A cyst is a fluid-filled growth, which can occur anywhere in the body. Various types of cysts can arise in different brain locations. Although many brain cysts prove noncancerous, these growths can cause medical problems. The effects of a cyst on the brain and treatment vary, depending on the size, location and cause of the growth.
Headaches
A brain cyst may cause headaches, due to increased pressure on the brain. The brain resides within the skull, or cranium, surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid. The tight fit of the brain within the cranium reduces its movement during everyday activities, thereby preventing brain injury. A growing cyst can increase pressure on the brain, similar to putting air into an inflated tire. As air is added, pressure within the tire increases. Increased pressure on the brain caused by a cyst can lead to headaches, reports neurologist David Schiff, M.D., of the University of Virginia in an article for the American Brain Tumor Association. The headaches often prove most painful in the morning, gradually decreasing throughout the day.
Vomiting
Increased brain pressure, which frequently occurs with a brain cyst, commonly causes vomiting, reports the National Library of Medicine encyclopedia Medline Plus. Vomiting associated with increased brain pressure often occurs in the morning. While lying down during sleep, the amount of cerebrospinal fluid in the cranium increases compared to the volume present while in an upright position. The pressure may stimulate an area of the brainstem that controls the vomiting reflex. Among patients with headache caused by increased brain pressure, vomiting may relieve headache pain.
Irritability and Personality Changes
Patients with increased brain pressure often exhibit irritability and personality changes, notes the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University. As a brain cyst increases intracranial pressure, the tension squeezes the brain cells, or neurons, disrupting normal function. People with increased intracranial pressure caused by a brain cyst may become short-tempered, easily angered or uncharacteristically moody.
Seizures
Patients with a brain cyst may have seizures, reports New York-Presbyterian Hospital. The cyst can disrupt normal conduction of brain signals by causing pressure or irritation, leading to seizure activity. The seizures may cause local symptoms, such as uncontrolled movements in one of the limbs, without loss of consciousness. Alternatively, a loss of consciousness and body-wide movements may occur. This type of seizure is known as a grand mal seizure.
Types of brain cysts known to cause seizures include arachnoid cysts, arising from the tissue that produces cerebrospinal fluid, and neurocysticercosis, brain growths caused by infection with the immature larval form of the pork tapeworm. The medical information website epilepsy.com reports that 92 percent of patients with neurocysticercosis present with new onset seizures.
