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Traumatic Brain Injuries:  Effects of damage to different lobes of the brain

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http://www.ericratinoff.com Brain Injury Attorney Eric Ratinoff talks about traumatic brain injury - an area of personal injury he is proud to represent. He is always looking for opportunities to learn and share education on this topic, and he has created this video podcast on the areas of the brain and how they are affected by injury.

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Brain Trauma Studied In Domestic Abuse Victims

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While brain injuries from concussions in the NFL have garnered a lot of attention, experts are now studying similar injuries in domestic abuse victims. A Phoenix hospital has launched a program to assist survivors who have suffered head trauma. (Aug.

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From Victim to Survivor: Find Your X…but First, Find Your (Wh)Y? | Lauren Book | TEDxOxford

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The childhood trauma Lauren Book suffered robbed her of her childhood, but forced her to learn how to find her voice and rebuild her life with purpose...through her TED Talk, she challenges viewers to do what she's been challenged to do through her journey from victim of physical, sexual and emotional abuse to struggling survivor and now thriver and internationally recognized advocate for change.

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FORT MEADE, Md. -- She was four days out before returning home to Dover Air Force Base, Del., from her deployment in Provincial Reconstruction Team, Farah, Afghanistan. Master Sgt. Jennifer Allara and her explosive ordinance team started the day off at 0330 for a routine combat mission patrol. Allara and her EOD teammates went outside the fence to sweep an ally they call 'IED alley' in Shewan, Afghanistan. Unfortunately, they didn't foresee what was about to happen next. Allara is a 436th Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordinance Disposal team leader currently based out of Dover AFB, Del., who had her world turned upside down in a matter of minutes. "We are trained to accept a certain amount of danger with our job," Allara said. "And I always thought in terms of me, what if something happens to me? What if we get blown up? I wasn't thinking in terms of losing a team member in a turret. It was a very big wake-up call." It was on that fateful day in September 2009, Allara lost her good friend and co-worker, Staff Sgt. Bryan Berky, during an attack. Her team was involved in a firefight and as they tried to turn around to get out of the firefight their vehicle got stuck in the sand. She said as her team tried to get their vehicle out of the sand, a team of Afghan national soldiers flew 500 meters ahead of her team in trucks. She recalls them disappearing into a large cloud of smoke and hearing a detonation. "The only thing I could think of ... that was us ... that was going to be me," she said. "And they just took that." They were receiving indirect fire and mortars when another team member yelled out to their turret gunner, Berky, to see if he was Ok. Allara looked over to Berky and noticed he was hunched over in his harness and unresponsive. She pulled an emergency latch and pulled him into her lap. She yelled out for a medic, then noticed the small bullet hole in his head. Her team grabbed a medic, put him into their vehicle and they drove to a casualty evacuation point. As the fire fight continued a field surgeon did everything to save him. Unfortunately, Berky doesn't make it. With four days left before her team was heading home, Allara was allowed to fly back with Berky's remains back to the United States. As a result of her attack, Allara suffers from Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition she struggles with to this day. She credits her coworkers helping her to get where she is today. She thanks their constant check-ups and looking her in the eye and asking her ... how are you doing? Are you Ok? "Knowing what's wrong with me and working with the doctors to combat that, if I know what it is, I can overcome it," Allara said. "I'm looking forward to the holistic approach they take in treatment. That intrigues me." Allara hopes to be an example for others returning from a deployment. She hopes her story will help other to seek help. "There is no shame in getting help," she said. "There is no shame in recognizing what is going on with someone and being able to reach out and help. If you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of your Airmen." She stresses that Airmen shouldn't feel ashamed if they are experiencing symptoms of PTSD. "PTSD is not what's wrong with you, it's what happened to you," Allara said. "It's a normal reaction to an abnormal situation. I'm looking forward to the holistic approach to their treatment and diagnosis."

