Signs and symptoms
... Your brain controls your movements, behaviors, thoughts and sensations. Not surprisingly, then, a brain injury can affect many different aspects of your physical and emotional well-being. Most symptom...

Causes
... Motor vehicle crashes are the top cause of traumatic brain injuries severe enough to require hospitalization. Traumatic brain injuries inflicted by firearms have the highest likelihood of causing deat...

Risk factors
... Age. The risk of traumatic brain injury is highest in two age groups — adolescents to young adults (ages 15 to 24) and the elderly (over age 75). Sex. Males are twice as likely as females to su...

When to seek medical advice
... To stay on the safe side, you should always get checked by a doctor if you have suffered a blow to the head. Anyone with signs of moderate or severe brain injury — such as convulsions, weakness ...

Screening and diagnosis
... Emergency medical personnel assess the severity of a brain injury by seeing how well the injured person can follow directions to blink his or her eyes or to move extremities. The coherence of the pers...