About The Brain
The Main Parts of The Brain
Cerebrum
The Cerebrum is the largest area of the brain. It’s made up of two halves or hemispheres. The right cerebral hemisphere controls the left side of the body and the left cerebral hemisphere controls the right side of the body. Each cerebral hemisphere is divided into four areas, known as lobes: the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes. Each lobe controls a different range of activities Frontal Lobe – Controls attention, behavior, abstract thinking, problem solving, creative thought, emotion, intellect, initiative, judgment, coordinated movements, muscle movements, smell, physical reactions, and personality. Parietal Lobe -Controls tactile sensation, response to internal stimuli, sensory comprehension, some language, reading, and some visual functions. Temporal lobe – Controls auditory and visual memories, language, some hearing and speech, language, plus some behavior. Occipital Lobe – one of the four lobes of the cerebral hemisphere. It is located in the back of the head and controls vision.
Cerebellum
The Cerebellum is located at the lower back of the head and is connected to the brain stem. It is the second largest structure of the brain and is made up of two hemispheres. The cerebellum controls complex motor functions such as walking, balance, posture, and general motor coordination. These activities are carried out automatically (subconsciously) by this area of the brain and are not under a person’s control.
Brain Stem
The Brain Stem is the bottom part of the brain and connects the cerebral hemispheres to the spinal cord. This controls the basic functions essential to maintaining life, including blood pressure, breathing, heartbeat, eye movements and swallowing.
Symptoms Of A Brain Tumour
Brain Tumour symptoms vary from patient to patient, and most of these symptoms can also be found in people who do NOT have brain tumours. The best way to determine if you or someone you know has a brain tumour is to have a doctor perform a type of brain scan called an MRI or a scan called a CT scan.
Al Musella, from Virtual Trials the brain tumour information site, conducted a survey of about 1400 brain tumour patients to learn what symptoms they had that caused them to seek medical care. The survey is ongoing, and if you have been diagnosed with a brain tumour you can participate here.
Information reproduced here is with thanks to the Musella Foundation in the US and the Brain Tumour Charity in the UK.
Most Common Symptoms
The most common reported symptoms include:
Headaches
This was the most common symptom, with 46% of the patients reporting having headaches. They described the headaches in many different ways, with no one pattern being a sure sign of brain tumor. Many – perhaps most – people get headaches at some point in their life, so this is not a definite sign of brain tumors. You should mention it to your doctors if the headaches are: different from those you ever had before, are accompanied by nausea / vomiting, are made worse by bending over or straining when going to the bathroom.
Seizures
This was the second most common symptom reported, with 33% of the patients reporting a seizure before the diagnosis was made. Seizures can also be caused by other things, like epilepsy, high fevers, stroke, trauma, and other disorders. (3) This is a symptom that should never be ignored, whatever the cause. In a person who never had a seizure before, it usually indicates something serious and you must get a brain scan.
A seizure is a sudden, involuntary change in behavior, muscle control, consciousness, and/or sensation. Symptoms of a seizure can range from sudden, violent shaking and total loss of consciousness to muscle twitching or slight shaking of a limb. Staring into space, altered vision, and difficulty in speaking are some of the other behaviors that a person may exhibit while having a seizure. Approximately 10% of the U.S. population will experience a single seizure in their lifetime.
Nausea and Vomiting
As with headaches, these are non-specific – which means that most people who have nausea and vomiting do NOT have a brain tumor. Twenty-two percent of the people in our survey reported that they had nausea and /or vomiting as a symptom.
Nausea and / or vomiting is more likely to point towards a brain tumor if it is accompanied by the other symptoms mentioned here.
Vision or Hearing Problems
Twenty-five percent reported vision problems. This one is easy – if you notice any problem with your hearing or vision, it must be checked out. I commonly hear that the eye doctor is the first one to make the diagnosis – because when they look in your eyes, they can sometimes see signs of increased intracranial pressure. This must be investigated.
Problems With Weakness
Twenty-five percent reported weakness of the arms and/or legs. Sixteen percent reported strange feelings in the head, and 9% reported strange feelings in the hands. This may result in an altered gait, dropping objects, falling, or an asymmetric facial expression. These could also be symptoms of a stroke. Sudden onset of these symptoms is an emergency – you should go to the emergency room. If you notice a gradual change over time, you must report it to your doctor.
Behavioural and Cognitive Problems
Many reported behavioral and cognitive changes, such as: problems with recent memory, inability to concentrate or finding the right words, acting out – no patience or tolerance, and loss of inhibitions – saying or doing things that are not appropriate for the situation.
Symptoms by Tumour Position
In general, each area of the brain controls particular functions. A tumour in a particular part of the brain may prevent that area of the brain from working normally. Some symptoms related to tumour position in the brain are listed below, grouped under the different parts of the brain. They are intended only as a guide. Exact diagnosis can only be made by a doctor and confirmed by tests.
Cerebrum
Frontal Lobe tumours: Changes in personality and intellect, irritability, aggression, disinhibition, uncoordinated walking or weakness of one side of the body, loss of smell, occasional speech difficulties.
Parietal Lobe tumours: Difficulty speaking or understanding words. Problems with writing, reading or doing simple calculations. Difficulty in coordinating certain movements, and finding your way around. Numbness or weakness on one side of the body.
Occipital Lobe : Loss of vision on one side, double vision, visual hallucinations and disturbance in visual memory.
Temporal Lobe: Seizures, which may cause strange sensations: a feeling of fear or intense familiarity (déjà vu), strange smells or blackouts, speech difficulties and memory problems.
Cerebellum
Lack of coordination which affects walking and speech (dysarthria), unsteadiness, flickering involuntary movement of the eyes (nystagmus). Vomiting and neck stiffness.
Brain Stem
Unsteadiness and an uncoordinated walk. Facial weakness, a one-sided smile or drooping eyelid. Double vision. Vomiting or headache just after waking (this is rare). Difficulty speaking and swallowing. Symptoms may appear gradually.
Symptoms are different in children
The most common reported symptoms include:
Persistent vomiting/feelings of nausea (over a two week period)
Recurring headache (over a four week period, particularly on waking)
Abnormal eye movements
Fits or seizures
Behaviour change
Abnormal balance/walking/co-ordination
Blurred/double vision
Abnormal head position (such as a head tilt)
Delayed or arrested puberty (puberty that doesn‘t start or starts, but doesn’t progress as expected)
The Ronnie Fehily Foundation CHY20506. Founded in 2012 by a small group of people caring for a family member who was sadly lost to a Brain Tumour.
