Brain lesions vs. Spinal lesions

[oso49]

I asked this question somewhere on this site, just can't remember where... Yeaaayyyyyy "cog-fog".

Do brain lesions affect, or generate symptoms to, some parts of the body and spinal lesions other parts?

Thank you.

May God bless...

[hunterd]

yes! brain lesions usually affect a particular feature or item, while spinal lesions affect a wider range. but, i`m not a dr and can`t be sure i`m correct. someone correct me if i`m wrong.

[techie]

Spine lesions affect the legs. I think.
techie

[oso49]

Thank you!

[Redwings]

Do brain lesions affect, or generate symptoms to, some parts of the body and spinal lesions other parts?

No, that isn't true about the brain. The brain is the master control center and has areas that correspond to every part of the body. So brain lesions can affect all parts of the body, not just some. Where a problem shows up in the body is determined by where in the brain the lesion is. If you think of someone who's had a stroke (which is in the brain), anything or everything on the corresponding side of the body can be affected, depending on the location and extent of the damage in the brain. That's how a person can become paralyzed on one side of the body without the spinal cord being involved at all.

Because the brain has a control center for every part of the body, spinal cord lesions don't and can't affect anything that the brain can't also affect. What's different about spinal cord lesions is that they can affect only what's below them, below meaning toward the feet. (It's a tad more complicated than that, but I'm keeping it simple here.) That means that, for example, lesions in the lower thoracic spinal cord don't affect the arms because the arms are controlled by areas of the central nervous system that are above (closer to the head) the thoracic spinal cord. And lesions of the spinal cord don't affect functions like vision, hearing, speech and cognition, because all of those functions are contained inside the head.

Another major difference between brain and spinal cord lesions is that the brain has some redundancy and the ability to route signals around trouble spots. In that way, small brain lesions may not cause any noticeable symptoms (known as silent brain lesions). The spinal cord doesn't have redundancy and the ability to reroute around damaged areas, so cord lesions aren't generally silent. Spinal cord lesions cause noticeable symptoms, and even small lesions can have profound effects.

[momof8]

What's different about spinal cord lesions is that they can affect only what's below them, below meaning toward the feet. (It's a tad more complicated than that, but I'm keeping it simple here.) That means that, for example, lesions in the lower thoracic spinal cord don't affect the arms because the arms are controlled by areas of the central nervous system that are above (closer to the head) the thoracic spinal cord. And lesions of the spinal cord don't affect functions like vision, hearing, speech and cognition, because all of those functions are contained inside the head.

Thanks for this thorough explanation. I had an understanding of this generally, but this was helpful.

All of this is true in my experience: when I had an MRI (brain only) 5+ years ago, it didn't show any lesions (just a "funny" spot according to my PCP). Fast forward, 2 more exacerbations and seeing a neuro with a full brain & spinal cord MRI.

Before he sent us to the MRI, he told me that no lesions on the brain was not surprising to him based on my symptoms. And he also said that he expected that we would see a lesion on my spinal cord in a certain spot that was higher than where my symptoms started (he showed my hubby and I in his office where he thought we'd see something).

And when the MRI results came back, it was *exactly* as he'd described. I thought it was very interesting, but it makes sense.

[mochadog]

Are some treatments effective for spinal lesions?

Thought it was an excellent summary by Redwings.

Related question:
I only had a large spinal lesion for months (now have 1 brain lesion) and curious if anyone else has found out if Rebif or Copaxone or something else (LDN?) is more effective for primarily spinal cord lesions?

[macaela25]

Thank you also for the great explanation. I am frustrated having just had a "clean" brain MRI and am planning on asking for a spinal MRI when I see my neuro.

Sigh...I don't wanna go to limbo land....

[oso49]

To Redwings: Thank you for the thorough explanation.

[cosake]

Redwings - another great teaching moment !