance problems or spatial orientation problems."

This is definitely worth the read!

Jen - that's probably true, and this should be viewed, if I may quote Firesign Theater, as "Not a Guide to ruled by, by a rule to be guided by."

That said it would be more helpful to me if there were some map of the brains. My reports all just say my lesions are *periventricular*. Nobody bothered to give details, so 'd have to work that out myself. Anyone know a link for such a thing?

Avoid eye contact. If there are no eyes, avoid all contact!

This site says: Periventricular white matter refers to white matter that is immediately to the side of the two lateral (side) ventricles of the brain.

http://www.medfriendly.com/periventr...itematter.html

Thanks for posting this. Very interesting.

just back from my optho and asked him about this very thing
 

i am still in the early shock stage due to very recent diagnosis but i drilled my opthamololgist about the brain damage/location correlation...my lesion does not seem to be impacting my symptoms (double vision) apparently ms can be manifested through this optic nerve connection...still have to keep the darned prism thing on my glasses and hope that my vision improves...apparently my eye isn't moving as much to the right but my vision still needs the prism connection...:confused: also saw my lady dr today for the annual exam and she kept asking me if i had notices any muscle weakness???? not any more than usual....given chasing two kids...not really exercising that much (except the 37 stairs up to our house) but not really feeling it...

My Neuro Dr Did a Brain Scan and Lupas test for the Numbness in my left hand and responded "you do not have MS-Yet" I have discovered my multiple symptoms over the last 5 yrs looks like MS. Should I have further testing done if there are no lesions present on the MRI? Symptoms are Numbness & Pain in Left Hand-fingers- 2 months -Nerve tests are OK, numbness in toes both feet-3 yrs, COPD- 2 yrs, Chronic Pain- 4 yrs left Rib, Cubital nerve Damage-left arm, Rotater Cuff damage-left arm, Blood in Urine & urgency- bladder pressure, My family says I forget things and my boss says I am not focused, I don't see a problem, My vision has worsened in last 3 yrs- need Tri-focals to read. I have seen several different doctors in the last 5 yrs, this is the first Neuro Dr I have seen. Should I get a 2nd opinion? Ask for more tests? Accept these problems as just getting older-I am 45. Thanks for any and all information..
GOD BLESS
Cherie

We have a bond...
 

Hello LeeAnn,
My name is Michele. I have MS and I am 47 years old. I have never taken any of the DMD. I just wondered if we could chat as we have this in common.

Kindest regards,
Michele

Awesome useful info. Thanks snoopy. I knew what my cervical lesions were doing, but the Occipital Lobe one explains alot of my "hallucinations" lol.

T-10 Lesion
 

My only spinal lesion is at T-10 and when I asked my MS specialist about it his only comment was "You might experience weakness in your legs". Not a very communicative guy, this one, but I wanted to throw this into the mix.

I should add that for as long as I can remember going to the gym I was never a good candidate for the stairmaster or step -- I walk fine but my legs DO get tired walking up the stairs.

I have been fascinated with the field of "neuroplasticity" for the last year. PBS has done several specials on this (look in your local listings for anything with the word "brain" in it!) and there's a lot of info. out there in general. Truly fascinating. The thing about re-routing though is that some areas of the brain are more adept at this than others so it depends where the damage has been done. But -- there's a lot of research being done on neuro-regeneration too! For more info. on neuroplasticity: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&c...ticity&spell=1

From my understanding, the spinal cord "repair" is simply reliant on how much damage/healing occurs, and doesn't reroute like the brain. :(

Cherie

Yes, that's my understanding as well.

check this out!!!
 

Here is a site that will either give you a 3 dimensional look at a model or an MRI to show you where all the various points of the brain are that you read about in your MRI and don't understand. It gives a small bit of info about what functions that area controls.

Click on visual glossary. I've started with "centrum semiovale."

http://www.sylvius.com/index/c/centrum_semiovale.html

Very good link Natalie, Thanks!

