What could have caused these lesions?
 

Hi,

Sorry if this is a bit of an "out there" question:

I had a seizure 2 years ago. My neurosurgeon did an MRI and found there to be lesions on my brain (in the white matter). 6 months later, I had another MRI and it appears that the lesions have cleared up. I have not had another seizure since. My neurologist says that his best guess as to what had happened is that I suffered from ADEM (Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis).
However, he wasn't certain that that was the definite cause.

My question is as follows:
I had smoked marijuana causally (about once every 2-4 weeks) with friends before the incident. Could this have been the cause for the brain lesions and seizure? Can marijuana cause such a thing as seen in the attached pictures? Would it be ok for me to smoke again socially?

Hello alkitsa and welcome to NeuroTalk.

A lesion is something found on MRI which should not be there. What causes anomalies on MRI? Many things. Since your Dr. is uncertain of the cause he may just need to follow you to see if anything thing else shows up symptom wise or in testing.

A MRI report is more helpful as there is an "impression" section that will give you an idea of possible causes to anomalies found on MRI. However, those possible other causes need to be determined by your Dr. based on medical history, other testing, ect.

For now try and relax and be thankful your current MRIs are clear and you are not having seizures :hug:

We are finding some antibiotics can
Cause lesions .. There is evidence of
Flagyl ( metronidazole) doing this and
The white lesions healing. So there may be others
Just not tagged yet, like the fluoroquinolones
Which give brain symptoms in some people.

Lyme disease and some parasites also
Can show up on MRIs.

Your doctor has mentioned an infectious
Process or inflammatory one.. So this might
Be the case for you. Thank heavens you
Are feeling better now.

Welcome alkitsa. :Wave-Hello:

1. Almost anything is possible. Whether something is likely is a different matter. AFAIK, the likelihood of marijuana causing such lesions is pretty slim, or we would have heard more about it.
   _
2. Due to prohibition, we do not know as much about the (potential) effects of smoking marijuana as we would (or should). Over 70 years of research opportunity has been lost. Eventually, we should catch up, but that will still take some time, and there will be a lot of argument/debate/discussion (as there should be) in the process.
   _
3. While marijuana is not as dangerous/harmful as some would have us believe, it is likewise not as harmless as others would have us believe. As with other polarizing issues, the truth lies somewhere in-between. Nothing is without risk.

Bottom Line: It's not a simple cut-and-dried issue/question, and the opinions of anonymous people on the internet can sometimes have little/nothing to do with facts/science. Even supposedly objective scientific studies can be flawed (enough) in design and/or interpretation so as to be biased/opinionated.

This may sound like a cop-out—and perhaps it is (so be it), and I'm almost sure it's not what you want to hear—but I think the best answer/course is for each individual to dig in, do their own research, come to their own conclusions about the risks, and then make their own decisions about how to treat—and what to put into—their bodies.

risks of marijuana

Doc