white spots on brain scan

[Guest guest]

I also have the spots, seen on MRI of brain. Docs I've seen have told

me they could either be from uncontrolled HBP or migraines, I have

both, so you pick. I was also told by one neurosurgeon that they are

seen sometimes 'pre-alzheimers'.

Kim

[Guest guest]

" sometimes " ?

Thought comes, that I need a name if you know.

I'm wondering about " pre-alzheimers " - exactly what

that means because I think they know not what causes

AD.

But mostly if they haven't taken samples of many

people, at random, with and without spots, they

wouldn't have a guess.

I believe they don't do MRIs on people with no

symptoms.

How many people get these scans?

Only one in my family is the one with AD.

Searching for clues:

CONCLUSIONS: FES {Fat embolism syndrome}is a frequent

complication that is underdiagnosed and potentially

serious. It should be considered in polytraumatized

{with symptoms} patients. The manipulation performed in

the orthopedic reduction seems to have played an

important role in the patient's condition. MRI allows

for the diagnosis and characterization of acute lesions

in the central nervous system, ruling out other

etiologies. PMID: 18370341

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the neurological

complications and characteristics of intracranial

lesions in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)

in Taiwan. BACKGROUND: Neurofibromtosis type 1 is a

common autosomal dominant disorder characterized by

cafe au lait spots, peripheral neurofibromas, Lisch

nodules, and axillary freckling. Intracranial lesions

such as optic gliomas and neurofibromatosis bright

objects (NBOs) are common.

CONCLUSIONS: Neurofibromatosis bright objects are

frequent neuroimaging findings in patients with NF1

{neurofibromatosis type 1}, and are at high risk of

transforming into tumors. The incidences of epilepsy

and young-onset cerebral infarction in NF1 patients in

this study are higher than those in the general

population. Neuroimaging studies are thus essential for

NF1 patients to determine the extent of neurological

complications; although the imaging findings may not be

completely correlated with the clinical manifestations.

PMID: 17685129

Microbleeds in Alzheimer disease are more related to

cerebral amyloid angiopathy than cerebrovascular

disease.

Department of Neurology, Kyoto Prefectural University

of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is one of the

cardinal pathological features in the vascular

components of Alzheimer's disease (AD). CAA itself

results in disrupted microvasculature, mainly in the

cerebral cortex, eventually leading to a brain cortical

or subcortical hemorrhage in a population of elderly

people, but clinically overt brain hemorrhages are not

so frequent in AD patients. Here we assessed 50 AD

patients and 26 controls to detect latent brain

hemorrhages with gradient-echo T(2)*-weighted images, a

sensitive magnetic resonance imaging technique to

detect hemosiderin components in the brain.

Microbleeds, demarcated as low-intensity spots in

T(2)*-weighted images, were detected in 16.7% of AD

patients without cerebrovascular disease (CVD) and in

12.5% of those with CVD, while no microbleeding was

detected in the control subjects.

No significant difference was observed between the

microbleed-positive group and the microbleed-negative

counterpart in their clinical background, such as

hypertension, the use of antiplatelet drugs and

smoking.

{that says not a function of HTN}

In addition, white matter high intensities in the

T(2)-weighted image were significantly more confluent

{what does that mean?}

in the microbleed-positive AD group than its negative

counterpart. In conclusion, our evaluation of AD brains

revealed that latent microbleeds in AD patients are

more frequent than in normal controls. Microbleeds not

being related to common hemorrhagic risk factors, but

being significantly related to white matter pathologies

suggested that microbleeds in AD may be associated with

CAA, but not with hypertension or CVD. PMID: 1664527

Neuropathological examinations in cases of Hunter's

syndrome have previously shown marked dilatation of

ventricular system, large perivascular spaces secondary

to mucopolysaccharide storage, demyelination and

gliosis in the white matter and so forth. MR findings

correlated well with previously reported

neuropathological findings. MR study is not only useful

for diagnosing Hunter's syndrome but also helpful to

follow the pathological status. PMID: 9566004

MR imaging and histologic features of subinsular bright

spots on T2-weighted MR images: Virchow-Robin spaces of

the extreme capsule and insular cortex.

PURPOSE: To determine the cause and frequency of

high-signal-intensity foci detected in the insular

cortex and extreme capsule on thin-section,

high-spatial-resolution, coronal, T2-weighted magnetic

resonance (MR) images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The

authors assessed high-signal-intensity areas in the

insular cortex and extreme capsule on coronal MR images

obtained in 56 patients with seizure and five control

subjects. Images were obtained with thin-section,

high-spatial-resolution, T2-weighted, fast spin-echo;

three-dimensional, spoiled gradient-recalled-echo; and

fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery sequences. In two

formalin-fixed brain specimens, MR imaging findings

were correlated with gross anatomic and histologic

findings.

RESULTS: Subinsular bright spots were found in 53 of

the 56 (95%) patients (96 of 112 [86%] hemispheres) and

all five control subjects. The spots were elliptical in

30 patients, round in 14 patients, linear in 22

patients, and dotlike in seven patients and often had a

featherlike configuration. The spots were isointense to

cerebrospinal fluid on T2-weighted, fast SE images and

were located in the anterior extreme capsule white

matter and insular cortex. MR imaging of brain

specimens revealed bilateral elliptical areas of high

signal intensity that corresponded to small multiple

cavities at gross anatomic inspection. At microscopic

examination, these cavities were perivascular spaces of

mostly arteriolar origin.

CONCLUSION: High-signal-intensity subinsular foci at MR

imaging are due to enlarged perivascular spaces. In

most cases, these foci can be visualized on

thin-section, high-spatial-resolution, coronal

T2-weighted images; they should not be mistaken for

pathologic conditions when they occur unilaterally.

PMID: 10715028

{I guess that answers all my questions.}

Regards

white spots on brain scan

I also have the spots, seen on MRI of brain. Docs I've

seen have told

me they could either be from uncontrolled HBP or

migraines, I have

both, so you pick. I was also told by one neurosurgeon

that they are

seen sometimes 'pre-alzheimers'.

Kim

[Guest guest]

The brain can get messed up for manyreasoms

One can have both AD and HTN

brain insults and they are additive so I suspect that what he meant was

That if one gets AD or AZD as I prefer

To abbrev it AND have HTN brain insults " little strokes " then

AZD will be brought to front earlier

Tiped sad Sent from mi

iPhone ;-)

May your pressure be low!

CE Grim MD

Specializing in Difficult

Hypertension

On Jan 27, 2009, at 8:47 AM, kimsstay <kimshannons@...> wrote:

> I also have the spots, seen on MRI of brain. Docs I've seen have told

> me they could either be from uncontrolled HBP or migraines, I have

> both, so you pick. I was also told by one neurosurgeon that they are

> seen sometimes 'pre-alzheimers'.

>

> Kim

>

>