Brown-Séquard Syndrome

Brown-Séquard Syndrome is a condition that affects the spinal cord, which is part of the nervous system responsible for sending messages between the brain and the rest of the body. It usually happens when one side of the spinal cord is damaged, often due to injury or trauma. This damage causes a unique pattern of symptoms, including weakness or paralysis on one side of the body and loss of sensation on the opposite side. The syndrome mainly impacts movement, touch, and pain sensation, leading to difficulties with coordination and feeling. Understanding this condition helps explain why symptoms appear differently on each side of the body.

Brown-Séquard Syndrome is a neurological condition caused by hemisection or unilateral damage to the spinal cord, typically from trauma, tumor, or ischemia. The lesion disrupts the corticospinal tract ipsilaterally, causing spastic paralysis and loss of proprioception and vibration sense below the lesion. Contralaterally, it affects the spinothalamic tract, resulting in loss of pain and temperature sensation starting one to two segments below the lesion. This distinct pattern of ipsilateral motor and dorsal column deficits combined with contralateral pain and temperature loss is pathognomonic. The syndrome highlights the functional anatomy of spinal cord tracts and is clinically significant for localizing spinal cord lesions.