Mitch Brown

per 4
Brain injury and its effects
The brain is a very complex part of the human body. Were always using it, whether we
know it or not. The countless actions we do each day, from making breakfast to breathing, are all
controlled by our brains. While the brain is very important, it is also very fragile. The brain is
protected by our skulls and sits inside liquid that keeps it from rattling around in our heads.
Because the brain is so unique, brain injury can vary in different aspects of you, mentally or
physically, being affected. Injuries results vary from loss of motor skills to a change in
personality. The severity of the injury also is significant. Concussions are something we here all
the time in the subject of physical activity. Mild concussions can lose its effects after a week, but
a severe concussion can be life threatening. The brain is very complex, and we are still learning
about brain injury today.
The brain has many different parts and pieces, and injury to these pieces can have very
different results. The Cerebral Cortex is the outermost layer of the brain and it made up of
different lobes. This means that these lobes are the most prone to being damaged, and because
each lobe controls something different, the effects of the injury itself are different. Lets look at
the different lobes, and the result of damage to them.
The Frontal Lobe is the lobe located in the front of your brain. It controls how we know
what we are doing in our environment, judgment about daily activities, expressive languages,
word association, memories for habits and motor activities, and emotional responses. The frontal
lobe handles a lot of things and damage to it hinders our ability to plan and think things out.
Damage includes paralysis, inability to plan multi step activities, inability to focus, change in
social behavior, difficulty with problem solving, and inability to express languages. Imagine

waking up and not being able to do your morning routine. The habit would be broken and the
multi-step thought process fried.
The Parietal Lobe is located between the top and back of your head, and is the next lobe
we will talk about. The Parietal Lobe controls visual attention, touch perception, and the
manipulation of objects. If injured, the problems that might occur include: reading,
distinguishing left from right, drawing objects, multitasking, mathematics, and hand eye
coordination. This would be a very frustrating lobe to get injured. Simple things we assume as
common knowledge would be lost, and we would struggle with basic tasks.
The occipital lobe is located in the back of your head. This lobe controls your vision.
While damage might cause blindness, it may also cause trouble with identifying or recognizing
things. You may not be able to recognize your friend in a crowd or maybe you dont recognize
your food when served. Of course, theres still the possibility of blindness. Our brains are what
really see, the eyes just transfer raw data.
The Temporal lobe is closer to the base of your brain, surrounding the lower middle part.
The temporal lobe controls hearing, categorization, and memory acquisitions. When damaged,
problems occur with understanding spoken words, aggressive behavior can increase, there may
be an increase OR decrease in sexual behavior, and selective attention may be lost. You wouldnt
be able to hear your friend in a noisy room.
Two other parts are the brain stem and the cerebellum. The brainstem controls lots of
involuntary actions, like sweating or blood pressure. Damage results in problems like sleeping
difficulties or trouble swallowing. The cerebellum controls reflex motors and voluntary
movement. Tremors may occur if damaged, as well as the inability to walk and slurred speech.

Brain injuries are a serious problem in the U.S. After hearing about the possible damages,
you can see how this is a problem. Nearly 1.7 million people in sustain a TBI within a year. A
TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) is defined as a blow, jolt, or penetrating head injury that disrupts
the function of the brain. out of the 1.7 million, 52,00 died, and 275,000 are hospitalized. From
these numbers, we can gather that there are plenty of people who dont seek medical attention
after sustaining a TBI.
Brain injury seems like another statistic until it happens. Falls alone cause about 35% of
TBIs, and car accidents make up about 17%. Half of all TBIs are caused by things we do daily
(we have a chance of falling when we walk or run). Studies have also shown that the age groups
0-4 and 15-19 are the two age groups at the highest risk. The bill for treatment is also not cheap.
About 60 billion dollars was spent treating TBIs, and even then Most people have lasting effects
from their brain damage.
Lasting effects of TBIs not only hinder the injured, but can be difficult for the loved ones
around them. After brain injury, changes in memory and thinking are to be expected. Personality
changes often are undergone by the patient. These things can be combated with counseling and
medication. Another interesting lasting effect is that patients can have vision problems and not
even realise it due to one eye still functioning fully. These may not become evident until
something like driving occurs, and by then it may be too late.
The most common brain injury we hear about are concussions. Concussions, like other
brain injuries, are caused by a jostle or bump to the head. It can cause the brain to physically hit
the inside of your skull with enough force to injury it. There are three levels of concussions:
mild, moderate, and severe. While mild concussions may be easily shaken off, moderate and
severe concussions can be life threatening. Young children and athletes often get concussions.

