Carbon monoxide poisoning and areas of the brain, their function, and how they may be impacted
Carbon monoxide poisoning deprives all cells in the brain of oxygen and poisons them. It can
damage any area of the brain and potentialy affect any aspect of brain functioning:
Frontal Lobe: most anterior, right under the forehead
Functions of the frontal lobe:
- How we know what we are doing within our environment (consciousness)
- How we initiate activity in response to our environment
- Judgments we make about what occurs in our daily activities
- Controls emotional response
- Controls expressive language
- Assigns meaning to the words we use
- Involves word associations
- Memory for habits and motor activities
If carbon monoxide poisoning causes problems with the frontal lobe there could be:
- Loss of simple movement of various body parts (paralysis)
- Inability to plan a sequence of complex movements needed to complete multi-step tasks, such as making
coffee (sequencing)
- Loss of spontaneity in interacting with others
- Loss of flexibility in thinking
- Persistence of a single thought (preservation)
- Inability to focus on task (attending)
- Mood changes (emotionally labile)
- Changes in social behavior
- Changes in personality
- Difficulty with problem solving
- Inability to express language (Broca's Aphasia)
Parietal Lobe: near the back and top of the head
Functions of the parietal lobe
- Location for visual attention and touch perception
- Goal-directed, voluntary movements
- Manipulation of objects
- Integration of different senses that allows for understanding a single concept
If carbon monoxide poisoning causes problems with the parietal lobe there could be:
- Inability to attend to more than one object at a time
- Inability to name an object (anomia)
- Inability to locate the words for writing (agraphia)
- Problems with reading (alexia)
- Difficulty with drawing objects
- Difficulty in distinguishing left from right
- Difficulty with doing mathematics (dyscalculia)
- Lack of awareness of certain body parts and/or surrounding space (apraxia) that leads to difficulties in self-care
- Inability to focus visual attention
- Difficulties with eye and hand coordination
Occipital Lobes: most posterior, at the back of the head
Function of occipital lobes: Vision
If carbon monoxide poisoning causes problems with the occipital lobes there could be:
- Defects in vision (visual field cuts)
- Difficulty with locating objects in environment
- Difficulty with identifying colors (color agnosia)
- Production of hallucinations
- Visual illusions - inaccurately seeing objects
- Word blindness - inability to recognize words
- Difficulty in recognizing drawn objects
- Inability to recognize the movement of an object (movement agnosia)
- Difficulties with reading and writing
Temporal Lobes: side of head above ears
Functions of the temporal lobes:
- Hearing ability
- Memory acquisition
- Some visual perceptions
- Categorization of objects
If carbon monoxide poisoning causes problems with the temporal lobes there could be:
- Difficulty in recognizing faces (prosopagnosia)
- Difficulty in understanding spoken words (wernicke's aphasia)
- Disturbance with selective attention to what we see and hear
- Difficulty with identification of, and verbalization about objects
- Short-term memory loss
- Interference with long-term memory
- Increased or decreased interest in sexual behavior
- Inability to categorize objects (categorization)
- Right lobe damage can cause persistent talking
- Increased aggressive behavior
Brain Stem: deep in the brain – leads to the spinal cord
Functions of the brain stem:
If carbon monoxide poisoning causes problems with the brain stem there could be:
- Decreased vital capacity in breathing, important for speech
- Swallowing food and water (dysphagia)
- Difficulty with organization/perception of the environment
- Problems with balance and movement
- Dizziness and nausea (vertigo)
- Sleeping difficulties (insomnia, sleep apnea)
Cerebellum: located at the base of the skull
Functions of the cerebellum:
- Coordination of voluntary movement
- Balance and equilibrium
- Some memory for reflex motor acts
If carbon monoxide poisoning causes problems with the cerebellum there could be:
- Loss of ability to coordinate fine movements
- Inability to reach out and grab objects
- Tremors
- Dizziness (vertigo)
- Slurred Speech (scanning speech)
- Inability to make rapid movements
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Carbon monoxide poisoning and areas of the
brain, their function, and how they may be affected
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Inform everyone you know about this site, as it has been my life for the last four years.
I went to several doctors and I was given a prescription for an MRI. I had three different MRI's done that showed demyelenation in my central nervous system.
However, the doctors have not been able to diagnose me with MS or any other neurological disorders. I used to live on a boat in which I always had my generator on while I took the boat out and slept on board. I never put two and two together, and now I am wondering if I have been exposed to CO during that time.
I remember, for a long time I have had severe headaches which continues today. I also had a spinal tap done which produced head inflammation and migraine headaches but the MRI also was negative for MS..
I have been an athlete my entire life. Before these symptoms, I played soccer, competed in triathlons and other sports. Since then, I am not even able to walk long distances without my right leg becoming paralized. Now, I even have difficulty putting my shoes on and I loose balance very easily.
Has anyone else experienced any of these symptoms... I have also lost some of my hearing and I get continuous ringing in my ears. If anyone has any recommendations, I would love to hear from you. My email is: rvw1968@hotmail.com
It would have been nice to find this page earlier so I would quit beating myself up :o)