Abnormal brain development can be caused by genetic or environmental factors, physical injuries, degenerative disorders, and tumors. Conditions such as cerebral palsy and epilepsy can result from abnormal brain development, while Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis are degenerative brain disorders. Lead exposure can hinder brain development, and brain trauma can cause swelling, tissue death, and bruising.
Many of the more common causes of an abnormal brain stem from problems that occur during fetal or early childhood brain development. In some cases, these problems have genetic causes. In other cases, problems with brain development result from environmental factors, including exposure to toxic substances or environmental stressors. Physical injuries can also result in abnormal brain development. Some brain abnormalities appear gradually over a lifetime.
The human brain is an extraordinarily complex structure. The sheer complexity of the human brain means that there are many different ways its development can go awry. More serious genetic problems are usually fatal. Less severe problems in the developing fetal brain often produce abnormal brain structures.
Cerebral palsy is a common condition that often results from abnormal brain development. It comes from genetic problems. Typically this is related to developmental problems in utero. This condition can manifest itself in many different forms, but most commonly it affects the ability of the brain and nervous system to effectively control the musculature of the body. Brain trauma can also cause cerebral palsy to appear later in life.
Epilepsy, like cerebral palsy, is often the result of structural abnormalities in the brain. It can be caused by genetic or environmental factors. Epilepsy produces bouts of unusual neural activity in the brain that can cause seizures or other symptoms.
Many substances in the environment can hinder brain development or cause brain damage. Lead, most often in the form of lead paint, is a well-known example of this problem. Lead causes damage to many areas of brain tissue, and significant childhood exposure will limit brain development.
Physical trauma to the head can cause brain abnormalities to appear. A single, minor incident of head trauma, such as a concussion, is unlikely to cause permanent changes to the structure of the brain. However, more severe or repeated traumatic brain injuries can cause swelling, tissue death, and bruising of the brain tissue. This condition can produce any number of symptoms as any part of the brain can be affected.
Brain tumors and aneurysms can both cause abnormal brains. A tumor often displaces or destroys healthy brain tissue as it grows. Aneurysms, enlarged blood vessels in the brain, can also put pressure on nearby tissue, causing neurological symptoms.
Degenerative brain disorders result from the gradual disruption of normal brain structures and functions. These disorders often have multiple causes. Genetics generally plays an important role, as does lifestyle and nutrition.
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common degenerative diseases that can produce an abnormal brain. It results from the gradual accumulation of brain damage in the form of plaques that impede normal brain function, tangles of non-functional support tissue, and lost connections between neurons. The end result of this condition is a slower and erratic functioning brain with memory loss and loss of emotional control as common symptoms. This disease is very common among the elderly.
Multiple sclerosis is much less common but has broadly similar effects on the brain. This disease, generally thought to be an autoimmune condition, causes the protective coating around nerve fibers to break down. The loss of this covering makes the nerves less able to transmit information. The disease usually progresses and then relapses, but the general course of the disease produces brain degeneration.
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