Virchow-Robin Head Injury Symptoms

Virchow-Robin spaces (VRS) are extensions of the space surrounding the arteries in the brain, and although much clinical research has been done on VRS, scientists continue to debate their actual function and relationship to cognitive function. Although naturally occurring in healthy children and adults, VRS tend to grow and become more numerous among older adults and people with certain diseases or injuries, a phenomenon known as dilated VRS or enlarged perivascular spaces.

Cognitive Function

• Enlarged VRS has been linked to lower cognitive function among both children and elderly adults. In a 2006 study published in the journal "Brain Injury," Inglese et al. report that patients with dilated VRS showed lower processing speed than the control subjects. Patankar et al., in a 2007 study published in "Journal of Affective Disorders," find that elderly adults with enlarged VRS also experienced a decline in cognitive function.

Visual Perception

• Inglese et al. also find patients with enlarged VRS to be less accurate in their visual perception than control subjects; these patients also experienced a drop in visual perception attention and visual cancellation. Because the patients in the study all had traumatic brain injury (TBI), however, the symptoms could have been caused by the injury rather than the enlarged VRS.

Coordination

• Although enlarged VRS is rare in children, in a 2009 study published in the journal "Neuropediatrics," Brockmann et al. examine pediatric VRS and link enlarged VRS to poor coordination and other developmental delays in children.

Resistance to Antidepressants

• Patankar et al. report that enlarged VRS is related to resistance to antidepressants among elderly adults suffering from late-onset depression. Patients who were resistant to treatment with antidepressants were also found to have enlarged VRS.

Traumatic Brain Injury

• Many of the cognitive and neurological symptoms associated with enlarged VRS might simply be the result of the TBI in the case of patients with TBI. According to Inglese et al., it is common for up to 30 percent of patients with mild TBI to show additional symptoms after the injury, even several years later, and enlarged VRS could simply be a permanent side effect of TBI, much like a scar.

Other Conditions

• Enlarged VRS is also associated with a number of other conditions, including epilepsy, encephalitis, multiple sclerosis, myotonic dystrophy and migraine headaches, according to Inglese et al. Although much research has been conducted, scientists continue to explore the exact relationship between VRS and these conditions.