Brain

This is a tumor that begins in a brain cell called an "astrocyte." These cells help give your brain its structure. An astrocytoma can form in your brain, in your brain stem or in your spinal cord. There are many types of astrocytomas. They can be cancerous or noncancerous. They can grow slowly or quickly. A doctor can figure out the specific type you have.

This surgery removes a tumor from one of the frontal lobes of your brain. The frontal lobes help control our emotions and behavior. A tumor here causes a wide range of problems.

This is a pocket of pus in your brain. Tissue has grown around it, walling it off from the rest of your body. The mass is filled with white blood cells, dead tissue and germs. It can grow and press harmfully against your brain, causing a medical emergency.

This condition is a bulge that forms in the wall of a weakened artery in the brain. This bulge can leak or rupture, causing a stroke. An aneurysm can be life-threatening.

This is a mass of enlarged blood vessels in your brain or spinal cord. Pockets in the mass slow down or even trap blood. This can lead to blood clots, or to a leaking of blood we call a "hemorrhage."

This is a structural problem with the back of the brain. It involves the cerebellum. That's the part of your brain that controls balance. Normally, the cerebellum sits in a space at the base of the skull. It's just above the opening to the spinal canal, called the "foramen magnum." With Chiari malformation, the cerebellum slips down through this opening.

This is a slow buildup of clotted blood beneath the dura. That's a membrane covering your brain. This clotted blood presses against your brain. When we say you have a "chronic" subdural hematoma, it means the blood has been there for several weeks.

A concussion is an injury to the brain caused by a blow to the head, or by striking the head on another object. It may result in loss of consciousness or confusion, but the effects usually resolve in a few hours or days. This video explains what happens during a concussion, how it should be treated, and what preventive steps to take.

This is a serious brain injury. It happens when your brain bumps back and forth violently inside your skull. A concussion can affect the way your brain functions. It can cause permanent problems.

Epilepsy is a seizure disorder that affects thousands of adults and children. A seizure is when the brain has a burst of abnormal electrical signals over a short period of time. These signals cause the body and brain to react in certain ways. This video discusses the causes of epilepsy and what treatments are available.

This is a problem with the electrical activity of your brain's nerve cells. These cells are called "neurons." With epilepsy, they sometimes send out disorganized signals. When this happens, you can suddenly lose control of your body for a brief time. There may be a change in how you act or feel. We call this a "seizure."

Sometimes you lose control of your mind and body for a little while. Your doctor says you have "epilepsy." But what causes it, and what does it do to you? Let's learn all about it.

Febrile seizures are seizures that occur during a fever. They are one of the most common nervous system problems of childhood. They typically appear between 6 months and 3 years of age. This video looks at the possible causes, typical symptoms, and what you should do as a parent.

This is a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (we call it CSF) in the brain's ventricles. The ventricles are natural spaces found deep in the brain. CSF is a fluid that flows in and around your brain and spinal nerves. But extra fluid makes the ventricles swell, raising pressure in your skull. This pressure can harm your brain.

If you've been diagnosed with epilepsy, you may be facing some unexpected challenges. But epilepsy doesn't have to take over your life. Use these simple strategies to help control it.

This is a swelling of thin membranes called the "meninges." These three layers of tissue cover and protect your brain and your spinal cord. Meningitis is a serious condition. It can be life threatening.

This condition, which usually occurs in adults 55 and older, is an excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles of the brain. The ventricles are a system of large, fluid-filled open spaces inside the brain. Too much CSF in the ventricles can distort the brain's shape. It can make the brain susceptible to injury.

Your pituitary gland is found just under your brain. This pea-sized gland makes hormones that affect many of your body's functions. A pituitary tumor can cause it to release too much or too little of these hormones. This can cause serious problems.

This condition, sometimes called a false brain tumor, is a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid pressure in the skull. It most commonly affects obese women ages 20 to 50. The reason it develops is unknown.

This is a buildup of clotted blood beneath the dura. That's a membrane that covers your brain. The blood can press harmfully against your brain.

This is a sudden burst of electrical activity in your brain. It overwhelms parts of your brain, usually for no more than a few minutes. Most seizures don't cause lasting harm.

This type of seizure begins in one of the temporal lobes of the brain. It happens because of abnormal electrical activity. Temporal lobe seizures can severely impact your daily life.

This is an injury that damages your brain. It results in brain dysfunction. It can severely impact your life.

This chronic condition is caused by a misfiring of the trigeminal nerve. An attack causes brief episodes of extreme, shooting pain.

