Severe Brain Injuries

Severe brain injuries are caused by any damage to the brain or brain stem that result in an unconscious or vegetative state. Most neurological experts use what is called the Glascow Coma Scale (GCS) to assess the severity of a brain injury. After mild brain injuries and moderate brain injuries, severe brain injuries are indeed the worst and the most difficult to survive through.

A severe brain injury can be subcategorized into a number of different groups, including coma, vegetative state, minimally responsive state, akinetic mutism, and locked-in syndrome. A coma results in the appearance of sleep in the patient, although stimulation or attempts to wake him or her up usually fail to work. Anyone who goes into a moderate or persistent vegetative state seems to be awake, and may move or twitch slightly from physical stimuli or pain, but will not respond to outside environmental factors.

A minimally responsive state places the injured patient in an alert and aware state; however, he or she has more primitive reflexes and has difficulties following even the simplest of commands. Akinetic mutism occurs when the dopaminergic paths (those that use dopamine to transmit information from one neurotransmitter to the other) are affected, which results in a small amount of voluntary body movement, little to no voluntary speech, difficulty in following commands, and acute agitation and frustration. Finally, the rare locked-in syndrome results in a complete inability to move parts of the body, except for the eyes. People who experience locked-down syndrome use blinking and the movements of their eyes to communicate with others, and may be able to control mechanisms fitted with eye-movement sensors.

"Recovering" from Severe Brain Injuries

Because no two brains are alike, treating brain injuries takes time, patience, and professional planning to arrive at a unique and individual recovery plan. Unfortunately, the treatment process for patients who suffer from severe brain injuries usually lasts their entire lives and does not result in complete recovery. Most of the time, the recovery process involves educating friends and family members on how to come to terms with the patient's physical limitations and inner emotional state. It is best to keep an open mind and try out several plans and rehabilitation programs until the right one is found.