Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, results from a physical trauma to the head that causes damage to the brain, states the Mayo Clinic. Approximately 1.7 million people get a TBI every year in the United States, according to the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of traumatic accidents in young men, and alcohol is involved in approximately half of these TBI accidents. The symptoms after TBI depend strongly on the location and the size of the injury. Some of these symptoms only last a few hours, but some can become permanent.
Aphasia
Aphasia refers to language-related problems. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, or NINDS, these problems can be in either speech production or language understanding, depending on the location of the brain injury, or lesion. Some TBI patients are aware of their language-related difficulties, whereas others are completely unaware of them and can become frustrated when other people do not understand them. Traumas that result in aphasia typically involve the left hemisphere of the brain. Left temporal and frontal cortexes in the brain are commonly injured. The cortex is the top layer of the brain. Diffuse brain damage, which results from a back-and-forth movement of the brain against the skull, frequently causes aphasia.
Memory Problems
The most common cognitive impairments among TBI patients are different kinds of memory loss, says the NINDS. Frequently, a patient cannot remember anything about an accident he has had, or even what happened hours before it. Some patients have difficulties forming new memories and learning new facts as well. Some of these problems can be temporary, but permanent memory problems are also common. Memory problems are especially common if the trauma occurred in the hippocampus---a part of the brain located in the temporal lobe, close to the ears---or the cortex.
Emotional Problems
Emotional problems may also accompany TBI. Most people with TBI have emotional or behavioral problems, according to Virginia Commonwealth University. Some of these problems are caused by injuries to brain areas that process emotions. Others are normal responses to the losses and changes that brain injury patients face after the accident. Among the most commonly felt emotions are anger, anxiety and depression. Virginia Commonwealth University states that up to 71 percent of the brain injury patients report frequent feelings of irritability and anger.
A patient may also experience mood swings or have a hard time controlling his emotions. Sometimes a patient may also feel emotions that are totally inappropriate in a certain situation. He may laugh after hearing that some has died, for example. Sudden episodes of crying or laughing are also experienced by some TBI patients. Many patients feel anxious when they try meet the many demands and expectations in their lives. Patients commonly feel depressed during the last stages of the recovery when they begin to understand their situation fully.
References
- Trumatic Brain Injury Recovery: Consequences of a Traumatic Brain Injury
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:Traumatic Brain Injury
- Virginia Commonwealth Traumatic Brain Injury: Emotional Problems After Traumatic Brain Injury
- Mayo Clinic: Traumatic Brain Injury
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Traumatic Brain Injury