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FORT MEADE, Md. -- She was four days out before returning home to Dover Air Force Base, Del., from her deployment in Provincial Reconstruction Team, Farah, Afghanistan. Master Sgt. Jennifer Allara and her explosive ordinance team started the day off at 0330 for a routine combat mission patrol.

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the Psychiatry Advisor take:

Adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are much more likely to report having been sexually or physically abused during their childhood.

Esme Fuller-Thomson, PhD, MSW and Danielle A. Lewis, BS, both of the University of Toronto, examined a sample of 12,877 women and 10,496 men from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health.

In women, 34% of those with ADHD said they were sexually abused before they turned 18, while only 14% of women without ADHD reported such abuse, the pair reported in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect. And twice as many women (44%) with ADHD reported physical abuse than women (21%) without the condition.

Among men, 11% with ADHD reported being sexually abused in childhood, compared with 6% who did not have ADHD. For physical abuse, the figures were 41% and 31%, respectively.

Fuller-Thomson noted that the data does not clarify the association between ADHD and abuse. "It may be that early maltreatment affects neurobiological development," she said in a statement. "It is also possible that children with ADHD are more vulnerable to abuse."

Lewis also recommended that clinicians who work with children with ADHD also screen them for sexual and physical abuse.

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Possible Link Between ADHD and Childhood Abuse

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the Psychiatry Advisor take: Adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are much more likely to report having been sexually or physically abused during their childhood. Esme Fuller-Thomson, PhD, MSW and Danielle A. Lewis, BS, both of the University of Toronto, examined a sample of 12,877 women and 10,496 men from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health.

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Where There's Dyslexia, There Could Be Child Abuse

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Where There's Dyslexia, There Could Be Child Abuse

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Child abuse is always terrible, but recognizing the problem is the first step toward finding a solution. A new study has found a "very strong association" between physical abuse and dyslexia, suggesting that those with the learning disability may benefit from physical abuse screenings. Although the root of the link remains unknown, the evidence is strong enough to rule out coincidence as being the cause for the association.

77 Report Dyslexia Diagnosis

In their new study, which is published online in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, researchers from the University of Toronto examined a representative sample of 13,054 adults. Of the 1,020 that reported having experienced physical abuse in childhood, an alarming 77 also reported having been diagnosed with dyslexia by a health professional. These increased odds were still present even when age, race, gender, and "other early adversities such as parental addictions," were taken into account, co-author Esme Fuller-Thomson explained in a recent press release.

Too Large To Be A Chance Occurrence

Fuller-Thompson explained to Medical Daily how the chances of this link happening by coincidence are one in 10,000. "Because the difference is so big and the sample is so large, it is very likely that there is a true relationship where people with dyslexia were likely to have experienced physical abuse in childhood," Fuller-Thomson said. What is not known at the moment is if this dyslexia came before the abuse, if the abuse in early childhood caused brain abnormalities, or if living in a dysfunctional home contributed to this. "It is possible that for some children, the presence of dyslexia and related learning problems may place them at relatively higher risk for physical abuse, perhaps due to adult frustrations with chronic learning failure," explained study co-author Stephen Hooper in the press release.

Future Studies

Future studies will further explore this subject, taking a broader range of early adversaries and a broader range of abuses into context. "We are going to other studies looking at other types of learning disabilities in general and also begin to look if other types of abuse, such as sexual abuse, have similar effects," Fuller-Thomson added.

Global Problem

In the United States, a report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds, according to statistics released by Child Help. On an international level, the World Health Organization estimates that as many as 23 percent of the world's population reports being physically abused as children. Unfortunately, the WHO does not suggest universal screening for abuse, partly due to the large amount of false positives these screening can show. "Our suggestion is that it would be logical to screen children with dyslexia for physical abuse," Fuller-Thompson said. These screenings could be done in a school or a health care setting and have the potential of saving children from child abuse before they become one of the four children who die every day in America due to physical abuse.

