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.

Brain death means the brain no longer functions. No blood is flowing to the brain. The thinking part of the brain (cerebrum) as well as the part of the brain responsible for breathing and reflexes (brain stem) no longer work.

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.

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.