A Study On Traumatic Brain Injury

In order to understand the origin of concussions, one must first understand how the head is affected by contact forces. When the head strikes or is struck by an object, both contact and inertial forces are applied to head (Meaney). These forces can cause injury to the brain both in close proximity to the impact zone or at more distant points. Focal forces are related to head injuries such as skull fractures and can cause stress waves that cause fractures at a distance from the impact zone where the skull has reduces structural properties. The primary cause of concussive injuries is large acceleration of the brain due to inertial forces. Due to how the head moves, the head undergoes both linear and rotational acceleration during impact. It has been found that linear accelerations correspond to increased pressure within the brain. This increased pressures causes neurologic dysfunction. The rotational acceleration component of impact is caused by rapid head rotations. These accelerations create shear forces in the brain . Further studies have shown that brain tissue deforms more severely in response to shear forces (Arash). Shear deformation caused by rotational acceleration is widely accepted as the primary mechanism in concussive injury.

The interval of each impact, speed of the impactor and depth of deformation may be adjustable depending on the desired severity of injury. This model using an electronic magnet impact system to deliver impactions is stable with precisely controlled velocity, dwell time and deformation depth. However, due to the closed head injury without craniotomy, precisely positioning according to mouse brain stereotaxic coordinates is impossible. Also the impact/probe tips switching may result in an impact site shift. This is the major cause of inconsistent injuries. Considering the diffuse injury¬, this model remains precise and easy to

The brain is vulnerable, and is susceptible to mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs). A person’s head jerks forward and back; this rapid change in acceleration causes a concussion because of impact. Examples of impact injuries that frequently occur in athletics are collisions, falls, and bumps to the head. Regardless of how a person sustains a concussion, her brain collides with ridges in her skull. Although the purpose of a skull is to protect the brain; the fusion of bones in a person’s skull creates ridges, and these ridges damage the brain upon impact. When a person’s brain is shaken up, the sharp ridges damage the prefrontal cortex and temporal lobes (Hirsch & Kaufman, 1975).

The aftermaths of repetitive brain trauma - symptomatic concussions and other blows to the heads of different severity - has been a topic of medical discussion since the 1930’s...Yes the THIRTIES. There have been a lot of scientific research into the effect of concussions and how coaches, personnels and teams should deal with players who have been concussed. In 1933, the NCAA educated all of its schools on the correct procedures of dealing with a concussed player. The NCAA thought that brain trauma weren’t taken seriously as they should be. A procedure in the NCAA medical handbook that stands out is to not allow concussed players to practice until the symptoms don’t show for 48 hours. If the symptoms are present after 48 hours, they should

During infancy, the consistency of the brain tissue is similar to that of custard, making it extremely vulnerable to blows, jars, and other abrupt motions. In SBS and other pediatric brain injuries, several injuries may occur as a result of these motions. Cerebral hemorrhaging is evident in SBS. As blood collects where the brain has been damaged, there is compression or distortion of the remaining structures of the brain, which increases the risk for loss of blood flow to those structures. SBS may also result in brain bruising in multiple areas. These injuries involve speed of the shaking or high impact, which results in the brain bouncing against both sides of the skull, producing multifocal deficits. SBS cases range from mild to extremely

The topic that I chose to focus on for this assignment was the social dysfunctions such as learning and behavior in relations to traumatic brain injuries specifically within young adults and children. These traumatic injuries can range from a concussion to cracking one’s skull open during a fall. After reading the articles listed in the reference page, I have learned that those suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) have a drastic change in their quality of life. It becomes harder for these children to act the way they are supposed to or learn the way they did prior to the incident (Ryan, N., Catroppa, C., p. 196). It was surprising to learn that depending on your environment post TBI your recovery can be changed. Research has shown that if a child’s environment consists of caring and supportive family members, teachers, and peers a child can have a full recovery; including normal behavior and no social dysfunctions. However, if a child is surrounded in negativity, the risks of social impairment are a lot higher.

Farrow (2004) explains that “A traumatic brain injury is caused by a blow to the head, face, or neck area…” (p.53). It is an injury to the brain that causes an immediate change in brain function, which includes a loss of consciousness (Levy, 1993). You do not have to be knocked unconscious in order to sustain a traumatic brain injury (The Franklin Institute, 2004). The term traumatic brain injury (TBI) refers to injuries to the brain that are caused by some form of traumatic impact. A blow to the head, violent shaking or penetration of the brain tissue usually causes traumatic brain injuries. This is due to sudden, non-congenital physical damage to the brain from an external force that temporarily or permanently disrupts normal brain function. Brain characteristics and functions that can be affected include consciousness, speech and language, memory, mobility, personality and others. Depending on the cause and severity of the brain injury, brain damage can be mild, moderate or severe. In more serious cases , complications can be fatal. While the severity of traumatic brain injuries varies, the long-term affects are often devastating and life altering. Because the brain controls all bodily functions, any damage to the brain, regardless of severity, can impair physical and psychological activity (Rehberg,

An expanding area of occupational therapy (OT) practice that I have considerable interest in is the rehabilitation of veterans who have suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The field of occupational therapy made considerable advances and experienced a boom in theory advancement internationally following World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War when servicemen were returning with considerable physical and cognitive disabilities (Peloquin & Punwar, 2000). Unable to financially contribute to their households, as well as socially readapt, veterans were in need of professionals who could provide new avenues of productivity, as well as strategies for daily

