HEAD INJURIES NEGATIVELY AFFECT BRAIN HEALTH

Traumatic brain injury occurs as a result of the head striking an object suddenly and violently (such as a car window, radiator, or concrete) or an object penetrating the skull and damaging brain tissue (such as a bullet or nail). The most common cause of traumatic brain injury is traffic accidents (often car or motorcycle accidents). Other causes include falls, sports injuries, workplace accidents, violent incidents, and child abuse. The incidence is high among males aged 15-24, due to their assumed risky lifestyles. For adolescents and adults, the most common causes are car and motorcycle accidents and violent crimes. Depending on the profession, bullet wounds are also frequently encountered in occupations such as soldiers and police officers. Individuals over the age of 75 are more prone to trauma due to falls. In infants under one year of age, the most common cause may be physical abuse. Particularly violent shaking for play or harm can cause brain damage. Injuries resulting from falls are frequently seen in slightly older pre-school children. After the age of five, pedestrian or bicycle injuries may increase.

Traumatic brain injury is classified as mild, moderate, or severe based on the extent of damage to the brain and the resulting symptoms. In mild injuries, there may be no loss of consciousness or only a brief loss of consciousness lasting a few seconds or minutes. Headache, confusion, dizziness, blurred vision or eye strain, ringing in the ears, a bad taste in the mouth, fatigue, sleep disturbances, changes in behaviour or mood, and minor problems with memory, concentration, attention, and thinking may occur. Most people who suffer a mild head injury recover.
These symptoms may also be seen in moderate or severe injuries, but in addition, there may be worsening or persistent headaches, repeated vomiting or nausea, convulsions or seizures, inability to wake up from sleep, dilated pupils, slurred speech, weakness or numbness in the arms and legs, loss of coordination, and increased confusion, restlessness, anxiety, and tension may also be observed; some injuries can be fatal.

Problems arising from traumatic brain injury vary from person to person. Individual differences are seen depending on personality, pre-injury abilities, and the severity of the brain injury. Physical, behavioural, or mental changes may occur depending on the areas of the brain that are damaged. These common injuries occur due to the brain moving back and forth inside the skull. The frontal and temporal lobes, and therefore the areas of speech and language, are most commonly affected in this way. Communication difficulties often arise because the areas of language and speech are usually damaged. Other problems include voice disorders, difficulty swallowing, walking, balance, coordination, smell, memory and cognitive impairment.
Development can be observed as the undamaged areas of the brain learn and begin to perform the functions of the damaged areas. Children’s brains are more prone to this flexibility (neuroplasticity) than adults. For this reason, children with the same damage may show better progress than adults. The effects of the damage can be minimised by training the brain using neuromodulation methods at any age.