brain damage

Injury to the brain that is caused by various conditions, such as head trauma, inadequate oxygen supply, infection, or intracranial hemorrhage, and that may be associated with a behavioral or functional abnormality.

brain′-dam′aged (-dăm′ĭjd) adj.

brain damage

A term applied more often to the physically subtle, but functionally serious, injury sustained from temporary oxygen and sugar deprivation, than to gross and obvious injury from direct violence. Brain damage also commonly results from sudden local haemorrhage or THROMBOSIS, causing STROKE, and from toxic substances especially alcohol. Bacterial toxins released in the course of meningitis and brain abscess and inflammation caused by viruses are also damaging. Diseases such as multiple sclerosis can cause brain damage, as can the repeated multiple small haemorrhages sustained in boxing. Brain damage often affects the areas of higher function in a patchy way with loss of certain functions and retention of others. There may be paralysis and loss of sensation on one side of the body, epileptic fits, speech disturbances or loss of word comprehension (APHASIA), loss of certain learned voluntary skills (APRAXIA), or loss of part of the field of vision. Alternatively, brain damage may have a diffuse effect causing, in addition to focal effects, interference with conscious thought, memory and judgement. Loss of memory (amnesia) is a common feature. A proportion of brain-damaged people end up in a state of almost complete loss of the higher mental functions (AMENTIA).

Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005

Patient discussion about brain damage

Q. I was wondering the rate at which alcohol induces brain damage. I am not an alcoholic and I use to drink only on weekends. I was wondering the rate at which alcohol induces brain damage; I know that over some years, damage occurs, but does anything happen after a month of drinking on weekends?

A. HI WAYLON;just want to add my two cents here,EVERYTIME YOU TAKE A DRINK IT KILLS BRAIN CELL,I CANT TILL YOU HOW MANY---mrfoot56

Q. What damage does depression do to the brain and how can you treat it? How does it affect your chemical balance, your brain? Is it critical or will be critical later in life? I just read on Yahoo News that Clinical stress could increase risk of Alzheimer's later in life. Does age matter like during teen years? I had depression and begun running. I noticed that I have a hard time focusing and absorbing information. I forgot a lot of things. All my brain seems to focus on is emotions. Can I change that? The running has made me feel a lot better afterwards

A. This is actually a good question- but I couldn’t find any research concerning long term damage from depression. It sounds unreasonable though…because there is no deprivation of oxygen or anything essential in depression. But the brain is a biological system that is under constant change – so it may be that pattern of thought changed. About the Alzheimer's- I only saw articles about depression because of Alzheimer.

More discussions about brain damage

This content is provided by iMedix and is subject to iMedix Terms. The Questions and Answers are not endorsed or recommended and are made available by patients, not doctors.

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

In this study a poor neurological outcome (severe brain damage) was defined as someone who was in a vegetative state requiring constant nursing care and attention, or unable to walk and look after their own bodily needs without assistance.

Uni of Warwick research reveals shocking danger of cardiac arrest treatment; The discovery could mean big changes for future treatment

Assessment of the post-experiment brain damage indicated a neuroprotective effect of mesenchymal stem cell transplantation and a combination of mesenchymal stem cell and erythropoietin (a modulator substance the subjects received on postnatal days six, seven and eight) therapy.

Rats treated with stem cells show neurological improvement

For example, the patient with dementia (brain damage) is not interested in the structure of things, in the nature of the parts, in their relation to the whole or in the relation of the whole to the context; furthermore, he shows a defective power in any active structuralization, tending to lead to production on resulting from the adaptation of his receptive experience to the world of reality.

DIFFERENTIAL PERFORMANCE PATTERNS ON BENDER GESTALT TEST AMONG SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS, BRAIN DAMAGED AND NORMAL INDIVIDUALS

Considering the importance of Bender Gestalt in identification of problem present study is designed to observe the indication of schizophrenia patients and brain damage patients on this test and to study their difference on identified deviations.

DIAGNOSTIC MARKERS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AND BRAIN DAMAGED INDIVIDUALS ON BENDER GESTALT TEST

A total of 238 people had at least one area of brain damage.Those who were most closely following a Mediterranean-like diet were 36 percent less likely to have areas of brain damage than those who were least following the diet.

Mediterranean Diet May Lower Risk of Brain Damage

Mice given the extract five minutes after a stroke had 60% less brain damage the next day.

Daily dose of Ginkgo biloba may prevent brain damage from stroke

5) as "irreversible brain damage" is a slippery slope.

Defining death

just one side of Mr Oyebola's brain was affected, raising hopes that he may survive without brain damage.

New hope for shot boxer

THE father of two children who died from carbon monoxide poisoning in a Corfu hotel has been left with permanent brain damage, he said yesterday.

Father 'has brain damage'

We are looking for any answers as to why this happened, what brain damage may have occurred, and about whether or not he can still lead a normal life.

Questions about condition

A TODDLER has suffered brain damage after undergoing a second liver transplant.

Liver girl has brain damage

It is unlikely he would have survived without severe brain damage had his father not supplied him with air from his own breath.

Dad breathes breath of life