This is a disorder of the brain and nervous system. With it, you have an overwhelming urge to make sounds or movements we call "tics." This can be embarrassing. It can cause problems at school and work.

This problem involves memory and concentration. It's a feeling that you're living in a haze. It's not the same as dementia or Alzheimer's disease. But it can make it hard to do the things you need to do.

This syndrome affects a small percentage of people who have had a COVID-19 infection. It's a cluster of symptoms that can last for many months after your infection. Post COVID-19 syndrome can severely impact your life.

This is a type of forgetfulness that doesn't feel normal to you or to others. Maybe you can't remember things from your past that you should be able to remember. Or, you may not recall things that happened recently. Severe memory loss can interfere with daily life.

This is a serious disturbance in your mental state. With it, you don't think clearly. It can happen suddenly, leaving you disoriented and confused. You may not be able to understand what's happening around you.

This is a deep state of unconsciousness. When a person is in a coma, their brain is alive, but you can't wake them up. They can't move voluntarily, or consciously respond to things around them.

This is a problem with the areas of the brain that process language. With aphasia, you may have trouble making sense of what others are saying. And it may be hard for you to communicate clearly.

This is the name we give to a group of disorders that affect the brain's frontal and temporal lobes. With this type of dementia, nerve cells in these lobes become damaged, which causes the lobes to shrink. This causes profound changes in the way a person thinks and behaves. And it gets worse over time.

This form of dementia is linked to a problem with blood flow to the brain. With this condition, the brain cells aren't getting enough blood, or the blood flow has been cut off for a period of time. This damages brain cells. It affects your memory, thinking and behavior.

This is a brain disease caused by an abnormal buildup of protein deposits in the brain. These deposits are called "Lewy bodies." They affect your brain's chemicals. This interferes with your mind and body.

This disorder causes the death of cells in various parts of the brain. It's a progressive disease. That means it begins with mild symptoms, but gets worse over time. It leads to a wide range of serious issues that affect the mind and body.

This brain disorder causes eyelid twitching or blinking that you can't control. It may start as minor twitching, but it can get worse over time. It may interfere with driving and other daily activities.

This disorder happens when the brain cells that control important body and mind functions die. With it, you have problems with movements, thinking and emotions. It leads to serious issues, and it gets worse over time.

This brain disorder affects cells in the brain's frontal and temporal lobes. It causes brain cells to die, and the lobes to shrink. This affects your memory, thinking and behavior. And, this disorder gets worse over time.

This is a problem with arteries that carry blood to the back part of your brain. These are the vertebral arteries and the basilar arteries. With this disease, not enough blood flows through them. Your brain doesn't get the blood it needs.

Your brain controls your thoughts, actions and emotions. Keeping it healthy improves your quality of life. Let's look at some ways you can do this naturally.

Your brain is your body's control center. This complex and mysterious organ sends and receives chemical and electrical signals that travel all through your body. Let's take a moment to learn more about the brain.

Each part of your brain has a different role. The brain controls your breathing, heart rate, digestion, temperature regulation, your five senses, and movement. The brain also allows you to think, handle emotions, and make judgments among many other critical functions.

A brain aneurysm is a balloon-like bulge in the wall of th brain artery. If it tears and bleeds, nearby cells can be damaged.

Learn the different types of brain aneurysms.

Understand what a bleeding aneurysm can do to your brain cells.

These tests can help diagnose a brain aneurysm.

A brain cyst is an abnormal fluid-filled sac in the brain. A cyst may contain blood, pus, or other material. In the brain, a cyst may contain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF normally bathes and cushions the brain and spinal cord. Often, a brain cyst begins before birth.

A chiari malformation is a problem in the structure of the skull and brain. It is often present at birth.

Migraine headaches are intense, recurrent headaches that may occur at any age but usually begin between the ages of 10 and 30 years. The precise cause is unknown, but it is hereditary in up to 80 percent of cases. This video gives additional details about migraines, including their symptoms and effective treatments.

A migraine is an intense, throbbing headache that may be accompanied by nausea or dizziness. A migraine can last from hours to days.

If you have migraines, you know how disrupting they can be. Migraine pain can stop you in your tracks. It interferes with things like school and work, and throws your life into turmoil. But there are some things you can do to get relief.

If you have the frequent, severe headache condition known as "chronic migraine," your doctor may want you to try injections of BOTOX® in your head and neck. The injections can help stop migraines before they start.

