Brain Injury FAQs

What are the symptoms of brain injury?

An individual who has suffered a brain injury may have a difficult time recognizing his or her own symptoms as being as serious as they are. If you have been involved in any type of accident that caused trauma to or jarring of the head, neck or spine, resulting in a loss of consciousness or an altered state of consciousness, you should review the list of symptoms set forth below and consider whether or not any apply to you. Family members of injured individuals should also be watchful for the warning signs that might indicate a traumatic brain injury. Some of the signs to watch for include:

1. Changes in thinking patterns or abilities.

Changes in thinking can involve:

• Memory
• Decision making
• Planning
• Sequencing
• Judgment
• Attention
• Communication
• Reading and writing skills
• Thought processing speed
• Problem solving skills
• Organization
• Self-perception
• Perception
• Thought flexibility
• Safety awareness
• New learning

2. Physical changes.

Physical changes can involve:

• Muscle movement
• Muscle coordination
• Sleep
• Hearing
• VisionTaste
• Smell
• Touch
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Balance
• Speech
• Seizures
• Sexual function

3. Personality and behavioral changes.

Personality and behavioral changes can involve:

• Social skills
• Emotional control and mood swings
• Appropriateness of behavior
• Reduced self-esteem
• DepressionAnxiety
• Frustration
• Stress
• Denial
• Self-centeredness
• Anger management
• Coping skills
• Self-monitoring remarks or actions
• Motivation
• Irritability or agitation
• Excessive laughing or crying

Is there a difference between right versus left brain involvement?

The functional sections or lobes of the brain are also divided into right and left sides. The right side and the left side of the brain are responsible for different functions. General patterns of dysfunction can occur if an injury is on the right or left side of the brain.

Injuries to the Right side of the brain can cause:

• Visual-spatial impairment
• Visual memory deficits
• Left neglect (inattention to the left side of the body)
• Decreased awareness of deficits
• Altered creativity and music perception
• Loss of "the big picture" type of thinking
• Decreased control over left-sided body movements

Injuries to the Left side of the brain can cause:

• Difficulties in understanding language (receptive language)
• Difficulties in speaking or verbal output (expressive language)
• Catastrophic reactions (depression, anxiety)
• Verbal memory deficits
• Impaired logic
• Sequencing difficulties
• Decreased control over right-sided body movements

How Common are Brain Injuries?

It is estimated that 7,000,000 head injuries and 500,000 related hospital admissions occur annually in the United States. It is estimated that over 15,000 traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur annually in the state of Washington. It is estimated that 75% of hospital admissions for TBI are mild, and less than 22% TBI ever go to the emergency room.

What is the Most Common Cause of Brain Injury?

Although studies indicate that actual determination of the etiology of these injuries is somewhat difficult, road and traffic accidents represent the major cause of head injuries and may approximate nearly 50 percent.

What is a Closed-Head Injury?

A closed-head injury is an injury to the brain that is not caused by a penetrating wound. It may occur without a blow or impact to the head, as a result of the forces of acceleration and deceleration that may be present in a flexion-extension injury to the neck (whip lash).

Can Someone Still have a Brain Injury if Neurological Tests Appear Normal?

The medical evidence continues to be documented in the literature that minor head injury can cause permanent injury to the brain with symptomology of cognitive, behavioral and social defects. A significant number of patients have serious behavioral dysfunction in the absence of positive neurological findings comprised of EEG, CT Scan, and MRI. It is also known that approximately 1/3 of patients in a coma have normal EEG and CT Scan.

In our practice, we have found that in many circumstances the emergency health care providers and physicians treating for specific acute physical complaints, other than a closed-head injury, do not focus on brain dysfunction. There is a tendency to treat the obvious symptoms. If there is no period of unconsciousness reported and a gross neurological exam is within normal limits, additional neurological and neuropsychological tests are seldom ordered. As a result, they often are not aware of the continuing problems that a closed-head injured patient may be suffering.

Brain Injury / Medical Terms Glossary:

Alzheimer's Disease - A demential characterized by progressive mental impairment and by the presence of excessive neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques.

Amnesia - A partial or total impairment of memory function. Amnesia is a disturbance of memory that follows some etiologic event. It is a disturbance of the transfer of engrams from short-term into long-term memory storage. Amnesia is a disturbance of memory prior to the etiologic event. It is a disturbance of retrieval from long-term storage.

Aneurysm - A weak wall of a vein or artery that dilates and fills with blood and that may hemorrhage, destroying surrounding neural tissue.

Aneular Gyrus - A region of the cerebral cortex, in the area of the posterior parietal lobe, which is intimately involved in the production of speech.

Anisocoria - A condition wherein the pupils dilate unevenly to light

Anomia - Sometimes known as "dysnomia," it is a condition in which the patient has difficulty finding correct words. It is often assessed by a confrontation-naming task.

Anosolosia - A condition in which the patient is unaware of existing deficits. It occurs despite objective evidence that deficits exist and is often associated with lesions in the posterior nondominant hemisphere.

Aphasia - An acquired inability to use certain aspects of language. It can be either an expressive or a receptive language disorder. "Aphasia" is a very broad term that is made more useful by descriptive qualifiers indicating the type of language impairment involved.

Aphemia - Nontluent speech with intact writing skills.