The signs of a concussion may include: blurred vision, sensitivity to light, memory loss, and
slurred speech. Athletes should not continue physical activity if concussed, and children should
not be given medication without a doctor's permission.
We all know our brains are important. We now know the looming danger of TBIs and the
effects they can have. The effects from brain damage can vary from mild concussions to life
altering changes in behavior (or lack thereof). Our brains are important tools we need for
everyday life. Protecting our brains can be simple and is definitely needed. Driving smart, not
fighting, and wearing protective equipment when playing sports are all ways to prevent TBIs.
Today, steps are still being taken to completely understand the brain and all its functions. The
importance of our brains, however, are already known to us. Be wary of Brain injury.

Work cited
"Concussion (Traumatic Brain Injury)" ["Concussion (Traumatic Brain Injury)"]. WebMD.
WebMD, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2015. <http://www.webmd.com/brain/concussion-traumatic-braininjury-symptoms-causes-treatments#1>. The most common type of brain injury is a concussion.
between 2001-2009, and estimated 173,285, people under 19 were treated for concussions. A

concussion is usually cause by a direct blow or bump to the head. The impact jolts your brain,
sometimes literally making it move around in your skull. Can cause bruising, damage to blood
vessels, and nerve damage. Young children can often get concussions, and it's important to
monitor them after something that can cause a concussion. Medication can cause bleeding in the
child's head, so don't use without a doctors permission. Concussions are difficult to diagnose,
because symptoms may show up until days or weeks later. Concussions are fairly common. Signs
may include confusion, slurred speech, blurred vision, sluggishness, sensitivity to light, and
memory loss. Concussions have three different levels, mild moderate and severe. Seek medical
attention for moderate or severe, but mild concussions often leave soon. However, better safe
than sorry. Do not continue physical activities, like sports, if you have a concussion. Ways to
prevent concussions include not fighting, driving smart, and wearing protective equipment
"Facts About Traumatic Brain Injury" ["Facts About Traumatic Brain Injury"].
http://www.brainline.org/content/2008/07/facts-about-traumatic-brain-injury.html. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.brainline.org/content/2008/07/facts-about-traumatic-brain-injury.html>. A TBI
(Traumatic Brain Injury) is defined as a blow, jolt, or penetrating head injury that disrupts the
function of the brain. 1.7 million people sustain brain injuries each year in the USL 52,000 die,
275,000 are hospitalized, 1.365 are treated and released. There are plenty of people who do not
seek treatment for TBI's though. Falls cause the most amount of TBI's, about 35 precent.
Followed by 17 percent from car accidents. Males are 1.5 times likely as females to sustain
TBI's. 0-4 and 15-19 are the two age groups at the highest risk. An estimated 60$ billion was
spent on treatment in 2000 for the US. 5.3 millions have long lasting effects of TBI's

P., Robert. "Brain Function" ["Brain Function"]. Centre For Neuro Skills. Southern Illinois
University, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2015. <http://www.neuroskills.com/brain-injury/brainfunction.php>. Depending on the location of a brain injury, the functions damaged will change.
Treatment for each part is unique, because each part of the brain is unique. MRI's and CT
provide specific locations of injuries, but symptoms are observed by the behavior of the patients.
Cerebral Cortex
Frontal lobe
controls: how we know what we are doing in our environment, judgment we make about daily
activities, controls expressive language, word association, memories for habits and motor
activities, emotional response.
Problems if injured: paralysis, unable to plan multi step activities, inability to focus, change in
social behavior, difficulty with problem solving, inibility to express language
Parental lobes
controls:Visual ateention, touch perception, manipulation of objects
problems: reading, distinguishing left from right, drawing objects, multitasking, mathmatics,
hand eye cordination
occipital Lobes
control: vision
Problems: troubles in sight. includes identifying things and recognizing things

