The infectious disease kuru was once prevalent in people of the Fore tribe of New Guinea. Transmission of the disease was traced to ritual cannibalism. Symptoms included abnormal involuntary movements, dementia, and disturbance of motor functions. The disease was invariably fatal. A transmissible agent called a prion, a deviant form of a harmless protein normally found in the brain, was identified as the cause of the disease.

Another human disease caused by a prion is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare fatal degenerative disease of the central nervous system that is a cause of rapidly developing dementia in adults. Most cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are either inherited or sporadic. Rare cases of transmission between humans have resulted only from exposure to the infectious agent during medical procedures.

Fatal familial insomnia is a rare inherited prion disease that is characterized by disturbed sleep patterns, mental deterioration, loss of coordination, and death.

Slow viruses

Slow virus diseases are caused by infectious agents that cause slowly developing, progressive diseases after a period of latency in the human body. Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is characterized by the slowly increasing loss of mental abilities, brief, shocklike jerking of the body, weakness, and spasticity. The disorder primarily affects children and young people. The measles virus is the responsible agent, probably causing an abnormal response of the immune system.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is another disease of the brain occurring in individuals whose immune system is suppressed by drugs or disease. Progressive loss of myelin occurs in the white matter of the brain, cerebellum, and spinal cord. The responsible agent is a polyoma virus.

Benign tumours

Benign intracranial tumours do not spread within the brain or metastasize to distant sites. The most common benign brain tumours are neurofibromas (tumours of the myelin-forming Schwann cells), tumours of the skull, and meningiomas. Pituitary adenomas arise within the pituitary fossa. By compressing the underside of the optic chiasm, these tumours cause visual deficits, and they raise the intracranial pressure through compression of the hypothalamus and third ventricle. In addition, many pituitary adenomas secrete hormones, which may stimulate such reactions as abnormal growth and lactation. Surgical removal through the nose or through craniotomy (opening up the cranial cavity), is often required; small tumours of the pituitary may be suppressed by the medication bromocriptine.

Craniopharyngiomas arise from a vestigial remnant of tissue in the roof of the mouth and extend upward to cause effects similar to those of pituitary tumours. Since they often contain calcium, craniopharyngiomas may be seen with X rays. Craniotomy is necessary for removal.

Colloid cysts may be found within the ventricles. Although they seldom cause symptoms, on account of their small size, they occasionally may block the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, causing an acute rise in intracranial pressure that results in headache and loss of consciousness.

Other benign intracranial masses include parasitic cysts, granulomas, tuberculomas, and dermoid cysts. These masses may arise in any part of the brain or beside it, in which case there may also be involvement of the skull.

Malignant tumours

Malignant tumours of the brain are more common than benign ones; the most frequent malignant brain tumours are gliomas, which arise from the neuroglial cells. Astrocytomas may arise anywhere in the brain and destroy the function of the tissues that they invade and replace; they also cause seizures and eventually signs of raised intracranial pressure. Treatment includes surgical removal and radiation therapy.

Medulloblastomas and ependymomas are other varieties of glioma arising, respectively, in the brainstem and in the walls of the ventricles. The former are described above (see The cerebellum: Tumours). Ependymomas also grow in the posterior fossa in young people, but more slowly. These tumours tend to cause an increase in intracranial pressure and signs of brainstem and cerebellar dysfunction. Surgical removal is seldom complete, but radiation therapy may be able to shrink the tumour and slow its growth.

Oligodendrogliomas may occur anywhere in the cerebrum and are particularly liable to cause epileptic seizures. They often contain calcium, which may allow their detection with X rays. Teratomas and pinealomas are more common in young men; arising from the pineal gland and damaging the hypothalamus and upper brainstem, they disturb the control of eye movement, obstruct the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, and cause cerebellar dysfunction. Their effects may resemble those of a benign or of a malignant tumour. Lymphomas such as Hodgkin disease rarely invade the brain, although they may compress it. Reticulum cell sarcomas (microgliomas) do invade the brain diffusely and may cause headache, seizures, personality changes, and various focal signs.

A history of headaches, seizures, and focal neurological problems may indicate a brain tumour; diagnosis is confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scanning, or radioisotope scanning. Surgery is usually necessary in order to confirm the nature of the tumour, to relieve increased pressure, and to remove all or part of the mass. This also may make radiation therapy more effective. Swelling surrounding tumours can often be reduced by steroid medications.

Malignant tumours arising elsewhere in the body may metastasize to the brain; common sites of origin of such secondary tumours are the lung, breast, thyroid, and kidney. These are usually multiple tumours, so surgical removal is usually unsuccessful; however, radiation therapy may shrink them and slow their growth.