Tension headaches are usually dull, aching, or throbbing headaches often associated with sensations of fullness, tightness, or pressure. The pain involves both sides of the head and neck. In this video, you'll find out more about symptoms, possible causes, and recommended treatments.

This is a common type of headache that can be painful and frustrating for many people. It tends to start in the back of the head and then move forward to surround your head.

This is a chronic headache. It can develop after a whiplash injury (a violent back-and-forth jerking of the neck).

This condition is a distinct type of headache caused by irritation or injury of the occipital nerves. These nerves travel from the base of the skull through the scalp. This condition can result in severe pain and muscle spasms.

Although there are several types of headaches, migraine and tension headaches affect the most people. When you have a headache, it isn't your brain that's hurting. Irritated nerves send pain signals to the brain, which identifies where you hurt and how bad the pain is.

Tension headaches cause a dull, steady pain on both sides of the head and in the neck and the back of the head. The eyes may also feel tired. Tension headache can be caused by lack of sleep, poor posture, eyestrain, stress, and other factors.

With a migraine, you may have nausea and vomiting and be sensitive to light and sound. You may also have warning signs, such as flashing lights or loss of vision, before the pain starts. Cluster headaches recur in groups for days, weeks, or months.

Most headaches aren't serious and can be relieved with self-care. But some headaches may be a sign of another health problem like eye trouble or high blood pressure. To find the best treatment, learn what kind of headaches you get.

Headache pain can start in different structures in the head. The brain itself doesn't hurt, but other parts of the head do. Very rarely are headaches a sign of a serious medical problem.

A migraine headache tends to progress in stages. Learning these stages can help you better understand what is happening. Then you can learn ways to reduce pain and relieve other symptoms. Methods for relieving your symptoms include self-care and medicines.

The first step in preventing migraines is to learn what triggers them. You may then be able to control your triggers to avoid or reduce the severity of your migraines.

A migraine is a type of severe headache. Having a migraine can be very painful. But there are steps you can take to help prevent migraines.

Lifestyle changes are the key to preventing tension-type headaches. Learn what changes in your environment and daily activities can prevent the strain and tension that lead to headaches.

A tension-type headache can develop slowly. Being aware of the symptoms helps you recognize a headache early. Then you can act to reduce pain and ease tension. Methods for relieving your symptoms include self-care and medicine.

This minimally-invasive procedure is used to treat an aneurysm (a bulge in the wall of an artery) inside the skull. Aneurysms can often become so large that they rupture or leak. In this procedure, a small, soft metal coil is placed inside the aneurysm to help block the flow of blood and prevent rupture.

This surgery makes more space for your brain tissue. It's used to treat a condition called "Chiari malformation." That's when part of your brain pushes down out of your skull and into your spinal canal.

This reconstructive surgical procedure is performed to correct congenital problems of the skull, or to repair the skull after a traumatic injury or medical procedure. During the procedure, a custom plate made from porous plastic or titanium is fitted over the defect in the skull, restoring the skull to its normal shape.

This procedure, performed under general anesthesia, creates an opening through the skull for removal of a blood clot between the skull and the dura (the membrane that surrounds the brain). Epidural hematomas commonly result from trauma to the head, and can place harmful pressure on the brain.

This surgery treats a blood clot that has formed in your brain. It relieves pressure on your brain tissue caused by the buildup of blood.

This surgery removes a tumor called a "meningioma." That's a type of tumor that begins in the thin tissue that surrounds your brain and spinal cord.

This procedure, performed under general anesthesia, creates an opening through the skull for removal of a blood clot on the surface of the brain. Subdural hematomas commonly result from trauma to the head, and can place harmful pressure on the brain.

This procedure, performed under general anesthesia, creates an opening through the skull for brain tumor removal. The surgery usually requires between two to five hours to complete. The length of surgery depends on the type and size of the tumor.

This is a treatment for certain problems in your brain. It involves placing electrodes into your brain to control abnormal brain signals. It can help manage a wide range of conditions such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and Tourette syndrome.

This is a treatment for certain problems in your brain. It involves placing electrodes into your brain to control abnormal brain signals. DBS can help manage a wide range of conditions such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and Tourette syndrome.

This surgery puts a small reservoir under your scalp. It's connected to a tube we call a "catheter." Through it, we can inject medicine into your brain. We can also remove extra fluid.

This surgery removes an AVM from your brain. That's a tangle of enlarged blood vessels that can bleed into your brain and harm you.

This is a way for a surgeon to take a sample of abnormal tissue from inside your brain. It's done with a needle that's carefully guided into your brain.