Temporal lobes: controls hearing, categorzation, memory acquisitions

problems: recognizing faces, understanding spoken words, aggressive behavior (increased) can
increase or decrease sexual behavior. selective attention

.Brain stem: controls startle responses, sweating, blood pressure, level of alertness, ability to
sleep, sense of balance

.problems: swallowing, balance, dizziness, sleeping difficulties, organization/perception of

enviornment

.Cerebellum: controls reflex motor acts and voluntary movement balance

.problems: loss of coordination, ability to walk, tremors, slurred speech, inibility to make rapid
movements
"Recovery from Brain Injury" ["Recovery from Brain Injury"]. BrainandSpinalCord.org.
Johnson, Glen, PhD., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2015. <http://www.brainandspinalcord.org/braininjury/recovery.html>. in the first few initial days of injury, survival is the key issue. Doctors will
take whatever steps possible to reduce brain sweeling and regulate heart pressure. Changes in
memory and thinking are to be expected. Short term memory loss may appear. Personality
changes can occur. Counciling and medication can help. Emotions may appear more or can be
suppressed, patience is required. Vision problems may occur without the patient realising it.
Sleep problems and fatigue are some possibilites. Physical fatigue may eventually subside, but
mental fatigue has a higher chance of persisting.
"Understanding TBI: Part 3 - The Recovery Process" ["Understanding TBI: Part 3 - The
Recovery Process"]. The Recovery Process For Traumatic Brain Injury. Thomas Novack, PhD
and Tamara Bushnik, PhD, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.msktc.org/tbi/factsheets/Understanding-TBI/The-Recovery-Process-For-Traumatic-

Brain-Injury>. First few week after brain injury, swelling, bleeding, or changes in brain
chemistry often affect the healthy brain tissue.
Comas: person in unconscious, doesn't respond to visual stimulation, and can't communicate
Minimally conscious state: partially concussions, knows where sound and visuals come from,
reaches for objects, shows emotions, responds to commands now and then.
Vegetated state: the person has sleep-wake cycles, startles, and may briefly orient to visual
stimulants and sounds
inconsistant behavior is common in TBI's.
the fastest improvements in recovery happen within the first six months. injuries are mainly
repaired in the first two years, and slow down after that time. permant injuries may last
First, brain injury is a relatively new area of treatment and research. We have only begun to
understand the long-term effects in patients one, five, and ten years after injury. Brain scans and
other tests are not always able to show the extent of the injury, so it is sometimes difficult early
on to fully understand how serious the injury is. The type of brain injury and extent of secondary
problems such as brain swelling varies a great deal from person to person. Age and pre-injury
abilities also affect how well a person will recover.

Level 1-- No Response: Person appears to be in a deep sleep.

Level 2-- Generalized Response: Person reacts inconsistently and not directly in response to
stimuli.

Level 3-- Localized Response: Person reacts inconsistently and directly to stimuli.

Level 4-- Confused/Agitated: Person is extremely agitated and confused.

Level 5-- Confused-Inappropriate/Non-agitated: Person is confused and responses to commands

are inaccurate.

Level 6-- Confused-Appropriate: Person is confused and responds accurately to commands.

Level 7-- Automatic-Appropriate: Person can go through daily routine with minimal to no
confusion.

Level 8-- Purposeful-Appropriate: Person has functioning memory, and is aware of and
responsive to their environment.

Level 9-- Purposeful-Appropriate: Person can go through daily routine while aware of need for
stand by assistance.

Level 10-- Purposeful-Appropriate/Modified Independent: Person can go through daily routine

but may require more time or compensatory strategies.

Recovery two years after brain injury: 34% of people need supervision during the night, 93%
live in a private residence, 34$ live with their significant other 29% live with their parents, 33%
are emplyed, 29% are unemplyed, 26% are retired, 3% are in school