Brain Injury Flashcards
What are some symptoms aligned with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)?
People with ABI have invisible effects.
Extreme fatigue
Difficulty in initiation and motivation
Difficulty with emotional regulation.
What are some common causes of ABI?
Motor vehicle accidents Falls Assault Sports related Work-related, industrial
What are some internal causes of ABI?
Pathological processes that lead to further damage of the brain.
Strokes and aneurysms as a cause (focus)
Tumours
Epilepsy
Hypoxia/ anoxia (e.g. near drowning)
What are some injurys as a consequence of applying trauma to the head?
Coup injury
Contrecoup injury.
Brain twisting (swelling)
What is a coup injury?
This is the site of initial impact from trauma to the skull. The brain moves forward inside the skull hitting the protrusion on the frontal lobe.
What is a contrecoup injury?
This is the secondary impact from trauma to the front of the skull. The impact causes the brain the hit the back of the skull, also effecting the occipital lobe.
What happens on impact when the brain begins twisting?
The brain is suspended on the brain stem, there will be significant disruption cause heart rate, consciousness and respiration due to the structures that reside here.
What is important to consider when thinking about the skull in ABI?
There are several protrusions that sit inside of the skull that can damage our frontal and temporal lobes.
What are the physical effects of ABI?
Debilitating Fatigue Headaches Dizziness Paralysis Chronic Pain
What are the cognitive effects of ABI?
Prefrontal cortex is impacted Memory problems poor concentration slowed responses lack of insight poor planning and problem solving inflexibility impulsivity
What are the emotional and behavioural effects of damaging the temporal lobe from ABI?
Lack of initiative and motivation irritability Socially inappropriate behaviour Depression Emotional lability
An internal cause of ABI is due to cerebrovascular accidents (strokes) what are the two kinds?
Ischaemic
A blockage where parts of the brain cannot get blood and oxygen to them.
Haemorrhagic
Rupture of an aneurysm, might be a tare in the wall of the capillary
What happens when there is an anuerysm in the brain?
Blows out like a balloon, the wall of the brain weakens, becoming thinner, then ruptures causing a stroke.
What is a thrombotic stoke?
An area deprived of blood.
What is an embolic stroke?
Fatty plaque or blood clot that breaks away and flows to the brain blocking an artery.
