====== Cortical Infiltration ======


**Cortical infiltration** refers to the process in which pathological cells, such as tumor cells or inflammatory cells, invade the cortical layer of the brain. This phenomenon is particularly significant in the context of brain diseases, including:

### 1. **Primary Brain Tumors:**
   - **Gliomas (e.g., glioblastoma):** These are the most common infiltrative tumors affecting the brain's cortex. They are highly invasive, spreading through white matter and often infiltrating cortical regions, leading to functional impairment.
   - **Diffuse Astrocytomas:** These lower-grade gliomas also show cortical infiltration, albeit at a slower progression compared to glioblastomas.

### 2. **Metastatic Tumors:**
   - Secondary tumors originating from cancers elsewhere in the body can invade the cortex, particularly in cases of melanoma, lung, or breast cancers.

### 3. **Inflammatory and Infectious Conditions:**
   - Conditions such as **multiple sclerosis** or **encephalitis** can show cortical infiltration by immune or infectious cells, causing focal neurological deficits.

### 4. **Neurodegenerative Diseases:**
   - Though less commonly described as "infiltration," cortical thinning and neuronal loss in diseases like Alzheimer's can mimic the effects of infiltration by pathological proteins (e.g., amyloid-beta or tau).

### Diagnostic Modalities:
   - **MRI with contrast:** Key imaging technique for identifying cortical infiltration, particularly in the case of gliomas or metastases.
   - **PET scans:** Provide functional imaging to assess metabolic activity in infiltrated regions.
   - **Histopathology:** Confirms the extent and type of infiltration.

### Clinical Implications:
   - Cortical infiltration often correlates with symptoms such as seizures, focal deficits, or cognitive impairment, depending on the affected region.
   - Treatment depends on the underlying cause and may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or immunomodulatory therapies.

===== Meningioma with Cortical Infiltration =====

[[Meningioma with Cortical Infiltration]]