What is a Brain Injury?

The brain is the body’s control center, for all cognitive and motor abilities. As you might expect, an injury to this neurological center can cause lasting damage to a person’s ability to function. If you are visiting this site, you probably have more detailed questions about brain injuries, especially if a friend or family member is suffering from one. There are many ways that the brain can sustain injury, and each injury can create unique impairment of physical and mental performance. 

Brain Injury Basics

A brain injury is trauma to the brain, which can be caused by stroke, tumors, other disease, or a blow to the head. Brain injuries are not congenital in nature, but are caused by an acute incident that brings damage to the brain. The biological and physical cause behind the damage can come from several places.

Anoxia is the lack of oxygen to the brain, and can cause irreversible damage to cells. Brain swelling, caused by a concussion, is a form of mild traumatic brain injury, whose toll may be partly reversible. Edema is the leakage of fluid in the brain; it may be caused by heart failure or other disease, and can lead to swelling and brain cell damage. Tumors may exert pressure on the brain and lead to altered function. As you can see, there are many causes of brain injury, and accordingly, there are many ways that brain injury can affect a person’s abilities.

The Effects of Brain Injury

The effects of brain injury depend on the severity and type of injury. On the more severe end of the scale, neurological damage can put a person into a coma, a persistent unconscious state. The prognosis for individuals in a coma is based on the Glasgow coma scale, depending on eye opening, verbal, and motor response.

Those who don’t go into a coma can experience a wide range of physical, behavioral, perceptual, and emotional changes after their brain injury. Depending on the injury, a person may develop a grouping of the following problems:

Perceptual Changes:

  • Difficulty with spatial reasoning
  • Neglecting one side of the body
  • Inability to use familiar objects or to complete tasks
  • Distorted visual field

Behavioral Changes:

  • Difficulty in social situations
  • Distorted self-awareness
  • Problems controlling emotions
  • Grief
  • Distress

Thinking Changes:

  • Hampered learning and concentration
  • Impaired memory
  • Trouble reasoning and problem-solving
  • Impaired motor control

Physical Effects:

  • Fatigue
  • Seizure
  • Trouble swallowing
  • Incontinence

Recovery From Brain Injuries

Brain injuries can effect every part of a person’s life, and recovery is often very slow. While some people with mild brain injuries can experience a near full recovery, others must learn to cope with the effects of the brain injury for the rest of their life. The recovery process proceeds most rapidly at first, and then slows over time.

During the time immediately following the brain injury, efforts are made to protect the still-healthy brain tissue from lingering effects of the injury. At times, surgery must be done to remove excess blood in the brain, in order to reduce pressure and swelling. After the initial swelling or pressure retreats, later stage processes of recovery can begin. Although it’s still unclear how the brain regains function, it is thought that parts of the undamaged brain learn to take over tasks previously executed by the now-damaged part.

Family and friends can help the injured person by creating a supportive, calm environment at home. Besides the family’s at-home care, individuals with brain injuries often require a team of committed healthcare workers, like rehab nurses, psychiatrists, social workers, and speech therapists. The recovery process is long and difficult, and families cannot expect to provide all the help their loved one needs themselves.

For more information, check out Acquired Brain Injury Information

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