Brain Injury (Types, Understanding, and Consequences)

Brain Injury Resource Center of Wisconsin

  • BIRCofWI Resource and Reference Library (Database)

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (Glasgow Coma Scale score 13-15)

  • Mild traumatic brain injury occurs when:
  • Loss of consciousness is very brief, usually a few seconds or minutes
  • Loss of consciousness does not have to occur—the person may be dazed or confused
  • Testing or scans of the brain may appear normal
  • A mild traumatic brain injury is diagnosed only when there is a change in the mental status at the time of injury—the person is dazed, confused, or loses consciousness. The change in mental status indicates that the person’s brain functioning has been altered, this is called a concussion

Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury (Glasgow Coma Scale score 9-12)

  • Moderate traumatic brain injury occurs when:
  • A loss of consciousness lasts from a few minutes to a few hours
  • Confusion lasts from days to weeks
  • Physical, cognitive, and/or behavioral impairments last for months or are permanent.
  • Most brain injuries result from moderate and minor head injuries. Such injuries usually result from a non-penetrating blow to the head, and/or a violent shaking of the head. As luck would have it many individuals sustain such head injuries without any apparent consequences. However, for many others, such injuries result in lifelong disabling impairments.
  • Persons with moderate traumatic brain injury generally can make a good recovery with treatment or successfully learn to compensate for their deficits.

Severe Brain Injury (Glasgow Coma Scale score 3-8)

  • Severe Brain Injury occurs when:
  • Severe head injuries usually result from crushing blows or penetrating wounds to the head. Such injuries crush, rip and shear delicate brain tissue.
  • This is the most life-threatening, and the most intractable type of brain injury.
  • Typically, heroic measures are required in the treatment of such injuries. Frequently, severe head trauma results in an open head injury, one in which the skull has been crushed or seriously fractured. Treatment of open head injuries usually requires prolonged hospitalization and extensive rehabilitation.
  • Typically, rehabilitation is incomplete and for the most part, there is no return to pre-injury status. Closed head injuries can also result in severe brain injury.
  • TBI can cause a wide range of functional short- or long-term changes affecting thinking, sensation, language, or emotions.
  • TBI can also cause epilepsy and increase the risk for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other brain disorders that become more prevalent with age.1
  • Repeated mild TBIs occurring over an extended period of time (i.e., months, years) can result in cumulative neurological and cognitive deficits.
  • Repeated mild TBIs occurring within a short period of time (i.e., hours, days, or weeks) can be catastrophic or fatal.

Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC)

Test your knowledge:

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) also known as an intracranial injury is commonly caused by vehicle accidents,  bad falls, and violence
A TBI occurs when there is an external  blow to the brain
Brain injuries are often classified by severity – mild, moderate, or severe
Diagnosis of all head injuries should be done by a trained medical professional as soon as warning signs or symptoms appear
TBI patients experience complications from memory loss and sleep deprivation to internal hemorrhaging and possibly death
With early treatment for traumatic and severe brain injuries, the future quality of life can be improved
The lobe of the brain important for vision is called:
a.  the temporal lobe 
b.  the occipital lobe 
c.  the parietal lobe 
d.  the frontal lobe 
The lobe of the brain important for the sense of touch is called:
a.  the temporal lobe 
b.  the occipital lobe 
c.  the parietal lobe 
d.  the frontal lobe 
The lobe of the brain important for hearing is called:
a.  the temporal lobe 
b.  the occipital lobe 
c.  the parietal lobe 
d.  the frontal lobe 
The lobe of the brain important for reasoning is called:
a.  the temporal lobe 
b.  the occipital lobe 
c.  the parietal lobe 
d.  the frontal lobe 
The lobe on the diagram labeled 1 is:
a.  the temporal lobe 
b.  the occipital lobe 
c.  the parietal lobe 
d.  the frontal lobe 
The lobe on the diagram labeled 2 is:
a.  the temporal lobe 
b.  the occipital lobe 
c.  the parietal lobe 
d.  the frontal lobe 
The lobe on the diagram labeled 3 is:
a.  the temporal lobe 
b.  the occipital lobe 
c.  the parietal lobe 
d.  the frontal lobe 
The lobe on the diagram labeled 4 is:
a.  the temporal lobe 
b.  the occipital lobe 
c.  the parietal lobe 
d.  the frontal lobe 
An adult brain weighs approximately:
a. 1 lb 
b. 3 lb 
c. 5 lb 
d. 7 lb 
A person’s brain is about the size of:  
a.  their heart 
b.  their stomach 
c.  one fist 
d.  two fists 

Answers:  1.b  2.c  3.a  4.d  5.b  6.c  7.a  8.d  9.b  10. d