Cerebral and Brainstem Diseases of Cattle
Diagnosis and Review of Causes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro19946208Keywords:
metabolic causes, infectious causes, toxic causes, cerebrospinal fluid, cerebral cortex, brainstem, Cerebral diseases, brainstem diseasesAbstract
Cerebral and brainstem diseases cause a change in the mental status of the affected animal. Clinical signs suggestive of cerebral or brainstem diseases are commonly seen in cattle.1 There are more than 120 diseases that are reported to affect cerebral and/or brainstem function resulting in either coma, severe depression or seizure.2 The scope of this paper is not to review all the causes of cerebral-brainstem disease in cattle. The intent is to provide information on how the clinical exam can be used to localize dysfunction to these areas and to review recent (since 1990) information regarding some of the diseases of cattle which affect the cerebral cortex or brainstem. The methodology for collecting cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from cattle and the diagnostic implications that can be derived from the CSF analysis will be presented. Most diseases of the brain in cattle are caused by infectious, toxic or metabolic causes and have been so divided in the following review.