Apraxia - Impaired ability to perform previously chained skills in a continuous behavior. Construction Apraxia is a impairment in reproducing patterns; it is assessed by observing drawing and drafting or by having the patient build three-dimensional objects. Ideational Apraxia refers to impairment in the idea of the required behavior; it is usually assessed by asking the patient to perform several linked behaviors. Ideomotor Apraxia refers to the inability to demonstrate motor behaviors that were known in the past; it is assessed by asking the patient to pantomime a task, such as using a can opener or using a pair of scissors.

Arachnoid - The middle layer of the meninges. The term means "like a cobweb" and is used because of the delicate nature of the arachnoid. Arachnoid Space is the space around the arachnoid layer that is filled with fibrous tissue and acts as a conduit for cerebrospinal fluid.

Arteriosclerosis - A disease of the vascular system characterized by cumulative buildup of fatty deposits on the inner walls of veins and arteries.

Atonia - Complete lack of muscle tone.

Atrophy - Shrinkage of (brain) tissue due to loss of neuronal processes.

Attention - The capacity of an individual to screen out certain aspects of the environment and to perceive and process other aspects.

Auditory Nerve - Sometimes called the "Vestibular" or "Acoustic Nerve." It is the eighth cranial nerve and transmits auditory information and also is involved in the sense of equilibrium.

Axon - The portion of a neuron that transmits energy from the cell body to the receptors of other neurons.

Babinski Response - Extension (instead of flexion) of the toes on stimulation of the sole of the foot, occurring in persons with lesions of the pyramidal tract.

Cerebral Palsy - A general term for a large number of congenital neurological disorders. The symptoms include movement disorders, weakness, spasticity, and ataxia. Some degree of mental retardation may also be present. The cause is usually some event that occurs during or shortly after the birth process.

Cerebrovascular Accident - A ischemic disorder that is produced by a disruption of blood flow in the brain due to an occlusion of a portion of the vascular system from a thrombus or embolus, or from a hemorrhage.

Coma - A condition of profound stupor or unconsciousness.

Concussion - A form of closed-head injury resulting from a blow or violent shaking of the brain.

Contusion - A form of closed-head injury that produces mild hemorrhaging and associated swelling. Cortex - The outer layer of brain tissue comprised of sulci and gyri.

Cranial Nerves - Twelve pairs of nerves that originate in the brain and carry sensory and motor signals to and from the periphery of the central nervous system.

Deja vu - An experience in which new experiences seem familiar and relived. Feelings of deja vu are common with complex partial seizures.

Delirium - An acute, global impairment of cognitive functioning. Delirium is usually reversible and is most often due to metabolic disturbances of brain function.

Dementia - A condition, usually chronic, of global impairment of cognition that occurs in the absence of clouded consciousness. In many cases, such as in Alzheimer's disease, the condition is progressive.

Edema - Selling of the brain following cerebral insult or injury. Cerebral Edema results from the accumulation of fluid in intercellular tissue.

Encephalitis - Inflammation of the brain.

Epilepsy - A condition of abnormal electrical discharges from the brain associated with a temporary alteration in behavior.

Eutonia - A general, pervasive feeling of physical well-being.

Functional - Having a psychiatric or psychological cause.

Glial Cells - the connective tissue of the brain (from the Latin word for "glue").

Glioma - Any neoplasm arising from glial cells.

Hemorrhage - Bleeding.

Hydrocephalus - Abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid within the cranium, producing enlarged ventricles and compression of neural tissue.

Ictal - Related to a seizure (epileptic) episode. For example, cursing is an ictal behavior associated with some forms of temporal lobe epilepsy.

Infarct - A region of dead brain tissue associated with an occlusion of the vasculature.

Intrinsic - Existing within the brain itself.

Ischemia - Any local and temporary deficiency of blood.

Lesion - Any damage to bodily tissues as a result of disease or injury.

Meninges - Three membranes that protect the brain and provide for venous drainage. The dura mater, pia mater, and arachnoid layer comprise the cerebral meninges.

Multiple Sclerosis - A disease resulting from degeneration of myelin, characterized by the development of multiple plaques throughout the brain and spinal cord.

Neuritis - Inflammation' of a nerve.

Nystagmus - A spasmodic movement of the eyes, either rotary or side-to-side.

Parkinson's Disease - A disorder that primarily affects the motor functions of the cerebellum. Parkinson's disease is characterized by tremors and gait disturbances.

Presenile Dementia - Severe deterioration of mental functions before the age of 65. Most contemporary investigators minimize the utility of a distinction between presenile and senile dementias.

Spasm - An involuntary contraction of a muscle group. It can be associated with anxiety or fear as well as with a neurological disorder.

Stroke - A general term used to describe those disorders of the brain that are characterized by disruption of blood flow.

Subdural Hematoma - A lesion that results from bleeding into the subdural space.

Suppression - Any failure to perceive a stimulus on one side of the body with bilateral simultaneous stimulation. Suppressions can exist with auditory, visual, or tactile stimulation. Synonym: extinction.

Synapse - The space between the terminal end of an axon and anot4er cell body. Neurotransmitters are released in the synapse and carry signals from one nerve cell to another.

Tinnitus - Ringing in the ears.

Tremor - An oscillatory or shaking motion.

Ventricles - The spaces within the brain through which cerebrospinal fluid circulates.

When you or a family member feel that something is not right, it is best to take action right away. If you know or suspect that you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury, please Contact Us or Submit a Potential Case today to take an affirmative step toward receiving the assistance you need.

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