Brain Stem Injuries: How Serious? Acute Brain Injury?

Ask Us Any Birth Injury Question? Find out if you have a case.

The brain stem is located at the base of the brain, the lower extension of the brain where it connects to the spinal cord. Injury to the brain stem is an acute brain injury. The brain stem is involved in attention and short-term memory. Trauma to this area can lead to disorientation, frustration, and anger.

Neurological functions located in the brainstem include those necessary for survival (breathing, digestion, heart rate, blood pressure) and for arousal (being awake and alert).

Most of the cranial nerves come from the brainstem. The brainstem is the pathway for all fiber tracts passing up and down from peripheral nerves and spinal cord to the highest parts of the brain.

Brain Stem Injury Causes:

• Decreased vital capacity in breathing, important for speech
• Swallowing food and water
• Difficulty with organization/perception of the environment
• Problems with balance and movement
• Dizziness and nausea
• Insomnia and sleep apnea

First let’s look at the anatomy of the brain as a way to better understand how it works. The brain controls the actions of the body and allows you to think, learn, and remember. The brain has three main sections: the cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum, and brain stem. There are left and right cerebral hemispheres. The cerebral hemispheres are divided into sections called lobes. Each section of the brain has special jobs to do and sections of the brain also work together. The left cerebral hemisphere controls the right side of the body and is usually responsible for speech. The right cerebral hemisphere controls the left side of the body and is usually responsible for creative thinking.

Do You Have a Case?

Your brain is the hub of your nervous system. It is made up of 100 billion nerve cells. Each cell is connected to around 10,000 others. So the total number of connections in your brain is about 1,000 trillion.

The nervous system is a network of cells called neurons which transmit information in the form of electrical signals. Your brain has around 100 billion neurons and each communicates with thousands more. Neurons communicate with each other at special junctions where chemicals help to bridge the gap between one neuron and the next.

Nerve impulses are a way of coding information, in a similar way to FM radio, allowing information to be transmitted both quickly and accurately. Each impulse is the same size so it is the frequency that carries information about the intensity of the signal.

You are born able to recognize language. Amazingly, newborn babies can tell the sounds 'b' and 'p' apart. Before they learn to talk, at six months, babies have the potential to speak any language. Babies start to babble, making noises including ones that are unknown in their own language. That is why babies who are exposed to two languages like Spanish and English – can be bilingual.

Has your newborn suffered an acute brain stem injury? Don’t hesitate to contact a Pennsylvania law firm specializing in birth injuries. Contact Anapol Schwartz. This is a difficult time; we can help.

The brain stem is located at the base of the brain. The limbic system, higher up in the brain than the brain stem, helps regulate emotions. Connected to the limbic system are the temporal lobes which are involved in many cognitive skills such as memory and language. Damage to the temporal lobes or seizures in this area, have been associated with a number of behavioral disorders. The frontal lobe is almost always injured due to its large size and its location near the front of the cranium. The frontal lobe is involved in many cognitive functions and is considered our emotional and personality control center. Damage to this area can result in decreased judgment and increased impulsivity.

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