Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms for Varying Parts of the Brain

The brain is undoubtedly the most complex and integral part of the body, controlling everything from major heart functions to breathing. It operates behind the scenes, making sure we stay alive, and, in the foreground as the home of our awareness. That is why, clearly, when a person encounters a traumatic brain injury, there is so much fear.

At Harmony Home Health and Hospice, we believe that comprehending the possible traumatic brain injury symptoms in relation to the area in the brain where the damage took place can help families better understand and make more knowledgeable choices regarding their loved one’s care.

• Temporal Lobe: We understand language and maintain our memory, learning, hearing, and sequencing thanks to the temporal lobe. It lets us recognize faces and generates feelings. The effects of a temporal lobe injury can include difficulty with key functions as well as changes in sexual behavior, persistent talking (particularly with right lobe damage) and increased aggression.
• Cerebellum: The part of the brain that involves our coordination, movement, and balance is the cerebellum. A cerebellum injury can cause an individual to lose the ability to do things that require coordination, such as walking, talking, or reaching out to grab something. It can also cause tremors, dizziness, and/or slurred speech.
• Occipital Lobe: Our sense of sight is housed in the occipital lobe. The results of an occipital lobe injury might include vision problems, such as blurred vision or blind spots, hallucinations, visual illusions, the inability to detect the movement of an object, or difficulties with reading and writing.
• Frontal Lobe: The frontal lobe is home to someone’s personality, intelligence, and emotions. It is the area of the brain that controls concentration, makes judgments, and problem-solves. It also controls body movement, including speech and writing. The effects of a frontal lobe injury can include changes and/or problems with the core functions controlled by the frontal lobe as well as more subtle manifestations of the core functionality, such as a lack of inhibition, an impaired sense of smell, vision loss, persistence of a single thought, and mood swings.
• Brain Stem: The essential functions of life are regulated by the brain stem, and these include the heart rate, respiration, digestion, and blood pressure. It is the home of the startle response and reflex emotions, wake and sleep cycles, and our ability to sneeze, cough, vomit, and swallow. Brain stem damage can lead to problems with all of these basic mechanisms, including impacting speech, due to a reduced capacity for breathing.
• Parietal Lobe: We understand language and have a sense of spatial awareness, touch, time, and visual perceptions because of the parietal lobe. When this area of the brain is damaged, people may encounter problems with reading, the inability to draw or name objects, challenges with distinguishing right from left, difficulty with math, and an unawareness of or neglect of particular body parts. It can also cause difficulty with eye-hand coordination.

Despite its varying parts, the brain operates as one unit. Difficulties with behaviors or functions can cascade, as can achievements attained through rehabilitation. If you have a loved one with a traumatic brain injury and could use help with caregiving due to the behavioral or physiological effects of the person’s trauma, Harmony Home Health and Hospice can help.

Contact our in-home caregiving team online or at 1-877-463-3322 to learn more about our services in Salt Lake City, Tooele, Ogden, and the surrounding areas.