Brain Studies on Traumatic Brain Injuries

How an injury to the head can do damage to the brain varies. Brain swelling and disruption of blood supply are some direct causes of damage (Kolb & Whishaw, 2009). However, neurological damage develops after (also known as secondary injuries) the immediate moment of impact (Ghajar, 2000). In other words even minor head injuries can lead to lasting disabilities and that the injuries are amassed. Meaning that a minor injury can result in a major impairment (Ponsford, Sloan, & Snow, 2012).

Some of the long term effects that are stated in the article Long Term Effects of Brain Injuries are server problems with attention and short-term memory, having difficulty performing daily tasks, and feeling “slower” overall are just some of the thing that I’ve learn to deal with on a day-to-day basis.

Traumatic brain injury is any damage caused to the brain. Individuals with TBI may show aphasia-like symptoms, yet the characteristics of TBI include mostly cognitive processes deficits. Those characteristics include disrupt orientation, attention, memory, visual processing, and executive functions problems. Penitents with TBI experience a blackout that can last anywhere between a few minutes up to months and usually wake up confused and disoriented. They do not have any recollection of the events that occurred. In addition to the common characteristics mentioned earlier, TBI patients exhibit communication deficits that relate to poor cognitive functioning such as problems with word finding, grammatical, spelling, reading, and writing. The cause of TBI is very straightforward, unlike SLI or ASD. Any injury to the head, for example motor vehicle accidents, falls, blast trauma, and more, can cause a TBI. These in turn can cause damage to multiple areas of the brain and impair motor, speech, language, and cognitive functions as discussed. It is important to note that unlike ASD that usually

A traumatic brain injury (“TBI”) occurs when the brain is somehow injured, rattled, or wounded from an external source of force. The means of acquisition and the severity of TBIs are unique to each patient; therefore, symptoms and rehabilitation can vary greatly depending on the patient’s condition following the incident and how they sustained the injury. The severity of a TBI is generally classified into one of three categories: mild, moderate, or severe, and this type of diagnostic criteria influences how a patient with TBI is treated by medical staff and rehabilitation specialists. TBIs can affect a specific part of the brain that was directly impacted, leaving the patients with only one or a few areas of impairment, or the damage can

Head (Brain) injury is known as a major public health problem that is a frequent cause of death and disability in young people, Among the many challenges that survivors of traumatic brain injury must face, behavior problems rank among the most difficult. Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is a type of brain injury that occurs when trauma causes damage to the brain. It can cause when a person 's head suddenly or violently hits an object, or an object hits the person, and damages the brain tissue. A person with a TBI may remain conscious or he/she might be unconscious for a few minutes. Some symptoms of TBI include headache, confusion, lightheadedness, dizziness, blurred vision or tired eyes, ringing in the ears, bad taste in the mouth, fatigue or lethargy, a change in sleep patterns, behavioral or mood changes, and trouble with memory, concentration, attention, or thinking. These symptoms might be experienced by any person with mild, moderate to severe TBI (Real Warriors).

Farrow (2004) explains that “A traumatic brain injury is caused by a blow to the head, face, or neck area…” (p.53). It is an injury to the brain that causes an immediate change in brain function, which includes a loss of consciousness (Levy, 1993). You do not have to be knocked unconscious in order to sustain a traumatic brain injury (The Franklin Institute, 2004). The term traumatic brain injury (TBI) refers to injuries to the brain that are caused by some form of traumatic impact. A blow to the head, violent shaking or penetration of the brain tissue usually causes traumatic brain injuries. This is due to sudden, non-congenital physical damage to the brain from an external force that temporarily or permanently disrupts normal brain function. Brain characteristics and functions that can be affected include consciousness, speech and language, memory, mobility, personality and others. Depending on the cause and severity of the brain injury, brain damage can be mild, moderate or severe. In more serious cases , complications can be fatal. While the severity of traumatic brain injuries varies, the long-term affects are often devastating and life altering. Because the brain controls all bodily functions, any damage to the brain, regardless of severity, can impair physical and psychological activity (Rehberg,

Phineas Gage, a 25 year old construction worker is known as one of the most famous patients that suffered from a traumatic brain injury. While working at a railroad site, an iron tamping rod (43 inches long, 1.25 diameter) went through his left cheek, through his brain, and out the skull. He surprisingly ended up surviving this traumatic injury. After a month in the hospital, he was back out on the street. Once a nice, caring person, Phineas turned into an aggressive man who could not even keep a job. Just like Phineas Gage, a TBI can potentially change everything. Brain studies on traumatic brain injuries are increasing every year. Even though the brain is very functional, brain injuries can have many physical, emotional, social, and

“Traumatic brain injury can result in longterm or lifelong physical, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional consequences” (US Dept. of Health and Human Services, 1998).

