How Your Brain Works | What Happens When You Suffer a TBI
The human brain is a remarkable organ. Weighing on average around three pounds, it’s made of three parts—the cerebrum, the cerebellum and the brain stem:
- The cerebrum, the largest part of your brain, controls many bodily functions. Located at the top of your brain, it’s responsible for movement and coordination, speech, thinking and reasoning, judgment and learning, emotions and the regulation of body temperature
- The cerebellum, a smaller component found at the base of your brain, works in coordination with your cerebrum to manage muscle actions and send signals to allow you to move about smoothly
- Located at the bottom and in the back of your brain, the brain stem controls most of the essential functions of life, including breathing, sleeping, heart rate, blood pressure and consciousness
How Does the Brain Work?
The brain has chemicals and nerve cells that transmit messages to the different parts of your body, controlling all the basic functions of life, such as:
- How, where and how quickly you move your body
- Basic, unconscious bodily functions, such as heartbeat, blood pressure and body temperature
- Your cognitive skills, including decision-making, learning and memory
- Your senses—vision, taste, smell, touch and hearing
- Your communication with others
- Your moods and actions
What Happens to Your Brain When You Suffer a Bump or Blow to the Head?
Your brain is made of billions of connections, commonly referred to as synapses. These synapses are connected through wire-like structures known as axons. When you experience any type of impact to your head, or if your brain collides with the inside of your skull because of a whiplash type injury, the connections between your nerve cells can be twisted or stretched. When that happens, the line of communication between your brain and certain parts of your body can be compromised. With some types of injuries, the transmission may simply be slowed down, but in other situations, the neural pathway may be destroyed.
Contact Us to Set Up an Appointment
At Advantage Healthcare Systems, we have extensive experience working successfully with individuals who suffer any type of concussion, TBI or traumatic brain injury. Call us toll-free at 1-877-487-8289 or fill out the form provided below to schedule an assessment. We offer locations across Texas, including Fort Worth, Dallas and San Antonio.
