Brain shrinkage

[charmed1975]

My grandmother 82 had a cat scan done and was told that her brain is shrinking, is this normal or is this something to be concerened about, is there anything we should be on the look out for

[midasrex]

Normal at 82. Goes along with arthritis, coronary artery disease, wrinkles and so on. Happens to everyone to a greater or lesser extent sadly. The technical term is cerebral atrophy. As the brain shrinks the skull (obviously) stays the same size and so the fluid spaces around/within the brain get a little larger as the brain shrinks a little. This extra space is what makes the elderly more likely to develop subdural haematomas. If "brain shrinkage" is the only finding then it's nothing to be concerned about.

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

How are you?
After the age of 40 the brain volume reduces by 5% every decade. Stress and high BP are known to accelerate brain shrinkage in old age.
Please make sure that she is physically and mentally active as much as possible keeping her age in mind.
Physical exercise is known to reduce the rate of shrinkage of brain.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2006/mar/08/health.longtermcare
Take care!