It’s March, the time of year when we begin to think about daffodils, Easter bunnies, Passover Seders, and, of course, day light savings time. The month of March reminds us to act on our thoughts, to effect change, to move forward; After all, March was named after Mars, the God of war. This doesn’t mean we should act through violence. Because Mars was also known as the God of agriculture and fertility, March is a time for new growth. How do we grow? Through awareness. So it logically follows that March has been designated as Brain Injury Awareness Month.

Every March, The Brain Injury Association of America leads the nation in observing Brain Injury Awareness Month by holding awareness campaigns. These campaigns aim to educate the public about an often misunderstood and misdiagnosed injury, including the incidences of brain injury, and ways in which we can help the injured and their families. It’s also an opportunity to work with communities on how to empower brain injury survivors without stigmatization.

To help you understand a little about brain injuries, here are some facts from the Brain Injury Association of America to get you started:

More than 2.5 million people in the U.S. sustain a TBI each year.

137 people die each day due to a TBI.

Most TBIs are due to falls.

5.3 million Americans live with disabilities as a result of a TBI.

Acquired brain injury (ABI) is an injury to the brain that is not congenital, hereditary, degenerative, or caused by birth trauma. Examples of causes include: electric shock, infections, near drowning, strokes, and tumors.

A TBI is a subset of ABI and is caused by trauma from an external source such as a bullet wound, falls, or car accidents.

To learn more about brain injuries, including the latest research, legislative briefs, and the social stigmas attached to having a brain injury, I encourage you read more by clicking on the following links:

Brain injury facts

Brain injury legislation

Brain injury awareness month

Differences between boys’ and girls’ brains

Inosine treatment for brain injuries may help motor function recovery

Scientists take big steps toward being able to repair brain injuries

To Share or Not to Share: Life after a Brain Injury

Marginalization of people with brain injuries

Traumatic brain injuries are a subset of acquired brain injures, which are not the result of trauma, but occur after birth: hypoxic brain injuries (lack of oxygen to the brain), and anoxic brain injuries (no oxygen to the brain).

In a diffuse axonal brain injury (a type of closed traumatic brain injury) the skull is not broken, but the brain is violently jarred and collides with the skull, causing tissue swelling. Since there is no opening to relieve the swelling, there is increased pressure in the brain, damaging neurons, the core cells of the nervous system. As a result, the communication network between neurons is impaired (think of a downed cable or telephone wire), and basic functions like speech, and  breathing might be affected.

A concussion is caused from direct impact to the head by an object, or sudden movement or momentum from shaking, like in whiplash. Neurons stretch and blood vessels tear, which can cause contusions – bruises on the brain. The individual may or may not lose consciousness. Shaken Baby Syndrome, also known as Abusive Head Trauma and Shaken Impact Syndrome – is a form of whiplash where the aggressor vigorously shakes the baby. Most of these cases occur when babies are between 6 and 8 weeks old, since that is when they cry the most. The trauma may cause them to experience vomiting, seizures, irritability, and poor feeding.

In an open brain injury, the skull is fractured. If it’s pierced, say, from a gunshot or knife, the skull splinters, and fragments can hit brain tissue, causing further tissue damage (a penetrating injury). Even though cell damage can occur in an open injury, there is less chance of brain swelling and therefore increased pressure. That’s why doctors consider them less dangerous than closed head injuries. But, because there is an opening in the skull, bleeding into the brain can occur. And the individual is at high risk for infection, most commonly meningitis – an infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal column.

Frontal lobe injuries affect the front part of the brain. The frontal lobe controls motor skills, thoughts, emotions,and personality. The left side of the lobe controls verbal communication, and the right side controls non-verbal communication – the arty side of our brains. The right lobe also plays a role in negative emotions, while the left lobe involves positive emotions. The area of the frontal lobe that is damaged will dictate how your emotions and personality are affected. Once a cautious person, you may now find yourself to be more impulsive.

So I suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the brain is susceptible to injury. Weighing a slight 3.4 pounds, and encompassing more than 1 billion neurons with an infinite number of connections, the brain is a delicate mass of tissue floating in a fluid environment, much like a fetus in a uterus.

http://www.msktc.org/tbi/factsheets/Understanding-TBI/What-Happens-During-Injury-And-In-Early-Stages-Of-Recovery

http://www.braininjuryinstitute.org/Brain-Injury-Types/Open-Head-Injury.html

http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/brain/shaken.html