Phoenix Brain Injury Lawyer
Attorney Representation in Phoenix, Arizona Since 1996
Brain Injury Glossary Terms
Amnesia: Any loss of memory or inability to create new memories. In reference to brain injuries, post-traumatic amnesia is a memory disruption from injury. Anterograde amnesia is the inability to recall information from after the incident, and retrograde amnesia is the loss of memory of events leading up to the injury.
Aphasia: The loss of the ability to use language, specifically to speak or write, which can be caused by brain injury.
Apraxia: A neurological condition characterized by the inability to do tasks or make motions even though the task is understood, the person is willing, the muscles required to do it work and the task has been done in the past.
Ataxia: A lack of control over muscle coordination for voluntary movements, including walking, often from damage to the cerebellum.
Acquired Brain Injury: A brain injury that occurs after birth, is not congenital and is not degenerative. It can be caused by trauma or other non-traumatic factor.
Cerebral Compression: Pressure exerted on the brain due to swelling, bleeding, tumors or other factor.
Closed Brain Injury: A brain injury, either diffuse or focal, where the brain is not penetrated by a trauma-inducing object.
Coma: A state of unconsciousness from which a person cannot be awakened. Coma patients have varying levels of ability to react to stimuli, and their condition is rated according to the Glasgow Coma Scale.
Concussion: A mild traumatic brain injury that can cause altered levels of alertness, including short periods of unconsciousness, confusion, fuzzy thinking, headache and short-term problems with memory, judgment, reflexes and speech.
Diffuse Axonal Injuries: A severe brain injury, where most of the brain is affected, that involves the tearing of axons, the nerve fibers that send information out from nerve cells to other cells.
Glasgow Coma Scale: A tool for determining the severity of a brain injury, which rates a patient's motor and verbal response and eye opening. A high score indicates a mild injury, and a low score indicates a severe injury.
Hypoxia/Anoxia: Hypoxia is a decreased level of oxygen in the bloodstream. Anoxia is a complete lack of oxygen in the bloodstream.
Open Brain Injury (Penetrating Brain Injury): A traumatic brain injury in which the skull is penetrated and an object enters the brain, such as a piece of bone from a skull fracture or a bullet.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): An injury to the brain resulting from a forceful blow to the head or other traumatic incident to the head, such as whiplash.
If someone close to you has suffered brain injury through no fault of his or her own, the Phoenix brain injury attorneys at The Breyer Law Offices will help you get the compensation you deserve. Call us today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.
