WOMEN`S UNIVERSITY IN AFRICA
Addressing gender disparity and fostering equity in University Education
Examine causes of brain trauma and their consequences.
Question: (A) Explain the causes of brain trauma and their consequences.
According to Gregory (2001) the brain is defined as the control centre for the most complex organ of the human body. Traumatic brain injury is defined as a result of the application of either external physical force or rapid acceleration/deceleration forces as alluded to by Mayo Clinic (2014). Brain trauma is also known as brain injury or traumatic brain injury and the terms will be used interchangeably in this paper. Several causes of brain trauma will be explained amongst them falls, accidents, violence and explosive blast. This results in neuropsychological consequences which are short term or long term. This paper will attempt to unveil the causes and consequences of brain trauma.
The brain is the control centre of the whole body. Gleitman, Gross and Reisberg (2011) posits that the brain generates our personality, habits, skills, emotions, memories, hopes, it regulates appetite, anger, learning and many other functions of the body. Mayo Clinic (2014) proposes that brain trauma is when an external mechanical force causes the brain cells to dysfunction. This usually results from a violent blow to the head penetrating the skull into the brain damaging the brain cells. Brain injury by whatsoever causes is bound to affect the control centre of the body and result in short or long term, temporary or permanent consequences.
Traumatic brain injury may be considered as either mild and some moderate to severe and they can include any of the signs and symptoms of mild injury, as well as...
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Did you know, that someone suffers from a brain injury every 21 seconds (Haas)? Children get concussions all the time, and most of the time they go unnoticed. The majority of concussions happen when one is playing a sport such as football, hockey, or lacrosse. Many famous athletes have had their careers, even their lives cut short due to concussions. Brain damage and death can result from serial concussions (Schafer). When one suffers from a concussion, one’s brain needs time to recover physically and mentally. Between 2002 and 2006, statistics showed that 52,000 people died from concussions and about 275,000 were hospitalized (Fundukian). Everyone’s recovery process is different (“Injury and Pain Care”). Although concussions seem minor, they are very serious brain injuries that may result in severe damage to one’s brain.
Thesis: Concussions affect children and adults of all ages causing physical, emotional and metal trauma to a person and their brain.
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Imaging utilized to support a diagnosis of a brain injury includes Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Diffusion Tensor MRI (DTI). Brain CT is the test of choice for Emergency Department evaluation of brain injury including concussion. (15,16) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has an important role in the evaluation of patients with persistent post-traumatic sequelae. MRI is more sensitive in showing small areas of contusion or petechial hemorrhage, axonal injury, and small extra-axial hematomas. (15,16) Diffusion Tensor MRI (DTI) may be more
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is are complex and always have large degrees of symptoms. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) also are the cause of many different disabilities. Each person is different and in every brain injury are different, bringing a devastating change into their lives on the day of the occurrence of the brain injury. The occurrence of brain injuries are wide spread into a large spectrum of different causes and there are different degrees of TBI.
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