Brain Injury Behaviors or Symptoms Zach Tubbs, LSW, CBIS Education and Community Outreach Specialist
Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance To raise awareness and enhance the quality of life for all people affected by brain injury.
Objectives Explore neuroanatomical features of brain and common symptoms after injury Offer guidance on best practice in working with those who have been effected by brain injury Provide tools to help navigate life after brain injury at a professional and personal level Opportunity for questions
Neuroscience is by far the most exciting branch of science because the brain is the most fascinating object in the universe. Every human brain is different - the brain makes each human unique and defines who he or she is. - Stanley B. Prusiner
Acquired Brain Injury Falls Traumatic Non-Traumatic Anoxic / Hypoxic Struck by/ Against MVA Surgery Infections Diseases Toxic Exposure Stroke
Quick Facts In 2013, at lest 2.8 million TBIs occur either as an isolated injury or along with other injuries 100,000 Minnesotans live with TBI causing long term disability The severity of a TBI is classified as : mild, moderate or severe
A piece of your brain the size of a grain of sand would contain one hundred thousand neurons, two million axons and one billion synapses all talking to each other.
Frontal Lobe Executive Functions Cognitive involved with control and direction Planning, monitoring, activating, switching, inhibiting Behavioral Self-regulatory - connected to limbic system involved in emotional processing Reward processing, behavioral self regulation where cog functions are not sufficient (CD) Activation Regulation provides initiative and energy to attain individual goals, appropriate to situation Metacognitive Processes integrates processes to perform behaviors. Personality, social cognition, consciousness, self awareness, behavior
Limbic System Stimulus Bound A response to stimuli in one s environment, an externally oriented cognitive approach.
What can we do? Utilizing compensations that individual already has Start with controlled environment to isolate strategy after identification working together to improve compensation (small v shoulders/mi) EMPOWERMENT Problem Solving Training breaking down complex, multistage problems into manageable subgoals What am I doing? What is the main task? What are the steps needed? Do I know the steps? Am I carrying out my plan? Behavioral and Emotional Regulation environmental cuing can facilitate behavioral regulation during stressful times Checklists, assistive technology, written prompts, role play situations
Temporal Lobe Communication Hearing Memory Organization and Sequencing
Communication Structure create repeatable structure that all parties can model Cueing create hints/guidance to increase likelihood of desired outcome [psychiatrist] Practice what if scenarios role-play Flagging multiple mediums of communication
Memory Strategies Spacing Effect - Information taken in spaced presentation improves retention over massed presentation Insufficient acquisition rather than deficient retrieval. Improving quality of learning will improve memory. How do you improve your quality of learning?
Parietal Lobe Sense of Touch Differentiation of size, shape color Spatial Perception Visual Perception
Occipital Lobe Receive and process visual information Perceiving shapes and colors Understanding what you see Is your brain telling the truth?? (X O)
Cerebellum Balance Skilled Motor Activity Coordination Visual Perception
Brain Stem Breathing Arousal and Consciousness Attention and Concentration Heart Rate Sleep and wake cycles
Behavior has a dynamic relationship with the environment
Behavior - Serving a Purpose Means to get attention Means to escape from a situation Means to get tangible items Self/sensory stimulation
Behaviors * Case study
Reframing
If you do what you have always done, you ll get what you have always gotten. - Tony Robbins
Toolbox Changes Physical Cognitive Communication Personality and behaviors
Reducing Stress What is the vision of the future? Set realistic goals, break down goals to reduce frustrations? Practice self-care. Work with Professional team to formulate consistent plan, asking for help if needed. Trust you gut (instincts)
Memory Individualize memory tricks Multiple mediums of information Create check lists/ utilize daily planner. Assistive technology. Repetition
Concentration Minimize distractions Avoid multi-tasking Work sequentially Alarms am I on task
Who we are vs. Who they are We like things We like to make friends We love people We take a break We persevere We insist We have hobbies We stand up for ourselves We are caregivers They fixate on objects They attention seek They are dependent They go of task The perseverate They tantrum The self stimulate They are noncompliant They are clients
MN BIA Programs and Services Support Survivors Caregivers Professionals Education Workshops Conferences Training Advocacy Personal Legislative
Questions?? Zach Tubbs zacht@braininjurymn.org
Cognitive and depression outcomes later in life were found to be similar for high school football players and their nonplaying counterparts from mid-1950s in Wisconsin. The risks of playing football today might be different than in the 1950s, but for current athletes, this study provides information on the risk of playing sports today that have a similar risk of head trauma as high school football played in the 1950s. Association of Playing High School Football With Cognition and Mental Health Later in Life Sameer K. Deshpande, BS; Raiden B. Hasegawa, BA; Amanda R. Rabinowitz, PhD; John Whyte, MD, PhD; Carol L. Roan, PhD; Andrew Tabatabaei; Michael Baiocchi, PhD; Jason H. Karlawish, MD; Christina L. Master, MD, CAQSM; Dylan S. Small, PhD