More Lesions on my brain
 

Hello,

I had my first MRI in July of 2006. On the MRI, the doctor noted that I had six lesions on my brain. He did not think that we needed to be concerned with this at that point, even though both of my legs were numb from my hips down to my toes. In late 2007 several of my co-workers were noticing that my hands were trembling, but I did not think much of it.

In June 2008 I started to notice that my hands were trembling every day and was especially bad in the morning. I do not drink regular coffee if I can help it, and will drink decaf only when I am at work and am chilly. I started having troubles putting on my eye make up and plucking my eyebrows. The trembling got so bad that I could not put the tweezers near my brows for fear of stabbing my eyeballs.

I went back the the neurologist in November 2008 and he ordered another MRI. This one came back with numerous new lesions on my brain. I am scared. I had a spinal tap yesterday at the hospital, so I am taking it pretty easy as to not get the "post spinal" headache that I was warned about.

Does anyone know if my trembling has anything to do with the lesions? My doctor does not seem to think that they are related, but I want to hear from others that may have these symptoms too.

Any information would be welcomed.

Thank you!
Amy

Hi Amy,
Welcome.
I have had tremor as my very, very first symptom. It was visible to the doctors, but it still took me three years to find out why I had it. I had it in a few places. Each doctor would call it something else. We didn't have MRI's back then, so it was a ruling in/out process of other diseases and tests. Then I had other symptoms, went into hospital and was told I had MS.

This link might help you. Good luck :)
Lady
http://www.wemove.org/et/et.html


:)

I now have my answer
 

[QUOTE=Lady;442679]Hi Amy,
Welcome.
I have had tremor as my very, very first symptom. It was visible to the doctors, but it still took me three years to find out why I had it. I had it in a few places. Each doctor would call it something else. We didn't have MRI's back then, so it was a ruling in/out process of other diseases and tests. Then I had other symptoms, went into hospital and was told I had MS.

This link might help you. Good luck :)
Lady


Lady,

Thank you for the link, it gave me some great information. I did actually get a confirmation from my Neurologist on January 21st that MS is most likely my diagnosis. My spinal tap revealed antibodies - positive for both lupus and sjogrens among some other information. The Neurologist also told me that since 2006 that I have at least two dozen more lesions on my brain, with some in the cerebellum and brain stem. He originally said that I had "several" more lesions since 2006.....I had nine at that time, and I don't feel that finding "at least two dozen more" constitutes using the word "several" but what can I say. I am trying to digest this information, yet have not quite been able to that yet. My next step is to see a rheumatologist and then from there I will be seeing a different Neurologist for a second opinion. I would like to get working on a treatment plan ASAP with the hopes of minimizing the addition of more lesions.

I do not know if the number of lesions that I have is alot or if it is normal? How do I know? Should I worry about having so many new lesions in just two years, or is this something that I should expect?

Amy, I would get copies of all your MRI's, your LP report, including all other reports, tests and blood work you have had in the past few years.

I would bring them to both a Rheumatologist and a MS Specialist, perhaps both specialties in a large well known teaching hospital in your area.

I, too, have positive antibodies for Lupus and a few Lupus symptoms, but I did not meet the criteria for Lupus. My ANA count is 1:640. It may go down to 1:320 which is only one test different from the other higher number. Normal is 1:40 Next is 1:80 low positive. It doubles with each test they do on it. It only sounds high.

My MS Specialist said many people with MS have a positive ANA. As for Sjogren's that too must have more tests done to confirm it by a Rheumatologist.

As for spots on the brain, you can have many and not have any disability at all or any bad symptoms. Then you may have only one or two spots and have disability. It is all location, location, location.. in the brain.

Also it is the size of the lesions, and if they are active (bright spots) or have turned to scars or dark holes. Some heal and remyelinate.

