| Sufferers of traumatic brain injury (TBI) can | | | | |
| have many symptoms after a tragic accident. | | | | Brain Damage and Anteretrograde Amnesia |
| One of the most common symptoms is memory | | | | |
| loss, also known as amnesia. Memory loss and | | | | A patient with TBI may also develop |
| amnesia can occur in individuals with the | | | | anteretrograde amnesia -- an inability to |
| mildest of head injuries as well as those | | | | form memories of events that happened after |
| with extremely severe brain injuries. | | | | the injury. The reason for this is not well |
| | | | understood, but an October 2006 study by |
| Temporary Memory Loss and TBI | | | | researchers at the Children's Hospital of |
| | | | Philadelphia found that TBIs reduce the |
| Some traumatic brain injury-related amnesia | | | | levels of a protein in the brain that helps |
| is temporary; such patients are usually | | | | it balance its activity. Without enough of |
| unable to recall what happened directly | | | | that protein, the brain can "overload," the |
| before, during and after their accidents. | | | | researchers said, interfering with memory |
| This is often caused by edema, or a swelling | | | | formation, particularly the ability to learn |
| of the brain in response to the damage it | | | | new things. |
| sustained. Parts of the brain that were | | | | |
| uninjured in a traumatic brain injury | | | | Treatment Options for Traumatic Brain Injury |
| incident may not work because the brain is | | | | Patients with Amnesia |
| pressed against the skull. As the swelling | | | | |
| goes down, the patient's memory returns, | | | | There is no treatment for memory loss caused |
| often slowly over a period of weeks, months | | | | by a traumatic brain injury; if the memory |
| or even years. Memory loss, specifically | | | | does not come back on its own, it is gone |
| temporary memory loss, can be just an | | | | forever. However, a September 2006 study |
| emotional side affect of the TBI, which is | | | | published in Neurology, the scientific |
| usually stress related caused by the trauma | | | | journal of the American Academy of Neurology, |
| of the injury. | | | | showed promising results in TBI patients with |
| | | | anteretrograde memory loss who took the drug |
| Other, less common, types of memory loss | | | | rivastigmine. The drug, which is sold to |
| stemming from traumatic brain injury are | | | | Alzheimer's disease patients under the brand |
| fixed. These result from damage to the nerves | | | | name Exelon, helped patients with moderate to |
| and axons (connections between nerves) of the | | | | severe memory loss score better on memory |
| brain itself. Brain injuries are often more | | | | tests than another group of patients that |
| traumatic than a regular injury as a brain | | | | took placebos. The results were not as good |
| cannot heal itself as other body parts, | | | | for patients who had only mild memory loss. |
| therefore, traumatic brain injuries can cause | | | | If you suffer from traumatic brain |
| permanent damage. Fixed amnesia may include | | | | injury-related memory problems, you may wish |
| inability to remember events before the | | | | to contact an experienced TBI attorney to |
| injury, or loss of memory of the meanings of | | | | discuss your options, which may include |
| certain things, such as words or smells or | | | | filing a brain injury lawsuit in order to |
| objects. Less commonly, a person may not | | | | gain compensation for your medical costs. |
| remember skills he or she had before the TBI. | | | | |