| Depictions of head-injury patients in movies | | | | |
| and television almost always show the patient | | | | Brain Damage and Anteretrograde Amnesia |
| experiencing some type of amnesia, or memory | | | | |
| loss. Indeed, memory loss is the most common | | | | A patient with TBI may also develop |
| cognitive side effect of a severe traumatic | | | | anteretrograde amnesia -- an inability to |
| brain injury. In patients with a milder TBI, | | | | form memories of events that happened after |
| memory loss is still one of the most common | | | | the injury. The reason for this is not well |
| symptoms. And the more severe the patient's | | | | understood, but an October 2006 study by |
| memory loss is, the more severe the brain | | | | researchers at the Children's Hospital of |
| damage is likely to be. | | | | Philadelphia found that TBIs reduce the |
| | | | levels of a protein in the brain that helps |
| Temporary Memory Loss and TBI | | | | it balance its activity. Without enough of |
| | | | that protein, the brain can "overload", the |
| Some traumatic brain injury-related amnesia | | | | researchers said, interfering with memory |
| is temporary; such patients are usually | | | | formation, particularly the ability to learn |
| unable to recall what happened directly | | | | new things. |
| before, during and after their accidents. | | | | |
| This is often caused by edema, or a swelling | | | | Treatment Options for Traumatic Brain Injury |
| of the brain in response to the damage it | | | | Patients with Amnesia |
| sustained. Because the brain is pressed | | | | |
| against the skull, parts that were not | | | | There is no treatment for memory loss caused |
| injured are still not able to work. As the | | | | by a traumatic brain injury; if the memory |
| swelling goes down, the patient's memory | | | | does not come back on its own, it is gone |
| returns, often slowly over a period of weeks, | | | | forever. However, a September 2006 study |
| months or even years. Temporary memory loss | | | | published in Neurology, the scientific |
| may also be an emotional response to the | | | | journal of the American Academy of Neurology, |
| stress of the event that caused the TBI. | | | | showed promising results in TBI patients with |
| | | | anteretrograde memory loss who took the drug |
| Other, less common, types of memory loss | | | | rivastigmine. |
| stemming from traumatic brain injury are | | | | |
| fixed. These result from damage to the nerves | | | | The drug, which is sold to Alzheimer's |
| and axons (connections between nerves) of the | | | | disease patients under the brand name Exelon, |
| brain itself. Because the brain cannot heal | | | | helped patients with moderate to severe |
| itself like an arm or a leg, any function | | | | memory loss score better on memory tests than |
| that is damaged during a TBI is permanently | | | | another group of patients that took placebos. |
| impaired unless the brain can learn to | | | | The results were not as good for patients who |
| perform that function differently. | | | | had only mild memory loss. If you suffer from |
| | | | traumatic brain injury-related memory |
| Fixed amnesia may include inability to | | | | problems, you may wish to contact an |
| remember events before the injury, or loss of | | | | experienced TBI attorney to discuss your |
| memory of the meanings of certain things, | | | | options, which may include filing a brain |
| such as words or smells or objects. Less | | | | injury lawsuit in order to gain compensation |
| commonly, a person may not remember skills he | | | | for your medical costs. |
| or she had before the TBI. | | | | |