Acquired brain injury

Acquired brain injury or head injury are terms used to describe all types of brain injury that occurred after birth (not congenital). Acquired brain injury affects each person differently. The impairments people experience will depend on which part of the brain has been affected and the amount of damage sustained. Impairments can be temporary or permanent and result in physical or cognitive symptoms or a combination of both.

Acquired brain injury should not to be confused with intellectual disability, given that people with acquired brain injury do not necessarily experience a decline in their overall intellectual functioning. Instead they tend to experience specific cognitive changes leading to difficulty in the areas of thinking and behaviour. These areas are not always easy to see and recognise, which is why acquired brain injury is often referred to as the hidden disability.

Symptoms and characteristics:

Initial symptoms of acquired brain injury include tiredness, irritability and drowsiness, but if the condition progresses without intervention to help drain cerebrospinal fluid away, then irreversible damage to the nerve cells in the brain can occur. Functions associated with thought and learning, as well as with co-ordinated movement, begin to deteriorate. Learning disorders are therefore common amongst those with hydrocephalus (which occurs when excessive cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain), accompanied by a degree of 'clumsiness', which can make it difficult to perform certain tasks or do certain jobs. Visual problems associated with pressure build up can also occur.

If untreated the rise in cerebrospinal fluid pressure can cause other serious problems. For instance, very high cerebrospinal fluid pressure can cause the heart and breathing to stop. However, this is uncommon as signs of raised pressure are usually recognised well beforehand (Brain Injury Association of Queensland 2006).

Links to specific types of acquired brain injuries:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Acquired brain injury—other

Relevant links:

(The following links will open in a new window):

• Brain Injury Australia

• Brain Injury Association of Queensland

References:

Brain Injury Association of Queensland 2006, Fact sheets, Brain Injury Association of Queensland, Brisbane, viewed 22 February 2007, http://www.biaq.com.au/factsheets.htm

Links to specific types of acquired brain injuries