Traumatic Brain Injury

What is it?

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is an insult to the brain caused by an external force such as a blow to the head, penetrating head wounds or sudden acceleration or deceleration of the brain within the skull.

It may produce unconsciousness or an altered level of consciousness (confusion; disorientation; “fogginess”; fading in and out of alertness.) which results in problems with cognitive abilities (thought; speech-language communication; memory; attention and concentration; reasoning; abstract thinking and information processing.) and/or physical function (trouble with balance or coordination; paralysis, changes in: vision, hearing, smell, taste; speech-language processing problems; changes in the body’s ability to regulate temperature, blood sugar, blood pressure, sleep cycles and hormone systems.) It can also result in changes in behavioral or emotional functioning (decreased frustration tolerance, tearfulness, anxiety, depression, increased anger, decreased insight, feeling isolated, having poor impulse control) These changes may be either temporary or permanent and usually cause partial or total functional disability (a condition that affects your ability to care for yourself and engage in activities of daily life such as shopping, preparing food, cleaning house, getting around.) and/or psychosocial challenges. (your ability to live a meaningful, productive life and connect with people and activities around you.)

A Word about Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)

This is an injury to the brain which is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma. An acquired brain injury is an injury to the brain that has occurred after birth from causes such as disease, stroke, overdose, tumor, fever, choking, electrical shock, toxins and other insults to the brain that are not caused by a blow to the head, penetration or the forces of motion.

An acquired brain injury commonly results in a changes at the cellular level (neuronal activity), which affects the physical integrity, metabolic activity, or functional ability of the cell. An acquired brain injury may result in mild, moderate, or severe deficits in one or more areas, including cognition, speech-language communication; memory; attention and concentration; reasoning; abstract thinking; physical functions; psychosocial behavior; and information processing. TBI and ABI may have similar challenges and symptoms, but are considered to be different.

Next: How do I understand it? >

BACK TO TOP