A traumatic brain injury (also known as a TBI) is a hit to the head that causes damage to the brain cells as well as causes the person to become confused, as a result of the information that’s being sent to neuron to neuron getting interrupted.When the impulses are not going the correct way it causes the person to change their personality, attitude and emotions. Not to mention that no two brain injuries are alike. For the medical team they take a different approach.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a type of brain injury in which a sudden trauma leads to damage to the brain. This brain injury could be due to the head suddenly and aggressively being hit against an object or when an object penetrates the skull and enters the tissue of the brain. The symptoms of TBI can be classified as mild, moderate, or severe, but this all depends on the amount of damage that was done to the brain. When enduring a mild TBI, the person may experience a loss of consciousness, confusion, dizziness, and many other symptoms that are caused by brain damage. A person enduring a moderate TBI may encounter these same symptoms as well as severe ones.

According to the CDC (United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), there are approximately 1.5 million people in the U.S. who suffer from a traumatic brain injury each year (CDC, 2003). Also, the CDC reports that nearly 50,000 people die from TBI each year and 85,000 people suffer long-term disabilities and slowly growing. Traumatic brain injury, also well known as TBI, is when severe change(s) in a normal functioning brain has abruptly changed due to a plethora of different MOI’s, some include: open or closed head injuries, deceleration injuries, chemical/toxic, hypoxia, tumors, infections and stroke. Car accidents, firearms, and falls often cause many TBI’s. Consequences of a brain injury vary from person-to-person because no two injuries are alike. A brain injury is different from a broken leg or punctured lung. Brain injuries do not heal like other injuries; once the brain is damaged it's hard to heal the damaged areas in the brain. Once the areas in the brain are affected it can lead to limited use of specific body parts, alter your personality, mental abilities, abnormal speech/language, impaired or loss of thinking and emotions (depression) and sensation (vision or hearing.)

Occupational therapy addresses impairments in different areas of occupation and teaches patients to adapt and learn new ways to perform the meaningful occupations successfully. Over the years, traumatic brain injury (TBI) has become the leading cause of disability and affects all age groups across the life span (Archer, Svensson, & Alricsson, 2012). TBI, is often a serious injury that occurs as a result of an accident or other trauma. When an individual experiences a traumatic brain injury, their life is normal one moment and shortly changed the next. When a person’s brain is injured, it can affect all aspects of their life, including their personality. Brain injuries also do not heal like other injuries and therefore can take much longer.

In their article, Depression and Cognitive Complaints Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Dr. Silver, Dr. McAllister, and Dr. Arciniegas (2009) states that “Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common occurrence with multiple possible neuropsychiatric sequelae, including problems with cognition, emotion, and behavior.” A traumatic brain injury is a physiological disruption of brain function due to the application of external physical force, including acceleration/deceleration forces. Neuropsychiatric sequelae, a term used to describe a cluster of post-TBI symptoms to include: cognitive, emotional, behavioral, physical, and psychosocial problems, is a significant source of disability in TBI survivors and their families. This review will examine symptoms of depression and cognitive impairment in individuals that have experienced a mild TBI, as well as the clinical approach to treating such people (Silver, McAllister, & Arciniegas, 2009).

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has continually garnered concern from the public. Effects of a TBI range from headaches to loss of motor functions in more severe cases. Normally when one hears that term, their first thought is about military personnel in a war zone. Now, that is definitely true; however, military personal are not the only ones who can receive a TBI. Anyone can suffer damage to the brain resulting in a TBI. A person’s head doesn’t even have to come into contact with another object for this to occur.

Over ten million traumatic brain injuries occur throughout the world each year (Kim et. al.). In the United States, there are 3.8 million traumatic brain injuries annually relating to sports injuries, and approximately 10% of military veterans have suffered a traumatic brain injury with persistent symptoms (Tan, Meehan, et. al.). Although traumatic brain injuries are most common in war or athletic injuries, anyone is at risk for a traumatic brain injury from random traumatic events. Traumatic brain injuries are the leading cause of death in individuals under the age of 24, most of which are caused by car accidents. The annual medical costs of traumatic brain injuries are estimated to be $60.4 billion, including $51.2 billion lost each year