Amy see these doctors for second opinions and find out for sure what you dx is. You could have more than one. Multiple Autoimmune dx's are not uncommon. I have a few myself. Lupus they always try to throw into my mix, but so far I don't have it.

There are lots of blood tests you need to get. Good Luck on your road Amy.:)

Thank you again Lady!

I appreciate the information regarding the number of lesions! I really didn't know the the number of lesions doesn't necessarily mean that things are bad. It has really calmed my nerves down! I checked my ANA and it is 1:640, but will find out much more once I get into see the Rheumatologist in 1 1/2 weeks. I have requested a referral to a specialist in MS and I am just waiting to hear when my appointment is scheduled for. Thank you again for all of your information, you have helped me more than you can imagine! :smile:

Have you visited with the MS specialist yet? Anything new to report?

:hug:

Twinkletoes,

Thank you for asking about my appointment. I have actually been having one of those days that I have been crying at the strangest things.....so I want you to know how much I appreciate that you took the time to ask.

I saw the specialist on Monday the 16th. We reviewed all of my labs and MRI's and he did some testing of my balance, eyes, etc. (I would never pass a DUI test sober at this point!)He then told me that he believes that I may have primary progressive MS. He would like to do another MRI of the brain, as well as the thorasic, lumbar and cervical to compare to my MRI in December and the spine from 2006. He wants to have it done with the contrast to see if the lesions are active. Now I am not real clear what this all means. I have read some but almost feel that this is somehow really not happening and that I am having a nightmare or something. I just don't want to breakdown in front of my daughter....she means the world to me and I just wish I could be stronger for her, but I am feeling so confused, mad and scared.:icon_cry:

This is the first time I've visited this thread and find it really interesting. On a different note -- after my third experience with atrial fibrillation, and some research, I find that it can be related to the MS (thanks Cherie). If that's the case, where would the lesion be located to cause problems with the autonomic nervous system? Most of my other lesions are on the spine, hence not being able to walk. Guess there was too much damage for the nerves to "re-route" themselves. I haven't had an MRI in years since my neuro thinks it's a waste of time and money since I "still have MS". What do you all think? I'd really like to compare the results with my previous MRI to see what difference the LDN has made.

Here's some info, Judy:

"The autonomic nervous system is controlled principally by parts of the brain stem and the hypothalamus"

http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclo...us_system.html

Cherie

Spinal Column - I don't know what the article is stating for each vertabrate but it doesn't look right to me.

My spinal cord's cut 99% at C7 (now degenerated to C6.5) and if the chart was correct, i'd be dead? Broke C7 in 1989 motorcycle accident.

Before MS, I had full hand motor & sensory, numbness started slightly above nipple line (couldnt feel a thing below nipple line) and bottoms of forearms were numb.

In reference to MS, you are right -- the information is not correct.

MS lesions are located on the spinal cord not the vertabrate.

This is a very old thread.

It was a "sticky" at one time but I asked for it to be "unstuck" a long time ago due to incorrect information for MS.

Corpus Callosum Lesion
 

I recently had major complications from a simple vaginal hysterectomy which produced massive ball of infection, 7 day stay in hospital, pleurisy, drain in back side for 2 weeks to drain the infection and then 4th day home I came down with TOTAL vertigo...could hardly walk the first few days....I have had mild vertigo as an MS relapses 2 times before...but because I still had active infection in my body my Neurologist and the other docs said NO steroid infusion until infection was under control/gone. This took another 30 days. The entire 30 days the vertigo calmed down bit by bit, but did not go away. It has now been 2 1/2 months of mild vertigo and they finally did an MRI and found a new hypersensitive (spelling?) lesion in the posterior splenium corpus callosum. But when researching this, it says it effects cognitive, et al and I cannot necesarily find vertigo symtoms from lesions in this area and am wondering how vertigo might be associated with cognitive and I am wondering if this lesion is causing my continued vertigo. Any answers???

Thanks so very much!
Verniechaos