What is an Acquired or Traumatic Brain Injury?
To understand what happens when the brain is injured, realize what a healthy brain is made of and what it does. The brain is enclosed inside the skull. The skull acts as a protective covering for the soft brain. The brain is made of neurons (nerve cells). The neurons form paths or trails throughout the brain, carrying messages to different parts of the brain. The brain uses these messages to perform functions, including breathing, heart rate, body temperature and food absorption as well as how we think, body movements, personality and behavior. Our five senses (vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch) also are controlled by the brain. Each part of the brain serves a specific function; each part of the brain connects with other parts of the brain for more complex functions.
