5. Brain Injury and Brain Plasticity

Neuroplasticity

The ability of the brain and other parts of the nervous system to change in response to experience.

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)

Brain damage that occurs after birth due to events such as trauma, infection, or lack of oxygen.

Neuroplasticity

The ability of the brain and other parts of the nervous system to change in response to experience.

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)

Brain damage that occurs after birth due to events such as trauma, infection, or lack of oxygen.

Experience-Expectant Plasticity

Brain change that occurs in response to environmental experience that is ordinarily expected and occurs during critical periods of development.

Experience-Dependent Plasticity

Brain change that modifies its neuronal structure based on unique experiences that may occur at any time in life.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)

A progressive brain degeneration condition resulting from repeated head trauma, often associated with contact sports.

Aphasia

A language disorder caused by an acquired brain injury affecting language production or processing.

Broca's Aphasia

A type of aphasia characterized by difficulty in speech production, leading to short, effortful sentences with omitted small parts of speech.

Wernicke’s Aphasia

A type of aphasia where the individual can speak fluently but produces nonsensical language and has difficulty understanding speech.

Neurogenesis

The process of producing new neurons in the brain, which can occur throughout life.

Traumatic Brain Injury

A type of acquired brain injury caused by external force leading to damage in the brain.

Stroke

A medical emergency occurring when blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted, causing brain tissue damage.

Ischemic Stroke

A type of stroke caused by a blockage in an artery supplying blood to the brain.

Hemorrhagic Stroke

A type of stroke caused by a blood vessel bursting and bleeding into or around the brain.

Symptoms of Stroke

Facial weakness, arm weakness, difficulty with speech, and may include dizziness and loss of coordination.

Motor Cortex

The area of the brain responsible for planning, controlling, and executing voluntary movements.

Synapse

The junction where one neuron communicates with another by transmitting neural signals.