In some cases a concussive injury can produce a mild brain injury. A concussion is a temporary injury. However, a concussive injury can lead to stretching and tearing of nerve fibers in the brain, producing longer-term effects. These injuries usually don’t show up in CAT scans and neurological examinations. In some cases, since the person never “lost consciousness” a full neurological exam never takes place.

Mild traumatic brain Injury is also called subtle acquired brain injury. People with mild or subtle brain injuries have cognitive, psychological and physical symptoms that occur after the injury. They usually do not experience a prolonged period of unconsciousness or coma. In fact, some individuals report no loss of consciousness.

NO! A mild brain injury can have the same devastating effects that a moderate or severe injury can have. The key point is location. Most survivors of mild brain injury don't lose consciousness and may only be in the emergency room for a short time before being sent home without ever knowing that they've been injured. For many of them, the survivor and their family/friends will begin noticing changes in them .. sometimes very subtle, sometimes very obvious.

Many individuals with a mild brain injury end up under psychiatric care. For some people the injury causes severe psychological reactions or triggers symptoms of an underlying psychiatric disease. There may be a biochemical disruption that is related to the brain injury. The psychiatrist or other mental health professionals need to be made aware of the person’s brain injury prior to the start of treatment.

There are actually two sets of symptoms, one that is observed right after the injury and a second set that occurs some time after the initial phase. The first set of symptoms includes: headache, nausea, dizziness, confusion, agitation, disorientation, amnesia and fatigue. Some of these problems such as headache and fatigue may continue for months after the injury. The second set occurs when the person attempts to return to his or her pre-injury life activities at home, work or school.

Yes. A program of functional neurological rehabilitation will help the person develop strategies to manage their cognitive difficulties, cope with psychological and emotional changes and reduce the disabling conditions caused by physical problems. Counseling may be required and family participation can help the adjustment to the changes created by brain injury. Community based programs which focus on functional solutions may offer the best opportunities for rehabilitation.

It is very hard for a person to consistently fake neurological symptoms or to maintain a consistent pattern of cognitive deficits. There are tests to determine “malingering” and a sound neuropsychological and psychiatric assessment will identify other personality or psychiatric problems that may be present.

the brain is involved in just about everything we do, injury to the brain can have a very wide range of effects. These effects vary from one person to another depending on the exact nature of the brain injury and its severity. It is helpful to distinguish between the initial effects when the person first sustained their brain injury and the longer-term effects. Read more about the effects of brain injury.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is defined as sudden, permanent damage to the brain caused by external, mechanical forces (e.g., a blow to the head suffered during a motor vehicle accident). Thus, there is a clear distinction between TBI and brain injury caused by internal events (e.g., stroke, anoxia, tumor), developmental disabilities (e.g., mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism), and progressive illnesses such as Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease.

The functions achieved by the brain of the human newborn are almost entirely in the brainstem. They have to do mostly with basic life processes such as breathing, consciousness, simple movement of the body, the circulation of the blood, heat regulation, the ability to suck, swallow and digest food and the collection and discharge of body wastes. It is when disease or injury affects the brainstem, especially pons and medulla, that life is seriously threatened.

The treatment of brain injury occurs in a number of different stages and differs greatly from case to case due to differences in the severity and nature of the injury. When an injury is a result of an accident the initial treatment may occur before the person reaches hospital. The paramedics at the scene of the accident and en route to the hospital will work to stabilise the person's condition and give immediate assistance.

A severe brain injury occurs when trauma to the brain produces a significant neurological injury, resulting in physiologic changes to a person's brain. Four types of injury may cause trauma to the brain: bull; Closed head injuries occur when the brain tissue is injured by hitting the inside of the skull. This can cause bleeding, bruising, tissue damage and increased intra-cranial pressure or fluid buildup

It is the impairment of normal brain function due to a neurological insult, such as: open or closed head injury (traumatic brain injury or TBI), select cerebral vascular lesions (i.e., aneurysm, hemorrhage, brain stem stroke), hypoxic event (loss of oxygen .. i.e., near drowning), intracranial tumor, and select neurological diseases (i.e., encephalopathy). Well, that is a technical definition. Not very satisfying, is it? It's very impersonal and doesn't really even begin to answer the question.