What happens with a traumatic brain injury?

With a traumatic brain injury (TBI) there is destruction to the brain tissue as a result of the blast, impact, fall or other incident.  In a closed head injury, the intense shaking or jarring causes tearing of blood vessels and bruising of the brain tissue.  Certain areas of the brain such as the frontal and temporal lobes are damaged. This damage may be seen with imaging equipment such as computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).   A CT scan is the preferred imaging tool for head injuries.    A  CT  scan can detect skull fractures, intracranial hematomas, and cerebral edema.  Damage  may also occur that interrupts communication between the brain’s neurons, parts of the brain, and parts of the body that cannot be detected by CT scan or MRI. The result of this damage may be problems with movement, thinking, personality, and behavior. Even after a short loss of consciousness, there is the risk of disability.

In an open head injury, the damage may be central and restricted, depending on the path of the bullet or other object. Traumatic brain injuries may result in seizure disorders and increase the chance of age-related disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders.

The brain is the "hard drive" in our bodies, working to make evertything else in our bodies work correctly.  When an injury to the brain occurs, all functions of the body can be affected. Damage to a brain can be localized, meaning that one area of the brain is adversely affected.  Or it could be diffuse, meaning several areas of the brain have been damaged.  Different parts of the brain control different functions in our body. So, if one part of the brain is injured, the functions controlled by that part might cause more challenges than those in another part of the brain that remained uninjured. 

But, many injuries such as blast injuries that our military experience from IEDs, can cause damage to the entire brain. When a brain is injured there is a process that can begin happening at a cellular level that needs to be addressed by medical professionals quickly.   All body functions could be at risk and all head injuries should be taken seriously.