You can get some idea of the degree of cerebral atrophy by comparing the images of Ruth Edwards (above)  to the computed tomographic images below.  The evidence of cerebral atrophy is dilation of the lateral ventricles and widening of the cortical sulci.  If you compare the patients lateral ventricles with the example CT, the anterior horns of the lateral ventricles are much more rounded showing loss of brain tissue with resultant expansion of the ventricles.   Over the cerebral convexities, the cortical sulci are much wider than the sulci in the example. 

 Three (3) areas of normal intracerebral calcification are present.  The midline calcification is related to the pineal.  The symmetrical, more lateral calcifications are located in the glomera of the choriod plexus (within the lateral ventricles).  

Remember, the degree of cerebral atrophy recorded on brain images does not correlate directly with the individual’s functional ability so the presence of atrophy does not give a definitive diagnosis.

 Comparison Magnetic resonance image and a labeled cross section of the brain are also shown below.