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is alterations of the brain function and brain pathology caused by an external force (LeBorgne, 2013). The two types of TBI are open and closed injuries (LeBorgne, 2013). Open injuries results from a penetration of the skull (LeBorgne, 2013). Closed injuries or no penetrating causes damage at the point of impact (LeBorgne, 2013). Closed head injuries include, but are not limited to concussion, contusion, and second impact syndrome (LeBorgne, 2013). A closed head injury involves edema, and an increase in intracranial pressure that causes further injury (LeBorgne, 2013). Between 2002 and 2006 falls were the leading cause of TBI among all age groups in the United States, followed by motor vehicular accidents, strike against an object and assaults (Powell, 2014). Falls related to the greatest amount of emergency department visits and hospitalization, compared to motor vehicular accidents that were the leading cause of death (Powell, 2014).

People in West Virginia, and throughout the U.S., commonly suffer traumatic brain injuries. In 2010, patients were diagnosed with these types of injuries in 2.2 million emergency department visits, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Generally, occurring when people suffer a blow, bump or jolt to their bodies or heads, traumatic brain injuries may be caused by any number of factors. This may include motor vehicle collisions, falls, assaults, and other types of accidents. Regardless of how they are sustained, these types of injuries may have lasting implications for those who suffer them, and their families.

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when sudden penetration trauma happens to the head. I’m writing this paper based on my personal experience with my traumatic brain injury. This is my story. When I nine, we were getting ready to go camping, when my neighbors came over and said they wanted to play. The day started out pretty good until my neighbor threw a rock at my head. My mom brought me to the local clinic, here in Hartford, where Jan told my mom that “It is nothing, and just take her home and let her take a nap.” My mom knew better though, she rushed me to the ER where I was taken to surgery right away. While I was having my surgery the doctors came out and gave my mom the waiver that stated if I died on the operating table it wouldn’t

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) has gained considerable notice in recent years since the Global War on Terrorism. High percentages of service members surviving combat-related injuries are now battling the long-lasting effects and associated medical morbidities of brain trauma. Nearly 1.6 million service members deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) through June 30, 2007 (Defense Manpower Data Center ). While percentages of those deployed sustaining mTBI are only approximations and may underestimate prevalence of injury and underscore the subsequent impact of postconcussive symptoms, as many as 12-35% of those with exposure to combat are estimated to have experienced an mTBI (Schneiderman, Braver, & Kang, 2008 ; Hoge, et al., 2008 ). Moreover, an estimated 25,000 military personnel sustained an mTBI in 2014 alone, as reported by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC, 2015). MTBI has a

This validation used Trosseille et al.’s (1992) cadaver impacts to measure the intracranial pressure that included both linear and rotational components. The repressurized cadaver had a 12-accelerometer array affixed to its skull in the occipital region to allow for three-dimensional kinematic measurement of the head motion. Pressure transducers were placed in the subarachnoid space and in the ventricles to measure both intracranial and ventricular pressures. Intracranial pressures were measured in the frontal and occipital lobes and ventricular pressures in the lateral and third ventricles. The results of the comparison of the simulated impact within the model and the cadaveric impact by Trosseille showed that the shape, trends and duration of pressure pulse agreed with the experimental results in the frontal lobe region. The magnitude of the predicted pressure were similar to the experimental values for the ventricular region, however did not accurately predicted in the occipital

On Monday, September 8, 2014, Ryan arose slightly before 5am for his normal morning workout. He arrived home following his workout around he parked his vehicle and walked up the drive where he collapsed by the garage. At some point a neighbor, out for her morning walk, spotted him on called 911. Then she flagged down another neighbor who began CPR. Later at the hospital, Ryan underwent a cardiac cath for a severely constricted coronary artery. In the days immediately following surgery the signs were positive, but by Friday he started a rapid decline. All the tests came back clear and normal except for his MRI, which showed swelling in his blood vessels in the brain. The full extent of his brain injury would not be realized until the months late but would include brain damage, memory recall issues, and vision impairment.

Traumatic brain injuries are one of the leading causes for damage in the brain and lesions (TBI) (Wheeler, Nickerson, Long & Silver, 2014). Two types of injuries that occur following brain damage are open and closed head injuries. Open head injuries are often fatal and occur in such cases as when objects such as bullets penetrate the head of the victim. Closed head injuries result from blows to the head in situations such as car accidents or sports injuries. TBIs normally evolve in two forms: primary damage which occurs upon the impact of the cause and secondary brain damage which is progressive over the time of the trauma. Research has indicated that TBI greatly affects both cognitive and executive functions resulting in memory loss and reasoning problems. They encounter difficulties in solving problems, making proper judgments and decision-making. Underlying causes from TBI are what result in several writing deficits. Expressive writing is one of the major writing disorders that are caused by TBIs (Wheeler, Nickerson, Long & Silver, 2014). Research has shown that the general TBI population suffers from this and it is notable in school children because they engage in activities that are affected by this particular disorder. Those who suffer from TBI are subjected to a multitude of writing issues in both aspects of expressive writing: higher order skills and lower order skills. Higher order skills affect sequencing, planning, and organization of writing while