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Table 2.

Summary of the clinical signs typically associated with lesions in specific regions of the brain (adapted from [7])

Fore brain: cerebral cortex and thalamus Cerebellum
Seizures Ataxia
Behavioural changes (loss of training, failure to recognise owner, aggression, hyperexcitability) Tremor
Altered mental status (apathy, depression, disorientation, lethargy, coma) Hypermetria
Abnormal movements, postures (circling, pacing, wandering, head-pressing) Broad-based stance
Contralateral deficits: postural reactions, vision, menace response, facial sensation Menace deficits + normal vision
No weakness
Midbrain Hypothalamus
Upper motor neuron paresis/paralysis all four limbs or contralateral to lesion Normal gait
Postural reaction deficits all four limbs or contralateral to lesion Altered mental status (disorientation, lethargy, coma)
Mental depression/coma Changes in behaviour (aggression/hyperexcitability)
Ipsilateral oculomotor and trochlear deficits Bilateral cranial nerve II deficits at optic chiasm
Hyperventilation Abnormal movements/postures (tight circling, pacing,
wandering, head-pressing, trembling)
Abnormal temperature regulation
Abnormal appetite
Endocrine disturbances
Seizures
Vestibular system (CNS component) Brain stem
Head tilt Ipsilateral hemiparesis/asymmetrical tetraparesis:
Nystagmus - positional, vertical, horizontal, rotary Upper motor neuron signs
Ataxia Ipsilateral postural reaction deficits
Postural reaction deficits Cranial nerve abnormalities: V-VII, IX-XII
Altered mental status Altered mental status: depression
Other cranial nerve signs Irregular respiration