Brain Injury Lawyers

Washington, DC, Maryland, & Virginia

Brain Injury Glossary

Anoxia - lack of oxygen.

Brain stem - area where the brain connects to the spinal cord, responsible for basic functions necessary for survival, including breathing and heart beat.

Closed head injury - an injury to the brain with no outward or obvious head injury.

Cognitive impairment - problems with thinking, memory, reasoning, perception, and/or attention.

Concussion - caused by a blow to the head or a force to the brain (such as in whiplash) which disrupts the brain's normal functioning. May or may not involve loss of consciousness.

Contrecoup - a bruise or injury to the brain on the opposite side from the point of impact.

Contusion - a bruise.

Coup - a bruise or injury to the brain at the point of impact.

Diffuse Axonal - torn nerves and brain tissue caused by a rapid or violent movement in which the head moves faster than the brain (such as in an auto accident).

Disinhibition - inability to suppress inappropriate behaviors.

Edema - swelling.

Glasgow Coma Scale - rating system for the severity of brain injury. Measures initial injury, not long term damage to the brain.

Hematoma - collection of blood after the rupture of a blood vessel.

Hemorrhage - bleeding after damage to blood vessels.

Herniation - displacement of brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid, and blood vessels.

Intracranial pressure - pressure inside the skull.

Mild brain injury - brain injury with brief loss of consciousness or no loss of consciousness (see Glasgow Coma Scale).

Moderate brain injury - brain injury with loss of consciousness from several minutes to several hours (see Glasgow Coma Scale).

Open head injury - visible injury of the head.

Penetration injury - an injury caused by an object penetrating the skull and entering the brain.

Plasticity - the brain's ability to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences

Post concussion syndrome - a combination of disorders which can occur after injury to the brain.

Second impact syndrome - loss of auto regulation of blood flow to the brain caused by a second impact incurred before an original brain injury has healed.

Severe brain injury - brain injury with loss of consciousness from several days to several months. Can include coma, vegetative state, or "locked-in" syndrome (see Glasgow Coma Scale).

Spasticity - involuntary muscle tension.

Traumatic brain injury - injury to the brain caused by outside forces.

If you or a loved one has suffered any type of traumatic brain injury in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland, please email or call our skilled brain injury attorneys today. We are committed to obtaining justice for you - the victim.

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