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Where There's Dyslexia, There Could Be Child Abuse

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Child abuse is always terrible, but recognizing the problem is the first step toward finding a solution. A new study has found a "very strong association" between physical abuse and dyslexia, suggesting that those with the learning disability may benefit from physical abuse screenings.

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A head injury is any sort of injury to your brain, skull, or scalp. This can range from a mild bump or bruise to a traumatic brain injury. Common head injuries include concussions, skull fractures, and scalp wounds. The consequences and treatments vary greatly, depending on what caused your head injury and how severe it is.

Head injuries may be either closed or open. A closed head injury is any injury that doesn't break your skull. An open, or penetrating, head injury is one in which something breaks your skull and enters your brain.

It can be hard to assess how serious a head injury is just by looking. Some minor head injuries bleed a lot, while some major injuries don't bleed at all. It's important to treat all head injuries seriously and get them assessed by a doctor.

In general, head injuries can be divided into two categories based on what causes them. They can either be head injuries due to blows to the head or head injuries due to shaking.

Head injuries caused by shaking are most common in infants and small children, but they can occur any time you experience violent shaking.

Head injuries caused by a blow to the head are usually associated with:

In most cases, your skull will protect your brain from serious harm. However, injuries severe enough to cause head injury can also be associated with injuries to the spine.

Hematoma

A hematoma is a collection, or clotting, of blood outside the blood vessels. It can be very serious if a hematoma occurs in the brain. The clotting can cause pressure to build inside your skull, which can cause you to lose consciousness or result in permanent brain damage.

Hemorrhage

A hemorrhage is uncontrolled bleeding. There can be bleeding in the space around your brain, which is a subarachnoid hemorrhage, or bleeding within your brain tissue, which is an intracerebral hemorrhage.

Subarachnoid bleeds often cause headaches and vomiting. The severity of intracerebral hemorrhages depends on how much bleeding there is, but over time any amount of blood can cause pressure to build.

Concussion

A concussion is a brain injury that occurs when your brain bounces against the hard walls of your skull. Generally speaking, the loss of function associated with concussions is temporary. However, repeated concussions can eventually lead to permanent damage.

Edema

Any brain injury can lead to edema, or swelling. Many injuries cause swelling of the surrounding tissues, but it's more serious when it occurs in your brain. Your skull can't stretch to accommodate the swelling, which leads to a buildup of pressure in your brain. This can cause your brain to press against your skull.

Skull fracture

Unlike most bones in your body, your skull doesn't have bone marrow. This makes the skull very strong and difficult to break. A broken skull is unable to absorb the impact of a blow, making it more likely that there will also be damage to your brain. Learn more about skull fractures.

Diffuse axonal injury

A diffuse axonal injury, or sheer injury, is an injury to the brain that doesn't cause bleeding but does damage your brain cells. The damage to the brain cells results in them not being able to function and can also result in swelling, causing more damage. Though it isn't as outwardly visible as other forms of brain injury, diffuse axonal injury is one of the most dangerous types of head injuries and can lead to permanent brain damage and even death.

Your head has more blood vessels than any other part of your body, so bleeding on the surface of your brain or within your brain is a serious concern in head injuries. However, not all head injuries cause bleeding.

It's important to be aware of other symptoms to watch out for. Many symptoms of serious brain injury won't appear right away. You should always continue to monitor your symptoms for several days after you injure your head.

Common symptoms of a minor head injury include:

The symptoms of a severe head injury include many of the symptoms of minor head injuries. They can also include:

Head injuries shouldn't be taken lightly. See your doctor right away if you think you have the symptoms of a serious head injury.

In particular, you should always call 911 or go to an emergency room if you experience loss of consciousness, confusion, or disorientation. Even if you don't go to the ER immediately after the accident, you should seek help if you still have symptoms after a day or two.

In the case of a potentially serious head injury, you should always call 911. Motion can sometimes make a head injury worse, and emergency medical personnel are trained to move injured people carefully without causing more damage.

