What is the brain?

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)

ABI is brain damage caused after birth by events such as:

• Strokes and aneurysms
• Infections, such as meningitis
• Hypoxia (not enough oxygen to the brain)
• Brain tumors
• Neurotoxic disorders: drugs and alcohol, pesticides, gases, solvents
• Trauma to the brain (Traumatic Brain Injury)

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

TBI is an injury to the brain resulting from an external trauma to the head or body, which causes the brain to shake inside the skull. There are two types of TBI:

Closed TBI occurs when there is an impact to the brain but the skull is not penetrated or fractured. 

Open TBI occurs when there is an impact to the brain and the skull has not been penetrated or fractured. 

The major causes of TBI are car crashes, sports injuries, assaults and falls. The highest risk groups for sustaining TBI are children under 5 years of age, men aged 15-30 years, and the elderly.