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., aneurism,  haemorrhage, 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. For something as complex as brain injury, there are no easy definitions or answers.

NO! ABI has many levels of intensity. It is possible that someone can acquire a brain injury without loss of consciousness or external bruising or tangible confirmation (i.e., CAT Scans, Skull X-rays, EEG, etc.) Individuals who have even a mild brain injury may continue to experience a wide variety of symptoms that can have life-changing implications. However, each injury is different and unique for each person.

Symptoms and related deficits fall into four major groups: Cognitive, Perceptual, Physical and Behavioural/Emotional. Keep in mind that because of the uniqueness of each injury, some survivors may or may not face or exhibit some or all of the symptoms. The number of symptoms doesn't reflect on the impact that the injury will have on the survivors. Much of that depends on where the injury is located. The following is, by no means, a complete or comprehensive listing.

• Cognitive Symptoms:

  Difficulty in processing information (decreased speed, accuracy and consistency) Shortened attention span Inability to understand abstract concepts Impaired decision-making ability Inability to shift mental tasks or to follow multi-step directions Memory loss or impairment Language deficits (difficulty expressing thoughts and understanding others, inappropriate word selection)

• Perceptual Symptoms:

  Change in vision, hearing or sense of touch Loss of sense of time and space and spatial disorientation Disorders of smell and taste Altered sense of balance Increased pain sensitivity

• Physical Symptoms:

  Persistent headache Extreme mental and/or physical fatigue Disorders of movement - gaiting, ataxia, spasticity and tremors Seizure activity (traumatic epilepsy) Impaired small motor control Photosensitivity (sensitivity to light) Sleep disorders Paralysis Speech that is not clear due to poor control of the muscles in the lips, tongue and jaw and/or poor breathing patterns

• Behavioural/Emotional Symptoms:

  Irritability and impatience Reduced tolerance for stress Lack of initiative, apathy Dependence (failure to assume responsibility for one's actions Denial of disability Lack of inhibition (may result in aggression, cursing and inappropriate sexual behaviour Inflexibility Flattened or heightened emotional responses/reactions

   

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. Since they weren't diagnosed with a brain injury in the emergency room and since they didn't ever lose consciousness, far too many of them will never receive the help that they need. Only now are the impacts of mild brain injury being understood, identified and treated. Most typically, mild brain injuries are received in car accidents where the brain is 'sloshed' around in the skull by the collision.

In the most mild of cases, the brain still gets bruised in much the same way your leg might get bruised if you bump into a coffee table. However, the head and the brain is pretty resilient and it can usually handle that injury without much effort. Sometimes people can get a really tremendous blow on the head and it not have any external effect. Again, much depends of the location of the injury and the brain's ability to compensate.

NO! Estimates place the annual occurrence of Acquired Brain Injury at 2 million. PLEASE take advantage of the people and organizations waiting to help you.   [ LINKS ]