Increased dimensions of the Virchow-Robin spaces (also known as perivascular spaces), which surround the walls of vessels as they course from the subarachnoid space through the brain parenchyma. Perivascular spaces are commonly microscopic, and not visible on conventional neuroimaging. This term refers to an increase of size of these spaces such that they are visible on neuroimaging (usually magnetic resonance imaging). The dilatations are regular cavities that always contain a patent artery.

Hemorrhage into the parenchyma of the brain.

An abnormally increased muscular tone that causes fixed abnormal postures. There is a slow, intermittent twisting motion that leads to exaggerated turning and posture of the extremities and trunk.

Loss of strength in the arm, leg, and sometimes face on one side of the body. Hemiplegia refers to a complete loss of strength, whereas hemiparesis refers to an incomplete loss of strength.

Paralysis (complete loss of muscle function) in the arm, leg, and in some cases the face on one side of the body.

Hydrocephalus is an active distension of the ventricular system of the brain resulting from inadequate passage of CSF from its point of production within the cerebral ventricles to its point of absorption into the systemic circulation.

A motor disorder characterized by a velocity-dependent increase in tonic stretch reflexes with increased muscle tone, exaggerated (hyperexcitable) tendon reflexes.

Upturning of the big toe (and sometimes fanning of the other toes) in response to stimulation of the sole of the foot. If the Babinski sign is present it can indicate damage to the corticospinal tract.

A seizure is an intermittent abnormality of nervous system physiology characterized by a transient occurrence of signs and/or symptoms due to abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain.

Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by episodic attacks of headache and associated symptoms.

A type of migraine in which there is an aura characterized by focal neurological phenomena that usually proceed, but may accompany or occur in the absence of, the headache. The symptoms of an aura may include fully reversible visual, sensory, and speech symptoms but not motor weakness. Visual symptoms may include flickering lights, spots and lines and/or loss of vision and/or unilateral sensory symptoms such as paresthesias or numbness. At least one of the symptoms of an aura develops gradually over 5 or more minutes and/or different symptoms occur in succession.

Brunelli et al. (1996) described schizencephaly as an extremely rare congenital disorder characterized by a full-thickness cleft within the cerebral hemispheres. The clefts are lined with gray matter and most commonly involve the parasylvian regions (Wolpert and Barnes, 1992). Large portions of the cerebral hemispheres may be absent and replaced by cerebrospinal fluid. Two types of schizencephaly have been described, depending on the size of the area involved and the separation of the cleft lips (Wolpert and Barnes, 1992). Type I schizencephaly consists of a fused cleft. This fused pial-ependymal seam forms a furrow in the developing brain, and is lined by polymicrogyric gray matter. In type II schizencephaly, there is a large defect, a holohemispheric cleft in the cerebral cortex filled with fluid and lined by polymicrogyric gray matter. The clinical manifestations depend on the severity of the lesion. Patients with type I are often almost normal; they may have seizures and spasticity. In type II abnormalities, there is usually mental retardation, seizures, hypotonia, spasticity, inability to walk or speak, and blindness. Schizencephaly may be part of the larger phenotypic spectrum of holoprosencephaly (HPE; see 236100).

This term describes abnormality of the white matter of the cerebrum resulting from damage to the myelin sheaths of nerve cells.

Weakness of all four limbs.

The presence of developmental dysplasia of the cerebral cortex.

Cerebellar atrophy is defined as a cerebellum with initially normal structures, in a posterior fossa with normal size, which displays enlarged fissures (interfolial spaces) in comparison to the foliae secondary to loss of tissue. Cerebellar atrophy implies irreversible loss of tissue and result from an ongoing progressive disease until a final stage is reached or a single injury, e.g. an intoxication or infectious event.

A type of dystonia (abnormally increased muscular tone causing fixed abnormal postures) that affects muscles of the limbs.

A focal-onset seizure is a type of seizure originating within networks limited to one hemisphere. They may be discretely localized or more widely distributed, and may originate in subcortical structures.

A stroke is an acute neurologic event leading to death of neural tissue of the brain and resulting in loss of motor, sensory and/or cognitive function. It is said to be the third leading cause of death in the United States. Gunel and Lifton (1996) noted that about 20% of strokes are hemorrhagic, resulting in bleeding into the brain. Ischemic strokes, resulting from vascular occlusion, account for the majority of strokes. Bersano et al. (2008) reviewed genetic polymorphisms that have been implicated in the development of stroke. Candidate genes include those involved in hemostasis (see, e.g., F5; 612309), the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (see, e.g., ACE; 106180), homocysteine (see, e.g., MTHFR; 607093), and lipoprotein metabolism (see, e.g., APOE; 107741). See also hemorrhagic stroke, or intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH; 614519).

A type of malformation of cortical development that primarily affects areas of neocortex. It can be identified on conventional magnetic resonance imaging as focal cortical thickening, abnormal gyration, and blurring between gray and white matter, often associated with clusters of heterotopic neurons.

Intellectual disability, previously referred to as mental retardation, is characterized by subnormal intellectual functioning that occurs during the developmental period. It is defined by an IQ score below 70.

A cavity within the cerebral hemisphere, filled with cerebrospinal fluid, that communicates directly with the ventricular system.

A type of anemia caused by premature destruction of red blood cells (hemolysis).

Complete loss of ability to move facial muscles innervated by the facial nerve (i.e., the seventh cranial nerve).

An elevation of the level of the enzyme creatine kinase (also known as creatine phosphokinase (CK; EC 2.7.3.2) in the blood. CK levels can be elevated in a number of clinical disorders such as myocardial infarction, rhabdomyolysis, and muscular dystrophy.

