Transcript Functions - Brain Injury Association of Waterloo

Understanding
the Brain,
Concussions
and
Helmet Fitting
The Brain
When we move, touch, see, think and feel emotions, we are using our brain!
• The brain is enclosed within a rigid skull
• The brain is delicate like gelatin
• The skull is as thick as 3 pennies stacked
up
• The brain sits on the skull base and floats
in a fluid
• The spinal cord is attached to the
underside of the brain
• The spinal cord feels like a banana or
cooked noodle
The brain is the boss of your body. It runs the show and
controls just about everything you do, even when you’re
asleep. Not bad for something that looks like a gray sponge.
The Biggest Part -Cerebrum
The biggest part of the brain is called the ‘Cerebrum’ it
makes up 85% of the brain’s weight and it is easy to see why.
The cerebrum’s is the thinking part of the brain and it
controls your voluntary muscles – the ones that move when
you want them to. So you wouldn’t be able to dance – kick a
soccer ball – without your cerebrum.
When you are thinking hard, your using your cerebrum. You
need it to solve math problems, figure out a video game or
draw a picture. Your memory lives in the cerebrum, shortterm (what did you eat last night for dinner), long-term
(what was that roller-coaster’s name that you rode last
summer. The cerebrum also helps you reason, like when you
when you figure out that you had better do your homework
now because mom is taking you to a movie later.
Within the cerebrum you have 4 lobes on each side of it
making it a total of 8 lobes. They all have different functions.
The largest part of the brain is called the Cerebrum.
Frontal Lobe…
is at the front of the brain and is your decision making centre. It allows you to solve
problems and make plans.
Functions
Attention
Problem solving
Emotion
Judgment
Movement
Planning
Reflection
Creative thought
Sense of smell
Physical reaction
Initiative
Intellect
Some eye movement
Abstract thought
The Frontal Lobe is your decision making centre.
Parietal Lobe…
is at the top of the brain. It processes sensory or touch information coming from your
entire body. It also allows you to make movements in response to anything in your
environment.
Functions
Intelligence
Reasoning
Sensation
Language and reading
The Parietal Lobe is your response processor.
Temporal Lobe…
is at the side of the brain. It processes your memory, emotion and language.
Functions
Language
Memory
Behaviour
Hearing
Some vision
Emotions like fear
Music
The Temporal Lobe is your memory and communication
processor.
Occipital Lobe…
is at the back of the brain. It takes care of your vision.
Functions
Reading
Vision
The Occipital Lobe is your vision processor.
Cerebellum…
is at the back of the brain it is 1/8 of the size of the cerebrum but it is still very important
part of the brain. The word cerebellum is Latin for “Little Brain”.
Functions
Balance
Coordination
Fine Muscle control
Movement
The Cerebellum is your movement processor. Think about a
surfer riding the waves on his board. What does he need most
to stay balanced? The best surfboard? No he needs his
cerebellum.
Pituitary Gland…
is very small – only about the size of a pea! If your clothes from last year are too small it
is because of the pituitary gland releasing special hormones that made you grow.
Functions
Growth
Puberty (a time when
boys and girls become
men and women)
Plays a role in the
hormones that
control the amount of
sugars and water in
your body
Helps keep your
metabolism going. Your
metabolism is everything
that goes on in your body
to keep it alive and
growing and supplied with
energy, like breathing,
digesting food and moving
your blood around.
Pituitary Gland
The smallest part of the brain is the Pituitary Gland and it is
your energy and hormone processor.
Brain Stem…
is very small but it is very mighty. It sits beneath the cerebrum and in front of the
cerebellum and connects the rest of the brain to the spinal cord, which runs down your
neck and back. It is responsible for all basic life functions.
Functions
Breathing
Digestion
Digestion
Heartbeat
Blood Pressure
Circulation of blood
Sorts through and
sends messages that
the brain and the rest
of the body send
back and forth
Whew! It’s a big job being the brain’s secretary!
The Neuron
The brain is boss but it can’t do it alone. It needs some nervesactually a lot of them. It also needs the spinal cord, which is a
long bundle of nerves inside your spinal column. It’s the spinal
cord and nerves – known as the nervous system – that let
messages flow back and forth between the brain and body.
The nervous system is made up of cells called Neuron’s. They are different from other
cells because they have tiny branches coming off it (Dendrites) that let it connect to
other neurons.
When you were born, your brain came with all the neurons it will ever have. Many of
the neurons were not connected to each other. When you learn new things, the
messages travel from one neuron to another over and over again. Eventually the brain
starts to create connections (pathways) between the neurons, so things become easier
and you can do them better and better.
• Our skin cells and hair cells always grow back
• A broken arm can recover, but damaged neurons cannot
Creating a “Pathway”
When you first learned to ride a bike, your brain had to think
about pedaling, staying balanced, steering and braking.
It was hard work right?
Eventually with practice the neurons sent messages back
and forth until a pathway was created in your brain. Now you
can ride your bike without thinking about as the neurons have
successfully created a “a bike riding” pathway.
When you damage a neuron you will have to recreate the
pathway again if you can.
Concussions…
A concussion is a brain injury. It may involve the loss of
consciousness. However, a concussion most often occurs without
a loss of consciousness.
Concussions happen when bumps, blows or jolts to the head or body cause the brain to
move around inside the skull. The brain injury that results can be mild or more severe and
can disrupt how the brain normally works.
Concussions can be hard to recognize because there may not be obvious signs of
trauma. Signs and Symptoms may have delayed onset and may be worse later that
day or even the next morning.
If you know or suspect that you have suffered a head injury,
remove yourself from the activity (including sports) and seek
assessment from your doctor! Do not stay alone at any time
after a suspected head injury.
The only treatment for a concussion is complete rest.
Each step should last a minimum of one day. If signs or
symptoms return you should return to the previous step and
be re-evaluated by your doctor.
Helmets
Wear your helmet properly to reduce the risk of brain injury!
Remember the “2-V-1 Rule” and you will always have your
helmet(s) fit properly.
Do not throw your bike helmet down when you are finished
with it. When it hits the ground it is considered an impact and
it is no good to you then.
You use a Single Use/Single Impact for riding your bike and
Multiple Use/Multiple Impact for playing sports like hockey
and football.
A Program of
Funded by
Brain Injury Association of
Waterloo-Wellington
5A-607 King Street West
Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 1C7
519.579.5300
[email protected]
www.BIAWW.com