An individual's symptom of brain tumor depends mainly on tumor's size and its location within the brain.

About half of patients with a brain tumor will have seizures -- electrical surges in the brain that can cause convulsions and, in some instances, a loss of consciousness.

Many patients develop changes in their behavior or personality, including problems with memory, speech, and concentration.

Body movement and sensation can also suffer; some people have numbness in the arms or legs, feel weak and uncoordinated, or stumble when they walk.

Still other people will have none of these symptoms or have different symptoms altogether, depending on their body and their particular form of the disease.

No, getting really smart and looking like John Travolta is NOT typically a symptom of brain tumor.

Some of the most common symptoms of a brain tumor are

• headaches that wake you up in the morning
• seizures in a person who does not have a history of seizures
• cognitive or personality changes
• eye weakness
• nausea or vomiting
• speech disturbances, or memory loss

Symptom of brain tumor in the frontal lobe of the brain may cause weakness and inability to move on one side of the body, known as paralysis, mood disturbances, difficulty thinking, confusion and disorientation, and wide emotional mood swings.

Symptom of brain tumor in the parietal lobe are seizures, numbness or paralysis, difficulty with handwriting, inability to perform simple mathematical problems, difficulty with certain movements, and loss of the sense of touch.

Symptom of brain tumor in theoccipital lobe are loss of vision in half of each visual field, visual hallucinations, and seizures.

Symptom of brain tumor in the Temporal lobe are seizures, perceptual and spatial disturbances, and inability to understand simple of multi-step commands, known as receptive aphasia.

Symptom of brain tumor in the cerebellum are difficulty maintaining their balance, known as ataxia, loss of coordination, headaches, and vomiting.

Symptom of brain tumor in the hypothalamus are emotional changes, and changes in the perception of hot and cold. In addition, hypothalamic tumors may affect growth and nutrition in children.

With the exception of the cerebellum, symptom of brain tumor in are on the opposite side of the body from the tumor. For example, a tumor on the left side of the brain may cause numbness in the right arm.

As a brain tumor grows, it invades the healthy tissue in the brain, often causing further deterioration. Because of the limited space within the skull, the tumor may place pressure on the brain. There may also be a buildup of fluid around the tumor, a condition known as edema. Both of these may cause frequent headaches that are often unrelieved by over-the-counter medications.

Headaches are the most common presenting symptom of brain tumor. Many patients first notice a headache that comes and goes. The headache may be especially bad in the morning and then fade during the day.

Since every symptom of brain tumor can be caused by other problems, you must be seen by a physician to be properly evaluated. Your physician may refer you to a neurologist, a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating disorders of the brain and central nervous system, or to an oncologist, a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating cancer.

Get checked by your doctor, but chances are:

"It's NOT a toomah!"