MRI report- Area of Gliosis

[bonbon1981]

On December 31st I went for my 3rd MRI. I got my MRI report.
The impression part of the report says

"IMPRESSION-
1. Single area of signal abnormality involving the head of the right caudate nucleus. This is probably due to an area of
gliosis. A dilated perivascular space is considered less likely.

2. MRI of the brain is normal otherwise"

I haven't been to my neurologist yet. My dr's office called to ask me which neurologist I saw before. I have to wait for a referral.
I was wondering if anybody knows what this means? (the impression) I did a little research, I have to do more. It looks like it's related to M.S.

Thanks

[bonbon1981]

Thank you,
I'm trying to find out what My MRI says. I think I'll wait until I see my neurologist. He can most likely explain things better.

[rendean]

Dear bonbon,

I found the following upon a quick search on the web. As noted in the following articles the caudate is near the front of the brain and gliosis is means injury to brain where a lesion has formed after the injury. I hope the following articles will explain it in more detail for you. I do not know what significance it has to MS.

"The caudate nucleus plays an important role in the brain of many animals including humans. It is essential for abilities such as memory and learning although it is also active whenever a person is getting information from his or her senses. Nucleus is the name given to parts of the brain containing a higher density of neurons than other locations, and the caudate nucleus is an example of this. Other factors that the caudate nucleus plays a role in humans include an increased ability to understand language and a risk of developing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD.

The exact location of the caudate is within the basal nuclei region of the brain. This is situated toward the front of the brain and controls many different functions such as muscle movement and learning. Due to its many functions, the basal nuclei region is associated with a number of different brain diseases and disorders such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases."

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-caudate-.htm


"When neurons in the brain are damaged, the astrocytes which are star-shaped cells that have a supportive neural function, rather than directly participating in sending or propagating neural messages/information, accumulate in the area of damage and proliferate forming a scar in the area of injury. It is the most important histological sign, signifying that an injury has indeed occurred. Gliosis is seen in association with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis following an acute attak, Parkinson's, prion disease, etc. Demylination specifically refers to the white matter which respresents the myelin sheath which is a fatty covering that overlies and helps protect the nerve axons. Its integrity to critical to propagating the nerve impulse and when disrupted the signal gets disrupted such that the nerves are unable to adequately "talk" to the rest of the body. This is what occurs in MS or multiple sclerosis.
Ischemia is a lack of adequate blood flow to the tissues and if not reversed quickly, especially in the brain will lead to cellular injury and death. The astrocytes respond and accumulate and proliferate in the area of injury, forming a glial scar which may be seen on MRI. It is a nonspecific process in that responds to any type of neuronal damage or loss. After a stroke the neurons die and are replaced by gliosis."

Read more: what does gliosis and astrocytes found on an MRI Brain mea - JustAnswer http://www.justanswer.com/health/1j3po-does-gliosis-astrocytes-found-mri-brain-mea.html#ixzz1j6WFzyHj"


I hope this helps,
Ren