Brain damage

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Brain damage

Brain damage, or acquired brain injury

Acquired brain injury

An acquired brain injury is damage to the brain acquired after birth. It usually affects Cognition, physical, emotional, social or independent functioning and can result from traumatic brain injury and nontraumatic brain injury ....
, is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells.

n damage may occur due to a wide range of conditions, illness

Illness

Illness can be defined as a state of poor health.It is sometimes considered a synonym for disease. Others maintain that fine distinctions exist....
es, injuries

Injury

Injury or bodily injury is damage or harm caused to the structure or Purpose of the body caused by an outside wiktionary:agent or force, which may be physical or chemical....
, and as a result of iatrogenesis

Iatrogenesis

The terms iatrogenesis and iatrogenic artifact refer to adverse effect s or complication s caused by or resulting from medicine treatment or advice....
. Possible causes of widespread (diffuse) brain damage include prolonged hypoxia

Hypoxia (medical)

Hypoxia is a Pathology condition in which the body as a whole or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. Variations in arterial oxygen concentrations can be part of the normal physiology, for example, during strenuous physical exercise....
(shortage of oxygen

Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
), poison

Poison

In the context of biology, poisons are Chemical substance that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
ing by teratogens (including alcohol

Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl Functional group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group....
), infection

Infection

An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. In an infection, the infecting organism seeks to utilize the host resources to multiply ....
, and neurological illness. Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy, in its most general sense, refers to treatment of disease by chemicals that kill cells, specifically those of micro-organisms or cancer....
can cause brain damage to the neural stem cells and oligodendrocyte

Oligodendrocyte

Oligodendrocytes , or oligodendroglia , are a variety of neuroglia. Their main function is the insulation of the axons exclusively in the central nervous system of the higher vertebrates, a function performed by Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system....
cells that produce myelin

Myelin

Myelin is an electrically-insulating dielectric material that forms a layer, the myelin sheath. Usually, myelin surrounds only the axon of a neuron....
.

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Encyclopedia

Brain damage, or acquired brain injury

Acquired brain injury

Causes

Brain damage may occur due to a wide range of conditions, illness

Illness

Illness can be defined as a state of poor health.It is sometimes considered a synonym for disease. Others maintain that fine distinctions exist....
es, injuries

Injury

Iatrogenesis

Hypoxia (medical)

Oxygen

Poison

Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl Functional group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group....
), infection

Infection

Chemotherapy

Oligodendrocyte

Myelin

Myelin is an electrically-insulating dielectric material that forms a layer, the myelin sheath. Usually, myelin surrounds only the axon of a neuron....
. Common causes of focal or localized brain damage

Focal and diffuse brain injury

Focal and diffuse brain injury are ways to classify traumatic brain injury: focal injury occurs in a specific location, while diffuse injury occurs over a more widespread area....
are physical trauma

Physical trauma

Physical trauma refers to a body injury. A trauma patient is someone who has suffered serious and life-threatening physical injury with the potential for secondary complications such as Shock , respiratory failure and death....
(traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury occurs when an outside force physical trauma the brain. TBI can be classified based on severity, mechanism , or other features ....
), stroke

Stroke

A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. According to the National Stroke Association, a "stroke" occurs when a blood clot blocks and artery or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain....
, aneurysm

Aneurysm

An aneurysm is a localized, blood-filled dilation of a blood vessel caused by disease or weakening of the vessel wall.Aneurysms most commonly occur in artery at the base of the brain and in the aorta ....
, surgery

Surgery

Surgery is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason....
, neurological illness, and heavy metals poisoning including by mercury and its compounds and lead.

Diagnosis

The extent and effect of brain injury is often assessed by the use of neurological examination

Neurology

Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the Central nervous system, Peripheral nervous system, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and...
, neuroimaging

Neuroimaging

Neuroimaging includes the use of various techniques to either directly or indirectly imaging the neuroanatomy, function/pharmacology of the brain....
, and neuropsychological assessment

Neuropsychological test

Neuropsychological tests are specifically designed tasks used to measure a psychological function known to be linked to a particular brain structure or pathway....
.

Signs and symptoms

Brain injury does not necessarily result in long-term impairment or disability

Disability

Disability is a lack of ability relative to a personal or group standard or norm. In reality there is often simply a spectrum of ability. Disability may involve physical impairment such as sense impairment, cognitive impairment or intellectual impairment, mental disorder , or various types of chronic disease....
, although the location and extent of damage both have a significant effect on the likely outcome. In serious cases of brain injury, the result can be permanent disability

Disability

Delusion

A delusion is commonly defined as a fixed false belief and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false, fanciful or derived from deception....
s (often specifically monothematic delusion

Monothematic delusion

A monothematic delusion is a delusional state that only concerns one particular topic. This is contrasted by what is sometimes called multi-thematic or polythematic delusions where the person has a range of delusions ....
s), speech or movement problems, and mental handicap

Mental retardation

Mental retardation is a generalized, triarchic disorder, characterized by subaverage cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors with onset before the age of 18....
. There may also be personality changes. Severe brain damage may result in persistent vegetative state

Persistent vegetative state

A persistent vegetative state is a condition of patients with severe brain damage in whom coma has progressed to a state of wakefulness without detectable awareness....
, coma

Coma

In medicine, a coma is a profound state of unconsciousness. A comatose person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to pain or light, does not have sleep-wake cycles, and does not take voluntary actions....
, or death

Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that define a life organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby....
.

