What do white spots on the brain indicate on an mri brain scan?

Nonspecific: Scattered white spots confined to the white matter of the brain are fairly common and not specific for a certain disease. White spots in a person less than 50 yrs. Old, however, are usually abnormal and may be seen with multiple sclerosis among many other entities. As one ages, these are more likely due to tiny arterial blockages and are fairly common in people over 70 yrs. Old.

Non-specific: Scattered white matter spots are non-specific they can be seen in patients with headaches, chronic small vessel ischemic disease, lyme's disease, and a demylinating type process.