Traumatic Brain Injury

Question 1

What is a TBI? And what is it caused by?

Answer 1

Physical injury to brain tissue that causes permanent or temporary impairment to the brain function.
It is caused by external mechanisms such as a direct blow (blunt or penetrating) or indirect force (inertia)

Question 2

How do we classify TBIs?

Answer 2

1. severity (mild, moderate, severe)

2. MOI (closed or penetrating)

Question 3

1. What are the effects of TBIs?

2. TBIs increase the risk for ________, ____________, ____________

Answer 3

1. Affects physical capabilities, cognitive capabilities, emotional state, behaviour and social interactions
2. TBIs increase your risk of epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

Question 4

TBIs occur more in females than in males. True or false?

Answer 4

False. More males than females

Question 5

What are the causes of TBIs in order? (Most common to least common)

Answer 5

1. Motor vehicle
2. Sports
3. Assaults
4. Other

Question 6

For age groups over 65, the leading cause for TBI is _______

Answer 6

Falls

Question 7

What are the different types of TBI and what are the differences between them?

Answer 7

1. Penetrating brain injury (damage to the brain tissue by an object or bone fragment that pierced the skull and the dura matter)
2. Closed head injury (damage to the brain tissue without affecting the skull and dura matter)
3. Focal (damage is restricted to a specific area of the brain and causes local damage)
4. Diffuse (damage throughout the brain)

Question 8

What happens during a TBI?

Answer 8

Nerve fiber within a specific area of the brain is severed, nerve is stretched resulting in inefficient and slowed function

Question 9

What is a hematoma?

Answer 9

Collection of blood outside the blood vessel, either inside the brain (intracerebral) or outside the brain (subdural)

Question 10

What is a hemorrhage?

Answer 10

Direct bleeding into brain tissue

Question 11

What is a contusion?

Answer 11

Bruise causing swelling and bleeding resulting in damage to brain tissue

Question 12

Diffused axial injury

Answer 12

Tearing of nerve bundle and/or stretching blood vessel

Question 13

In a “coup contre coup” the coup happens ________ and the contre-coup happens __________

Answer 13

1. Happens at the point of impact (primary impact)

2. Happens at the point opposite from the point of impact (secondary impact)

Question 14

Brain areas and functions

Answer 14

1. Frontal lobe (executive functions, thinking, planning, organizing, problem solving, emotional and behavioural control, personality)
2. Occipital lobe (vision)
3. Temporal lobe (memory, language, understanding)
4. Parietal lobe (spelling, perception, making sense, arithmetic)
5. Sensory cortex (sensation)
6. Motor cortex (movement)

Question 15

What syndrome is caused by damage to the right parietal lobe?

Answer 15

Hemineglect syndrome

Question 16

What are the degrees of TBI?

Answer 16

Confusion, coma and cerebral death

Question 17

5 long term symptoms of TBI

Answer 17

Dementia, depression, vision problems, social isolation, psychosis