One of the first ways your doctor will assess your head injury is with the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). The GCS is a 15-point test that assesses your mental status. A high GCS score indicates a less severe injury.

Your doctor will need to know the circumstances of your injury. Often, if you've had a head injury, you won't remember the details of the accident. If it's possible, you should bring someone with you who witnessed the accident. It will be important for your doctor to determine if you lost consciousness and for how long if you did.

Your doctor will also examine you to look for signs of trauma, including bruising and swelling. You're also likely to get a neurological examination, in which your doctor will evaluate your nerve function by assessing your muscle control and strength, eye movement, and sensation, among other things.

Imaging tests are commonly used to diagnose head injuries. A CT scan will help your doctor look for fractures, evidence of bleeding and clotting, brain swelling, and any other structural damage. CT scans are fast and accurate, so they're typically the first type of imaging you will receive. You may also receive an MRI scan, which can offer a more detailed view of the brain. An MRI scan will usually only be ordered once you're in stable condition.

The treatment for head injuries depends on both the type and the severity of the injury.

With minor head injuries, there are often no symptoms other than pain at the site of the injury. In these cases, you may be told to take acetaminophen (Tylenol) for the pain. You shouldn't take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil) or aspirin (Bufferin), because they can make any bleeding worse. If you have an open cut, your doctor may use sutures or staples to close it. They'll then cover it with a bandage.

Even if your injury seems minor, you should still watch your condition to make sure it doesn't get worse. It isn't true that you shouldn't go to sleep after you have injured your head, but you should be woken up every two hours or so to check for any new symptoms. You should go back to the doctor if you develop any new or worsening symptoms.

You may need to be hospitalized if you have a serious head injury. The treatment you receive at the hospital will depend on your diagnosis.

The treatment for severe head injuries can include:

Medication

If you've had a severe brain injury, you may be given antiseizure medication. You're at risk for seizures in the week following your accident.

You may be given diuretics if your injury has caused a buildup of pressure in your brain. Diuretics cause you to excrete more fluids. This can help to relieve some of the pressure.

If your injury is very serious, you may be given medication to put you in an induced coma. This may be an appropriate treatment if your blood vessels are damaged. When you're in a coma, your brain doesn't need as much oxygen and nutrients as it normally does.

Surgery

It may be necessary to do emergency surgery to prevent further damage to your brain. For example, your doctors may need to operate to remove a hematoma, repair your skull, or release some of the pressure in your skull.

Rehabilitation

If you've had a serious brain injury, you'll most likely need rehabilitation to regain full brain function. The type of rehabilitation you get will depend on what functionality you've lost as a result of your injury. People who've had a brain injury will often need help regaining mobility and speech.

The outlook depends on the severity of your injury. Most people who've had minor head injuries experience no lasting consequences. People who've had serious head injuries may face permanent changes in their personality or physical and cognitive abilities. Severe head injuries in childhood can be particularly concerning, as it's generally thought developing brains are susceptible to injuries. There is ongoing research studying this issue.

Your healthcare team will work with you to ensure that you have as full of a recovery as possible.

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Head Injury: Types, Causes, and Symptoms

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A head injury is any sort of injury to your brain, skull, or scalp. This can range from a mild bump or bruise to a traumatic brain injury. Common head injuries include concussions, skull fractures, and scalp wounds. The consequences and treatments vary greatly, depending on what caused your head injury and how severe it is.

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NIH: Traumatic Brain Injury Information Page

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NIH: Traumatic Brain Injury Information Page

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NINDS supports TBI research through grants to major medical institutions across the country and conducts TBI research in its intramural laboratories and Clinical Center at NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. The Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine (CNRM) is a TBI research collaboration between intramural NIH and the Uniformed Services University for the Health Sciences (USUHS).

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In 2006, a study was done at the Atlanta Nation Center for Injury Prevention and Control. This study showed that of those 1.4 million people, 280,000 people in the U.S. receive a motor vehicle induced traumatic brain injury every year. Twenty percent of all brain damage is motor vehicle related and constitutes as the second largest method. The leading cause is falling, which accounts for 28 percent. However, the traffic accident brain damage accounts for the greatest number of hospitalizations.