Brain injury whether from stroke, alcohol abuse, traumatic brain injury, or B vitamin deficiency can sometimes result in Korsakoff's Psychosis, where the individual engages in confabulations. Confabulations involve the inability to separate daydream memory from real memory and the filling in of memory lapses with daydreams. Korsakoff's Psychosis can be easily mis-diagnosed as schizophrenia. Lithium treatment is sometimes helpful.

Management

Various professions may be involved in the medical care and rehabilitation

Physical therapy

Physical therapy is a health care profession which provides services to individuals and populations to develop, maintain and restore maximum movement and functional ability throughout life....
of someone who suffers impairment after brain damage. Neurologists, neurosurgeons, and physiatrist

Physical medicine and rehabilitation

Physical medicine and rehabilitation , or physiatry, is a branch of medicine which aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities....
s are physician

Physician

A physician, medical practitioner, doctor of medicine, or medical doctor practices medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease and injury....
s who specialise in treating brain injury. Neuropsychologists

Neuropsychology

Neuropsychology is the applied scientific discipline that studies the structure and function of the brain related to specific psychological processes and overt behaviors....
(especially clinical neuropsychologists

Clinical neuropsychology

Clinical neuropsychology is a sub-specialty of clinical psychology that specializes in the diagnostic assessment and treatment of patients with brain injury or neurocognitive deficits....
) are psychologist

Psychologist

"Psychologist" is an academic, occupational or professional title describing individuals who are either: * social scientists conducting research and/or teaching psychology in a college or university;...
s who specialise in understanding the effects of brain injury and may be involved in assessing the extent of brain damage or creating rehabilitation

Rehabilitation (neuropsychology)

Rehabilitation of sensory and cognitive function typically involves methods for retraining neural pathways or training new neural pathways to regain or improve neurocognitive functioning that has been diminished by disease or physical traumatic injury....
programmes. Occupational therapists

Occupational therapy

File:Occupational therapy psychiatric hospital.jpgOccupational Therapy, often abbreviated as "OT", incorporates meaningful and purposeful occupation to enable people with limitations or impairments to participate in everyday life....
may be involved in running rehabilitation programs to help restore lost function or help re-learn essential skills. Registered nurse

Registered nurse

A registered nurse , is a health profession responsible for implementing the practice of nursing through the use of the nursing process in concert with other health care professionals....
s, such as those working in hospital Intensive Care Unit

Intensive Care Unit

An intensive care unit , critical care unit , intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit is a specialized department used in many countries' hospitals that provides intensive care medicine....
s, are able to maintain the health of the severely brain-injured with constant administration of medication and neurological monitoring, including the use of the Glasgow Coma Scale

Glasgow Coma Scale

The Glasgow Coma Scale or GCS, sometimes also known as the Glasgow Coma Score is a neurology Scale which aims to give a reliable, objective way of recording the conscious state of a person, for initial as well as continuing assessment....
used by other health professionals to quantify extent of orientation.

The effects of impairment or disability

Disability

Disability is a lack of ability relative to a personal or group standard or norm. In reality there is often simply a spectrum of ability. Disability may involve physical impairment such as sense impairment, cognitive impairment or intellectual impairment, mental disorder , or various types of chronic disease....
resulting from brain injury may be treated by a number of methods, including medication

Medication

A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine or medicament, can be loosely defined as any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease....
, psychotherapy

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is an intentional interpersonal relationship used by trained psychotherapists to aid a wiktionary:Client in problems of living. It aims to increase the individual's sense of health and reduce their subjective sense of discomfort....
, neuropsychological rehabilitation

Rehabilitation (neuropsychology)

Snoezelen

Snoezelen or controlled multisensory stimulation is used for people with mind disabilities, and involves exposing them to a soothing and stimulating environment, the "snoezelen room"....
, surgery

Surgery

Surgery is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason....
, or physical implants such as deep brain stimulation

Deep brain stimulation

In neurotechnology, deep brain stimulation is a surgery treatment involving the implantation of a medical device called a brain pacemaker, which sends electrical impulses to specific parts of the brain....
.

Prognosis

It is a common misconception that brain damage sustained during childhood has a better chance of successful recovery than similar injury acquired in adult life. It is contested that in recent studies, severe brain damage inflicted upon children can be alleviated by the interaction of nicotinamide repropagation in nerve cells. In fact, the consequences of childhood injury may simply be more difficult to detect in the short term. This is because different cortical

Cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex is a structure within the brain that plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness....
areas mature at different stages, with some major cell populations and their corresponding cognitive faculties remaining unrefined until early adulthood. In the case of a child with frontal brain injury, for example, the impact of the damage may be undetectable until that child fails to develop normal executive functions in his or her late teens and early twenties.

Brain damage

Causes

Diagnosis

Signs and symptoms

Management

Prognosis

See also

External links