Reduced visual acuity that is uncorrectable by lenses in the absence of detectable anatomic defects in the eye or visual pathways.

Astigmatism (from the Greek 'a' meaning absence and 'stigma' meaning point) is a condition in which the parallel rays of light entering the eye through the refractive media are not focused on a single point. Both corneal and noncorneal factors contribute to refractive astigmatism. Corneal astigmatism is mainly the result of an aspheric anterior surface of the cornea, which can be measured readily by means of a keratometer; in a small fraction of cases (approximately 1 in 10) the effect is neutralized by the back surface. The curvature of the back surface of the cornea is not considered in most studies, because it is more difficult to measure; moreover, in the case of severe corneal astigmatism, there is evidence that both surfaces have the same configuration. Noncorneal factors are errors in the curvature of the 2 surfaces of the crystalline lens, irregularity in the refractive index of the lens, and an eccentric lens position. Since the cornea is the dominant component of the eye's refracting system, a highly astigmatic cornea is likely to result in a similarly astigmatic ocular refraction (summary by Clementi et al., 1998).

A cataract that occurs congenitally as the result of a developmental defect, in contrast to the majority of cataracts that occur in adulthood as the result of degenerative changes of the lens.

A reduction of corneal clarity.

A form of strabismus with one or both eyes deviated outward.

Glaucoma refers loss of retinal ganglion cells in a characteristic pattern of optic neuropathy usually associated with increased intraocular pressure.

An abnormality of refraction characterized by the ability to see objects in the distance clearly, while objects nearby appear blurry.

Microphthalmia is an eye abnormality that arises before birth. In this condition, one or both eyeballs are abnormally small. In some affected individuals, the eyeball may appear to be completely missing; however, even in these cases some remaining eye tissue is generally present. Such severe microphthalmia should be distinguished from another condition called anophthalmia, in which no eyeball forms at all. However, the terms anophthalmia and severe microphthalmia are often used interchangeably. Microphthalmia may or may not result in significant vision loss.\n\nPeople with microphthalmia may also have a condition called coloboma. Colobomas are missing pieces of tissue in structures that form the eye. They may appear as notches or gaps in the colored part of the eye called the iris; the retina, which is the specialized light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye; the blood vessel layer under the retina called the choroid; or in the optic nerves, which carry information from the eyes to the brain. Colobomas may be present in one or both eyes and, depending on their size and location, can affect a person's vision.\n\nPeople with microphthalmia may also have other eye abnormalities, including clouding of the lens of the eye (cataract) and a narrowed opening of the eye (narrowed palpebral fissure). Additionally, affected individuals may have an abnormality called microcornea, in which the clear front covering of the eye (cornea) is small and abnormally curved.\n\nBetween one-third and one-half of affected individuals have microphthalmia as part of a syndrome that affects other organs and tissues in the body. These forms of the condition are described as syndromic. When microphthalmia occurs by itself, it is described as nonsyndromic or isolated.

Nearsightedness, also known as myopia, is an eye condition that causes blurry distance vision. People who are nearsighted have more trouble seeing things that are far away (such as when driving) than things that are close up (such as when reading or using a computer). If it is not treated with corrective lenses or surgery, nearsightedness can lead to squinting, eyestrain, headaches, and significant visual impairment.\n\nNearsightedness usually begins in childhood or adolescence. It tends to worsen with age until adulthood, when it may stop getting worse (stabilize). In some people, nearsightedness improves in later adulthood.\n\nFor normal vision, light passes through the clear cornea at the front of the eye and is focused by the lens onto the surface of the retina, which is the lining of the back of the eye that contains light-sensing cells. People who are nearsighted typically have eyeballs that are too long from front to back. As a result, light entering the eye is focused too far forward, in front of the retina instead of on its surface. It is this change that causes distant objects to appear blurry. The longer the eyeball is, the farther forward light rays will be focused and the more severely nearsighted a person will be.\n\nNearsightedness is measured by how powerful a lens must be to correct it. The standard unit of lens power is called a diopter. Negative (minus) powered lenses are used to correct nearsightedness. The more severe a person's nearsightedness, the larger the number of diopters required for correction. In an individual with nearsightedness, one eye may be more nearsighted than the other.\n\nEye doctors often refer to nearsightedness less than -5 or -6 diopters as "common myopia." Nearsightedness of -6 diopters or more is commonly called "high myopia." This distinction is important because high myopia increases a person's risk of developing other eye problems that can lead to permanent vision loss or blindness. These problems include tearing and detachment of the retina, clouding of the lens (cataract), and an eye disease called glaucoma that is usually related to increased pressure within the eye. The risk of these other eye problems increases with the severity of the nearsightedness. The term "pathological myopia" is used to describe cases in which high myopia leads to tissue damage within the eye.

Hemorrhage occurring within the retina.

Ingrowth of new blood vessels into the cornea.

Reduced pigmentation of the fundus, typically generalized. Fundoscopy may reveal a low level pigment in both RPE and choroid with clear visibility of choroidal vessels (pale/albinoid) or low pigment level in the RPE with deep pigment in choroid so that visible choroidal vessels are separated by deeply pigmented zones (tesselated/tigroid).

Diminished clarity of vision.

A congenital abnormality of the cornea in which the cornea and the anterior segment of the eye are smaller than normal. The horizontal diameter of the cornea does not reach 10 mm even in adulthood.

Lack of sharpness of vision resulting in the inability to see fine detail.

Congenital underdevelopment of the iris.

Multiple pupils.

Ectopia pupillae is a congenital eye malformation in which the pupils are displaced from their normal central position.

Thinning in the layers of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium around the optic nerve.

An absolute or relative reduction in the extent of the normal field of vision.

The presence of an increased number of twists and turns of the retinal arterioles.