The Correlation between TBIs and Cognitive Abilities
Your brain is one of the most essential organs in your body. It controls your movements, actions, reactions, and allows you to think, feel, and have memories. From the simplest to the most complex life tasks, you rely on your brain for virtually everything you do daily. However, when someone sustains a traumatic brain injury (TBI), they could be at high risk of reduced cognitive function — and in the most severe brain injuries, a person may be left in a vegetative state. Here’s what you need to know.
What is Cognitive Function?
Cognitive function refers to a person’s ability to choose, understand, remember, and use information. After sustaining a TBI, it’s not uncommon for someone to have problems with the following cognitive abilities:
- Concentration
- Attention
- Processing of information
- Understanding information
- Memory
- Communication
- Planning and organizing
- Assembling
- Reasoning and problem solving
- Decision making and judgment
- Impulse control
- Patience
Common Causes of TBIs
A traumatic brain injury is caused by a violent blow to the head, and the brain is shaken against the walls of the skull. When severe brain trauma occurs, it can cause brain tissue and blood vessels to tear as well as bleeding and bruising around the brain. The following are the most common ways TBIs occur:
- Trips and falls
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Being struck by or colliding with an object
Symptoms of a TBI
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2006 to 2014, the number of emergency visits, hospitalizations, and deaths relating to TBIs increased by 54%. Those who survive a TBI often face long-term detrimental effects ranging from cognitive impairment, vision, and hearing loss to depression. Here are some of the symptoms someone may experience after sustaining a TBI:
- Headaches that won’t go away
- Blurred vision
- Nausea/vomiting
- Light sensitivity
- Lack of balance and coordination
- Fatigue
- Feeling irritable or sad
- Feeling anxious or nervous
- Changes in sleep patterns (sleeping more or less than usual, trouble falling asleep)
Some TBI symptoms may not show up for days, so it’s critical to immediately seek medical attention if you have sustained a head injury after an accident to prevent further damage.
Sustained a TBI? We Can Help.
Suffering a traumatic brain injury is scary, and when a TBI is caused by an accident that could have been avoided, it can be even more devastating. If you’ve been injured in an accident due to another’s negligence and suffered a TBI, we are here to help protect your rights and hold the responsible parties accountable.
Big cases require big resources. Our team of experienced attorneys will fight hard for the maximum compensation you deserve. We have a proven track record of rendering top results for our clients in securing their future. We take on the most challenging cases and are here to help you.
Contact Dolt, Thompson, Shepherd & Conway, PSC at (502) 244-7772 to learn how we may assist you.