Causes of Dysfunction: TBI

what is a traumatic brain injury?

brain injury caused by an outside force

what are common symptoms of TBI?

• fatigue/exhaustion

• headache

• dizziness

• nausea/vomiting

• blurred vision

• light/noise sensitivity

• brain fog/inability to think clearly

• trouble w/ memory

• balance issues

• poor motor coordination

• difficulty controlling emotions

• changes in sleep

• irritability

list some common causes of TBIs

• open-head injuries

• closed-head injuries

what are open-head injuries & some risks associated w/ it?

• perforating (lodge) or penetrating (through & through) TBI

• typically very severe

• high risk of infection & complications

what causes closed-headed injuries?

linear, rotational, angular, blast, indirect (ex: body check to torso)

why do contrecoup injuries often accompany coup injuries?

when the head strikes a stationary object, the skull stops, but the brain keeps moving, resulting in an initial impact (coup) & a subsequent rebound impact (contrecoup) on the opposite side of the brain

what is a contusion?

“bruise” on the brain from slamming the skull

what produces hemorrhaging & hematomas ?

damage to the brain’s vasculature by stretching or tearing

what is the difference between hemorrhage & hematoma?

• hemorrhage: active bleeding

• hematoma: bleeding in enclosed space (pooling)

what is an epidural hematoma?

bleed between skull & dura

what is a subdural hematoma?

bleed between the dura & arachnoid mater

what does ‘diffuse axonal injury’ mean?

injury to axons following a TBI

• can be distal to site of injury

what is the effect of repeated mild closed-head injuries?

multiple TBI can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

what is the function of tau proteins in healthy individuals?

stabilize microtubules (part of a healthy cell’s shape)

how are tau proteins affected in CTE?

misfolded tau proteins accumulate (tauopathy) & seed their misfolding to other tau proteins (act as prions)

how is CTE diagnosed?

post-mortem based on accumulation of abnormal tau proteins => 1st in sulci & small vessels

in CTE, what structures are included in frontal & temporal cortical atrophy & atrophy of medial lobe?

hippocampus & amygdala

what are correlates of CTE?

• abnormal tau severity

• atrophy