Brain Trauma

Any brain function can be disrupted by brain trauma: excessive sleepiness, inattention, difficulty concentrating, impaired memory, faulty judgment, depression, irritability, emotional outbursts, disturbed sleep, diminished libido, difficulty switching between two tasks, and slowed thinking. Sorting out bonafide brain damage from the effects of migraine headaches, pain elsewhere in the body, medications, depression, preoccupation with financial loss, job status, loss of status in the community, loss of status in the family, and any ongoing litigation can be a formibable task.

In general, symptoms of traumatic brain injury should lessen over time as the brain heals but sometimes the symptoms worsen because of the patient's inability to adapt to the brain injury. For this and other reasons, it is not uncommon for psychological problems to arise and worsen after brain injury.

The Brain

In Angie's accident, the Head injuries were to her forehead or frontal lobe, right temporal lobe, and parietal lobe located on the top rear of her head. Below find a list of possible physical and cognitive symptoms which can arise from damage to that area of the brain:

Frontal Lobe: Forehead

• Loss of simple movement of various body parts (Paralysis).
• Inability to plan a sequence of complex movements needed to complete multi-stepped tasks, such as making coffee (Sequencing).
• Loss of spontaneity in interacting with others.
• Loss of flexibility in thinking.
• Persistence of a single thought (Perseveration).
• Inability to focus on task (Attending).
• Mood changes (Emotionally Labile).
• Changes in social behavior.
• Changes in personality.
• Difficulty with problem solving.
• Inability to express language (Broca's Aphasia).

Temporal Lobes: side of head above ears

• Difficulty in recognizing faces (Prosopagnosia).
• Difficulty in understanding spoken words (Wernicke's Aphasia).
• Disturbance with selective attention to what we see and hear.
• Difficulty with identification of, and verbalization about objects.
• Short term memory loss.
• Interference with long term memory.
• Increased and decreased interest in sexual behavior.
• Inability to catagorize objects (Categorization).
• Right lobe damage can cause persistent talking.
• Increased aggressive behavior.

Parietal Lobe: near the back and top of the head

• Inability to attend to more than one object at a time.
• Inability to name an object (Anomia).
• Inability to locate the words for writing (Agraphia).
• Problems with reading (Alexia).
• Difficulty with drawing objects.
• Difficulty in distinguishing left from right.
• Difficulty with doing mathematics (Dyscalculia).
• Lack of awareness of certain body parts and/or surrounding space (Apraxia) that leads to difficulties in self-care.
• Inability to focus visual attention.
• Difficulties with eye and hand coordination.

Early on Angie had many of the above symptoms, but has made dramatic strides towards a remarkable recovery. We are very optimistic that she will eventually recover completely from the head injuries she suffered from this accident. It will just take time and patience.