• Nonspecific brain atrophy is a common finding on Head CT's, sometimes without any clearly articulated clinical significance for the emergency physician.
• Generally speaking, brain atrophy is the manifestation of the effects of atherosclerosis.
• Radiographically, it typically presents as widened sulci and dilated ventricles.
• In patients with vague mental status abnormalities and limited access to medical history, consider the following brain atrophy clues in your management:

              --  Multiple areas of local cortical brain atrophy (wedge-shaped

                   appearance) suggests multi-infarct dementia.

              --  Disproportionate atrophy in the frontal and temporal lobes may be a 

                   sign of Alzheimer's Disease.