Whiplash can be very damaging for the brain. When the head is suddenly twisted with the deceleration of an automobile crash, the brain will move around as well. Billions of nerve cells communicate with other distant cells through long nerve fibers. These delicate fibers can be stretched during an accident, damaging the ability for cells to communicate with each other. Severe whiplash will result in Diffuse Axonal Injury and can potentially put the victim in a coma. With high speed crashes isotropic stress can damage the internal structure of a cell resulting from the density change within the cells. Pressure waves will move through the brain at excessively high speeds. Relatively little research has been done on isotropic stress, but because of the influx of Iraq veterans returning from war with this type of brain damage inflicted by explosives, a large amount of new research will be coming in soon.

The brain is floating with the skull, when the head is bounced around in a motor vehicle accident the brain will not just sit there. It will smash into the walls of its cage, becoming bruised and torn. When the skull strikes the steering wheel, window, concrete, or wreckage the skull will collide against the inside of the skull with much force. The brain continues to move after the head has stopped causing bruising and bleeding at the part of the brain near the point of impact. This point of injury will normally be the frontal lobe (emotional control system) and temporal lobe (selective attention system). After hitting the front of the skull, the brain can bounce back and slam against the back of the skull. This can sometimes damage the occipital lobe which is responsible for visual processing.

Different types of brain injuries include:

Loss of Consciousness - Loss of conscious awareness can span from being slightly dazed to being in a coma for multiple days. To receive permanent damage to the brain, in most cases it is necessary that the victim looses consciousness. The longer the period of unconsciousness, the more severe the brain damage will be.

Post Traumatic Amnesia - Memory loss of events before (retrograde amnesia) and after (anterograde amnesia) the injury was inflicted. Generally the longer the periods of amnesia, the greater the damage will be. If a patient is suffering from amnesia, they will have a difficult time gauging the true extent of their problem. Family members or friends should help track their progress.

Concussion - Altered awareness after trauma to the head. Some symptoms include dizziness, nausea, disorientation, and forgetfulness. Most cases will be resolved within a couple months.

As a result of the direct trauma, secondary injuries can occur in the brain. When tissue is injured or a blood vessel is torn, a collection of blood can build up within the skull. This is called hematoma and the bleeding can occur days after the injury was inflicted.

Edema is when swelling occurs inside of the brain causing a rise in intracranial pressure. Circulation will be damaged and blood will have difficulties delivering important molecules to the brain. Medication can help relieve the pressure, but if that doesn't work some fluid can be drained out by drilling a hole in the patient's skull.

There are simple strategies that can be implemented which will greatly reduce the chance of experiencing the horrible realities of a traumatic brain injury first hand. Every time when riding or driving in a motor vehicle, wear a seat belt. This will prevent the body from flying into the window or steering wheel in the event of an accident. Have a child safety seat available for any children who may travel in the vehicle. If the child does do not reach the height and weight requirements, a seat belt will be of no proper benefit. The inertia that has built up can be fatal when the child suddenly hits the back of the driver's seat.

Driving under the influence of any type of drug or alcohol, whether illegal or legal, will greatly reduce the users awareness of what is going, reducing the quality of driving and the safety for all of the other beings who travel upon the drivers path. When riding a motorcycle, ATV, or scooter, always wear a helmet. By practicing these few simple strategies traumatic brain injury can be greatly reduced or avoided all together.

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Motor Vehicle Induced Brain Injury - Brain and Spinal Cord

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In 2006, a study was done at the Atlanta Nation Center for Injury Prevention and Control. This study showed that of those 1.4 million people, 280,000 people in the U.S. receive a motor vehicle induced traumatic brain injury every year. Twenty percent of all brain damage is motor vehicle related and constitutes as the second largest method.