Understanding

Brain injury, in plain language

When a brain injury happens, the words come fast and the science is hard to follow. These guides explain what is going on, in clear language, so the conversations with the care team are a little easier to follow. For anything about a specific situation, your care team is the right people to ask.

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The Types of Brain Injury

Concussion, contusion, diffuse injury, and more. What the main kinds of brain injury are and how they differ, in plain language.

Read guide ›8 min read

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The basics3 guides

A Plain-Language Map of the Brain

The main parts of the brain and what each one does.

6 min read ›

What Causes a Brain Injury?

Falls, crashes, assaults, and the other common causes.

5 min read ›

Moderate and Severe Brain Injury

What these levels mean, and what to expect in the early stage.

8 min read ›
Tests and diagnosis3 guides

The Glasgow Coma Scale

What that score from 3 to 15 means, and what it doesn’t.

5 min read ›

How a Brain Injury Is Diagnosed

From the bedside exam to scans and the blood test.

8 min read ›

CT Scans and MRIs

What each scan shows, and what it cannot tell you.

6 min read ›
Specific types of injury3 guides

Diffuse Axonal Injury

The widespread, microscopic injury that scans can miss.

6 min read ›

Frontal Lobe Damage

How injury to the front of the brain can change thinking and mood.

6 min read ›

Hypoxic and Anoxic Brain Injury

When the brain is starved of oxygen, and what follows.

6 min read ›
Effects and what comes next3 guides

Complications After a Brain Injury

The problems that can follow a serious injury, and why.

7 min read ›

Seizures and Post-Traumatic Epilepsy

Why seizures can happen after an injury, and how they’re managed.

6 min read ›

Brain Injury by the Numbers

How common brain injury is, in clear numbers.

4 min read ›

We research brain injury and write about it in plain language, for patients, families, and caregivers. Care and support, not medical advice.

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Care and support, not medical advice · Always talk to your care team © Brain Injury Institute