This is a way we treat a tangle of blood vessels (called an "AVM") in your brain. It uses focused beams of radiation to shrink and destroy the AVM without needing an incision.

This surgery treats one or more tumors on or near your pituitary gland. That's a small organ at the base of your brain. Your surgeon will reach the pituitary gland through your nostrils.

During this surgical procedure, a small drainage tube is implanted to relieve the pressure of hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is a condition that develops when excess cerebrospinal fluid builds up within the ventricles of the brain.

During this surgical procedure, a small drainage tube is implanted to relieve the pressure of hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is a condition that develops when excess cerebrospinal fluid builds up within the ventricles of the brain.

This surgery treats a bulge in the wall of an artery in your brain. We call this bulge an "aneurysm." This surgery can stop bleeding from an aneurysm. It can also prevent the bulge from leaking or bursting in the future.

This type of testing shows how well your brain is working. It shows if you have problems with thinking, learning and remembering. If a cognitive test shows that you have a problem, more testing will be needed to diagnose it.

Learn about the problems that may need a craniotomy.

As your surgery nears, you may wonder about your future health care needs. You may also have questions about how to prepare for your craniotomy. This information can help.

Learn what to expect the day of your surgery.

Learn about the types of procedures used in craniotomy.

Learn what happens in the hospital after craniotomy.

After a craniotomy, medicines are often prescribed to treat side effects and help you feel better. If you had surgery for a brain tumor, you may also have chemotherapy or radiation.

During a temporal artery biopsy, the healthcare provider will remove a small sample of tissue from one or both of your temporal arteries.

Posterior fossa decompression helps treat Chiari malformation. It is the most common treatment for this condition.

Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is a type of brain surgery. It treats hydrocephalus.

A mild traumatic brain injury can temporarily change the way your brain works. Know what to look out for.

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a sudden jolt to your head that changes how your brain works. It can cause trouble sleeping.

Because a jolt to your head also causes a jolt to your neck, headaches with neck pain are the most common types of pain after a traumatic brain injury. About half of people with a TBI suffer from headaches.

One of the most common symptoms of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is slowed thinking. After TBI, you may have trouble remembering things, getting organized, or finding the right words to use when speaking.

You can develop post-traumatic stress disorder after a traumatic brain injury. TBI and PTSD can cause similar problems.

Substance abuse can lead to a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). And having a TBI can lead to substance abuse, even if you haven't had a problem with substance abuse in the past. Here's what you need to know.

If you have a loved one with a Traumatic Brain Injury, it is important to learn as much as you can about the condition so you can take an active role in caregiving.

Most TBI symptoms do and will improve with time. And even though some symptoms may last for years or even a lifetime, you can find ways to cope. Here's what you need to know.

One of the changes that can happen after a traumatic brain injury is depression. Read on to learn about symptoms and treatment.

Dealing with anxiety is a common symptom of a traumatic brain injury. But when fear and worry become so strong that they get in the way of your ability to live your life, you could have an anxiety disorder. Read on to learn more.

Having a traumatic brain injury and getting better after a TBI are life-changing and stressful events. Some people develop a group of symptoms called adjustment disorder after a trauma like a TBI.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an injury to your brain that changes the way your brain works. A TBI can be mild, moderate, or severe. Here are tips to prevent a TBI.

You need to be an active member of your recovery team and work closely with all the other team members. Let's take a look at who might be on your recovery team.

After a brain injury, a person may be less able to coordinate sequential activities, process thought, and use language. At first, therapy may be provided by medical professionals and therapists. But often longer-term support by family and friends is needed. Read on to learn more.

Sometimes an injury damages the part of the brain that controls balance, sight, or hearing. Or memory loss may keep a person from remembering certain sights, sounds, smells, or tastes. Some people have trouble handling abstract ideas such as time. Or they may simply forget what they are doing from one moment to the next. Here are things that can help.

After a brain injury, a person may behave in new or different ways and may have personality changes. Here are things to expect and how you might help.

A traumatic brain injury can affect other parts of the body too. As a result, people who have a brain injury may have little or no control over their bodies. Read on to learn more.

Any brain injury may lead to some changes in the affected person and their family members. Talk and plan with the rest of your family. Your roles may change.

The brain controls the body. You can move and feel because of the brain. And it is the brain that makes you able to think, to show emotions, and to make judgments. The brain is protected by the skull, tissue, and fluid.

Head trauma can be fatal. The effects from some types of head trauma may not appear right away. So it's important to get medical attention for any severe head injury.