AYURVEDA CAN HELP AGENESIS OF CORPUS CALLOSUM (ACC)

What is agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC)?

Agenesis of the corpus callosum is a congenital (lifelong) brain abnormality that occurs when the corpus callosum does not develop as it should during the early prenatal period. It can occur as an isolated condition or in association with other brain abnormalities or physical or medical conditions.

What is the corpus callosum?

The corpus callosum is the largest midline structure of the brain. It

• Begins to develop around the 10th to 11th week of pregnancy
• Consists of over 200 million nerve fibers that connect the two hemispheres of the brain
• Transfers and integrates motor, sensory, and cognitive information between the cerebral hemispheres
• Continues to mature throughout pregnancy and into childhood and adolescence

Epidemiology:

It is one of the most frequent malformations in the brain with a reported incidence ranging between 0.5 and 70 in 10,000 births.

Pathogenesis:

Formation of the corpus callosum begins as early as 6 weeks' gestation, with the first fibres crossing the midline at 11 to 12 weeks' gestation. The basic shape is completed by 18 to 20 weeks' gestation.

As yet unknown factors cause disruption to development of the fetal brain between the 3rd and 12th week of pregnancy. Potential causes may include chromosome errors, inherited genetic factors, prenatal infections or injuries, prenatal toxic exposures, structural blockage by cysts or other brain abnormalities and metabolic disorders.

Common characteristics associated with ACC:

The following lists identify characteristics commonly associated with ACC. Individual differences are common and not all persons with ACC will experience these characteristics.

Health-related/Physical:

• Vision impairments (near/farsightedness, nystagmus, strabismus, problems with depth perception)
• Low muscle tone (hypotonia)
• Early feeding difficulties/gastric reflux/chewing and swallowing difficulties
• Abnormal head and facial features
• High tolerance to pain
• Sleep difficulties (e.g. getting to sleep, nighttime waking, bed-wetting)
• Seizures or spasticity
• Hearing impairments
• Elimination problems including chronic constipation
• Less common: Genito-urinary defects, cardiac abnormalities, skeletal defects, metabolic disorders, genetic conditions.

Developmental:

• Delays in attaining motor milestones such as sitting, walking, riding a bike
• Early speech and language delays (particularly in expressive communication)
• Clumsiness/poor motor coordination
• Delayed toilet training

Social/behavioral:

• Generally happy disposition, enjoys being with others
• Socially immature
• Lack of self awareness
• Inability to take the perspective of others
• Difficulties understanding and acting on the social cues of others
• Difficulty maintaining attention
• Restlessness or hyperactivity
• Fearfulness
• Obsessive/compulsive behaviors
• Challenges with peer interactions and relationships that seem to increase with age and the complexity of the social situations.

Cognitive/Communication:

Although mental retardation can occur in association with callosal conditions, individuals with ACC may also have normal intelligence. Yet, research suggests that even those with isolated ACC and normal intelligence may experience subtle neuropsychological and cognitive challenges.

• Early speech and language delays (particularly with expressive communication)
• Misinterpretation of the nonverbal communication of others (i.e. their facial expressions or tone of voice)
• Difficulties with complex tasks, abstract reasoning, problem solving (such as managing money and schedules, responding to novel  situations)
• Limited insight into their own behavior and limitations
• Difficulty imagining the consequences of their own behavior
• Difficulty understanding abstract language/concepts
• Difficulty understanding slang, sarcasm, and sophisticated humor
• Difficulty understanding others’ perspectives and emotions
• Confabulation (communicating information that is untrue while perceiving that it is true)

ACC Associated syndromes:

• Aicardi syndrome
• Arnold-Chiari malformation
• Dandy-Walker syndrome
• Andermann syndrome
• Shapiro syndrome
• Acrocallosal syndrome
• Septo-optic dysplasia
• Mowat-Wilson syndrome
• Menkes syndrome

Diagnosis:

A brain scan is necessary to diagnose callosal conditions. Brain scans include:

• Prenatal ultrasound
• Prenatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Computerized tomography (CT scan)
• MRI (provides the most detailed information)

Prognosis:

The prognosis with ACC is variable. The condition does not cause death in the majority of patients. Although many children with the disorder lead normal lives nad have average intelligence. Children with ACC accompanied by developmental delay and/or seizure disorders should be screened for metabolic disorders. The mental retardation associated with agenesis of the corpus callosum is not progressive.

Treatment:

There are no specific treatments for agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC) in modern medicine, but most patients will require input from a multidisciplinary team for management of ACC. This may include neurologists, neuropsychologists, ayurvedic doctors, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, pediatricians, geneticists, specific schooling support and early intervention specialists.

Ayurveda therapies for ACC:

According to Ayurveda, ACC occurs due to Pitru beej dosha i.e. Genetic disorder.

There is no cure for ACC till now, but Ayurveda can definitely help such kids in all the aspects- physically, mentally and socially.

Ayurvedic medicines helpful in ACC are:

• Manas mitra vatakam
• Suvarna prashan
• Saraswatharishtam
• Bilwaadi churna
• Trivritaadi modakam
• Brihat dhaatri ghritam
• Abhayadi guggul
• Panchamrit guggul
• Amritadi manduram

Ayurvedic medicines for ACC with hydrocephalus are:

• Rasa Sindur
• Peetmulyaadi kwath
• Saleel shoshan churnam
• Kumkumadi ghritam
• Rasa tailam
• Vanhi bhasvaro rasa

Panchakarma therapies for ACC are:

• Abhyangam with special medicated oils like Lakshmi vilas tailam, Brahmi tailam, Maha mash tailam, Chandan bala lakshadi tailam, etc.
• Shirodhara
• Vasthy (Basti)
• Thallam (Shiro pichu)
• Pizhichil
• Nasyam
• Karnapuran
• Elakizhi (Pinda sweda)

(P.S: As every human being is different according to Ayurveda, all have different cures. So, kindly consult us or an Ayurveda doctor before taking any herbal medicines.)

This post is written by Dr.Jaina Patwa who is a Chief Ayurvedic practitioner based at Vile Parle, Mumbai, India. She is available as an online Ayurvedic Consultant on Skype. Skype ID - vishwacare

VishwaCARE offers Ayurvedic treatment globally for all chronic and refractory health problems. Dr.Jaina Patwa uses high quality organic herbal extracts which are easy to take, effective and completely safe for long-term use.

For authentic ayurveda treatments or queries, kindly email us on vishwacare.jaina@gmail.com or contact us on +919833998817