Acquired brain injury is a complex and individual disability. The brain can be damaged as a result of an accident, a stroke, alcohol or drug abuse, tumours, poisoning, infection and disease, near drowning, hemorrhage, AIDS, and a number of other disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease.

The terms acquired brain injury (ABI), head injury, or acquired brain damage (ABD) are used to describe all types of brain damage which occur after birth.

Acquired brain injury is not to be confused with intellectual disability. People with a brain injury may have difficulty controlling, coordinating and communicating their thoughts and actions but they usually retain their intellectual abilities.

Brain injury has dramatically varied effects and no two people can expect the same outcome or resulting difficulties. The brain controls every part of our being: physically, intellectually and emotionally. When the brain is damaged, some other part of ourselves will also be adversely affected. Even a mild injury can result in a serious disability that will interfere with a person's daily functioning and personal activities for the rest of their life. While the outcome of the injury depends largely on the nature and severity of the injury itself, appropriate treatment will play a vital role in determining the level of recovery.

Traumatic Brain Injury

The impact on the individual

There are five areas in which people with ABI may experience long term changes:

• Medical difficulties
• Changes in physical and sensory abilities
• Changes in the ability to think and learn (cognition)
• Changes in behaviour and personality (psychological)
• Communication difficulties.

The impact on the family

One of the most distressing effects of acquired brain injury involves the family coping with the significant personality and behavioural changes that can arise. People described this as the ‘ripple' or ‘domino' effect on the family after the injury.

Other family members can be affected as they experience their own adjustment difficulties. Carers often find they have to support different family members in addition to the person with an injury which leaves very little room for their own personal needs. Carers often have very little chance to cope with their own grief and personal needs.

People who are somewhat distanced from the person with the injury often have little understanding of what they are going through. Family members often cope with the person's injury in different ways and some may not even acknowledge that the injury exists. Rather than offer support, members of the extended family may make judgements about how a person cares for their relative. This can sometimes lead a carer to question: ‘Am I doing the right thing?' Some people possess an amazing capacity to cope with chronic stress. However, unrecognised cumulative stress can be detrimental to a person's health as time goes on.

The brain

The brain controls and coordinates everything we do: movements, feelings, thoughts, breathing and bodily functions. The brain is made up of billions of nerve cells through which messages are transmitted by a combination of electrical and chemical activity. Its soft, jelly-like mass sits inside the skull, cushioned by cerebrospinal fluid. This fluid circulates around the brain and through a series of cavities called Ventricles.

The brain is divided into a number of parts, which have specific functions and are designed to work together. The more these parts are coordinated and in tune with each other, the better the performance.

Left and right hemispheres

The largest part of the brain is divided into two halves called the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere. The left hemisphere is mainly involved with speech and language (talking, comprehension, reading and writing) and the right hemisphere is mainly involved with visual perception and interpretation of nonverbal information, such as drawing and spatial analysis. Each hemisphere is divided into four lobes.

Frontal Lobes

Frontal lobes are involved in problem-solving, planning, making judgments, abstract thinking and regulating how people act upon their emotions and impulses.

The motor strip at the back of the frontal lobes controls movement. In the left hemisphere the motor strip controls movement of the right side of the body while in the right hemisphere the motor strip controls movement of the left side of the body.

Temporal Lobes

Temporal lobes are involved in receiving and processing auditory information (e.g. music and speech), language comprehension, visual perception, memory and learning, organisation and categorisation of information. The temporal lobes are also involved in personality, emotions and sexual behaviour.

Parietal Lobes

Parietal lobes are involved in monitoring sensation and body position, understanding time, recognising objects, reading and judging the position of objects in the environment.

Occipital Lobes

Occipital lobes receive, integrate and interpret visual information relating to colour, size, shape and distance.


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