education, awareness, support for survivors & families
Brain Injury Explained
What is an Acquired Brain Injury?
An Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is any injury to the brain that occurs after birth—not related to a congenital or degenerative condition.
ABI can affect anyone at any age. It may impact how a person thinks, feels, communicates, moves, and lives. Every brain injury is unique and so is every survivor's journey.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Caused by an external force or blow to the head.
- Falls (leading causes in all ages)
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Sports & recreation injuries
- Assault or violence
- Military blast injuries
External Force to the skull
Non-Traumatic Brain Injury (nTBI)
Caused by internal events that disrupt blood flow or oxygen to the brain.
- Stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic)
- Hypoxia / Anoxia (oxygen deprovation)
- Brain tumors
- Infections (meningitis, encephalitis)
- Toxic exposure or substance overdose
Internal disruption to the brain
Focal
Damage concentrated in one specific area of the brain.
- Localized impact or lesion
- Symptoms related to affected region
- Examples: contusion, hematoma, hemorrhage
- Often visible on CT or MRI scan
Location-specific effects
diffuse
Damage spread across multiple areas or throughout the brain.
- Widespread axonal shearing
- Often not visible on standard imaging
- Examples: Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI), hypoxic injury
- May look "normal" on scans, yet cause significant impairment
Global or widespread effects
Primary Mechanisms of ABI
Contusion
Bruising of brain tissue from direct impact
Shearing/DAI
Axons stretched or torn by rotational forces
hemorrhage
Bleeding within or around the brain tissue
Edema
Swelling that increases pressure inside the skull
hypoxia/Anoxia
Reduced or absent oxygen supply to the brain
toxic/metabolic
Chemical imbalances or substance damage
ABI Can Affect Many Areas of Life
Cognition
communication
emotional health
physical function
fatigue & sleep