From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Brain damage
Brain damage
Brain damage"
"Brain damage or "brain injury" (BI) is the destruction heavy metals causing poisoning including by mercury
or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to and its compounds of lead or blows to the back of skull.
a wide range of internal and external factors. A common
category with the greatest number of injuries is traumat-
ic brain injury (TBI) following physical trauma or head
Management
injury from an outside source, and the term acquired Various professions may be involved in the medical care
brain injury (ABI) is used in appropriate circles, to differ- and rehabilitation of someone who suffers impairment
entiate brain injuries occurring after birth, from injury after a brain injury. Neurologists, neurosurgeons, and
due to a disorder or congenital malady. physiatrists are physicians who specialise in treating
brain injury. neuropsychologists (especially clinical neu-
ropsychologists) are psychologists who specialise in un-
Signs and symptoms derstanding the effects of brain injury and may be in-
Brain injuries often create impairment or disability volved in assessing the severity or creating rehabilitation
which can vary greatly in severity. In cases of serious strategies. Occupational therapists may be involved in
brain injuries, the likelihood of areas with permanent running rehabilitation programs to help restore lost
disability is great, including neurocognitive deficits, function or help re-learn essential skills. Registered nurs-
delusions (often specifically monothematic delusions), es, such as those working in hospital intensive care units,
speech or movement problems, and mental handicap. are able to maintain the health of the severely brain-inju-
There will also be personality changes. The most severe red with constant administration of medication and neu-
cases result in coma or even persistent vegetative state. rological monitoring, including the use of the Glasgow
Even a mild incident can have long term effects or cause Coma Scale used by other health professionals to quanti-
symptoms to appear years later.[citation needed] fy extent of orientation.
Mental fatigue is a common debilitating experience The effects of impairment or disability resulting from
and may not be linked by the patient to the original (mi- brain injury may be treated by a number of methods, in-
nor) incident. Narcolepsy and sleep disorders are com- cluding medication, psychotherapy, neuropsychological
mon misdiagnoses. rehabilitation, snoezelen, surgery, or physical implants
Brain injury whether from stroke, alcohol abuse, such as deep brain stimulation.
traumatic brain injury, or vitamin B deficiency can some- In the case of brain damage from traumatic brain in-
times result in Korsakoff’s Psychosis, where the individ- jury, dexamethasone and/or Mannitol may be used. [1]
ual engages in confabulations. Confabulations involve
the inability to separate daydream memory from real
memory and the filling in of memory lapses with day-
Prognosis
dreams. Like all other symptoms of brain injuries, Kor- Prognosis, or the likely progress of a disorder, depends
sakoff’s Psychosis is often mis-diagnosed, in this case as on the nature, location and cause of the brain damage
schizophrenia. (see Traumatic brain injury).
In general, neuroregeneration can occur in the pe-
ripheral nervous system but is much rarer and more dif-
Causes ficult to assist in the central nervous system (brain or
Brain injuries occur due to a very wide range of condi- spinal cord). However, in neural development in humans,
tions, illnesses, injuries, and as a result of iatrogenesis areas of the brain can learn to compensate for other dam-
(adverse effects of medical treatment).[citation needed] Pos- aged areas, and may increase in size and complexity and
sible causes of widespread (diffuse) brain damage include even change function, just as someone who loses a sense
prolonged hypoxia (shortage of oxygen), poisoning by may gain increased acuity in another sense - a process
teratogens (including alcohol), infection, and neurologi- termed neuroplasticity.
cal illness. Chemotherapy can cause brain damage to the It is a common misconception that a brain injury sus-
neural stem cells and oligodendrocyte cells that produce tained during childhood always has a better chance of
myelin. Common causes of focal or localized brain dam- successful recovery than similar injury acquired in adult
age are physical trauma (traumatic brain injury, stroke, life. It is contested that in recent studies, severe brain in-
aneurysm, surgery, other neurological disorder), and juries inflicted upon children can be alleviated by the in-
teraction of nicotinamide repropagation in nerve cells.[ci-
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Brain damage
tation needed]
However, the consequences of childhood in- • Head injury
jury may simply[citation needed] be more difficult to detect • Lobotomy
in the short term. This is because different cortical areas • Nerve injury
mature at different stages, with some major cell popula- • Neurocognitive deficit
tions and their corresponding cognitive faculties remain- • Neurology
ing unrefined until early adulthood. In the case of a child • Primary and secondary brain injury
with frontal brain injury, for example, the impact of the • Rehabilitation (neuropsychology)
damage may be undetectable until that child fails to de- • Traumatic brain injury
velop normal executive functions in his or her late teens
and early twenties.
References
[1] http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/314/7098/
See also 1855
• Cerebral Palsy
•
•
Epilepsy
Fetal alcohol syndrome
External links
• Frontal lobe injury • Brain injury at the Open Directory Project
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brain_damage&oldid=465082230"
Categories:
• Neurotrauma
• Causes of death
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