Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology

  • 75 Accesses

Synonyms

Head injury; Head trauma

Short Description or Definition

According to the Essential Brain Injury Guide (2016, p. 3), a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as “an alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain pathology, caused by an external force.” Deficits can be transient or permanent and can cause partial or total disability. A TBI can result from an open or closed head injury. In an open head injury, there is breach of the skull or of the meninges, or a penetrating head injury where an object pierces through the skull (e.g., a gunshot wound) and enters brain tissue. In a closed injury, brain trauma is caused by a blow to the head or acceleration-deceleration injury.

Categorization

Severity of Injury

TBI is rated in terms of severity of injury: mild, moderate, or severe. This rating is often based on the level of initial injury in relation to the neurological injury caused to the brain. Severity of brain injury is determined using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 899.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 1,099.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References and Readings

  • Alfano, D. P. (1994). Recovery of function following brain injury. In Brain injury rehabilitation: Clinical considerations (pp. 34–53). Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Report to congress on traumatic brain injury in the United States: Epidemiology and rehabilitation. Atlanta: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention.

    Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury is a lifelong condition. Retrieved 13 Feb 2017 from http://www.cdc.gov/TraumaticBrainInjury.htm

  • Dikmen, S. S., Machamer, J. E., Winn, H. R., & Temkin, N. R. (1995). Neuropsychological outcome at 1- year post head injury. Neuropsychology, 9, 80–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ficker-Terrill, C., Flippo, K., Antoinette, T., & McMorrow, D. B. (2007). Overview of brain injury. In The essential brain injury guide (4th ed., pp. 1–24). McLean: Brain Injury Association of America.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, S., & Trexler, L. E. (1999). The CNR model of levels of functioning in brain injury rehabilitation. Zeitschrift Fur Neuropsychologie, 10(2), 103–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gennarelli, T. A., & Graham, D. I. (2005). Neuropathology. In J. M. Silver, T. W. McAllister, & S. C. Yudofsky (Eds.), Textbook of TBI (pp. 27–50). Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc..

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, G. (1998). TBI survival guide. Retrieved 31 Dec 2007 from http://www.tbiguide.com/getbetter.html

  • Jones, R. D., & Rizzo, M. (2004). Head trauma and TBI. In M. Rizzo & P. J. Eslinger (Eds.), Principles and practice of behavioral neurology and neuropsychology (pp. 615–634). Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolb, B. (2004). Mechanisms of cortical plasticity after neuronal injury. In J. Ponsford (Ed.), Cognitive and behavioral rehabilitation: From neurobiology to clinical practice (pp. 30–58). New York: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kraus, J. F., & McArthur, D. L. (1996). Epidemiologic aspects of brain injury. Neurologic Clinics, 14, 435–448.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Larrabee, G. (2005). Forensic Neuropsychology: A Scientific Approach. New York: Oxford University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Levin, H. S., Mattis, S., Ruff, R. M., Eisenberg, H. M., Marshall, L. F., Tabbador, K., et al. (1987). Neurobehavioral outcome of minor head injury: A three center study. Journal of Neurosurgery, 66, 234–243.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, J. A. (1998). Traumatic brain injury and postconcussive syndrome. In P. J. Snyder & P. D. Nussbaum (Eds.), Clinical neuropsychology: A pocket handbook for assessment (pp. 243–303). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neurologychannel.com. (2001). TBI (TBI): Prognosis. Retrieved on 31 Dec 2007 from http://www.neurologychannel.com/tbi/prognosis.shtml

  • Reyst, H., & Brain Injury Association of America. (2016). Brain Injury Overview. In The essential brain injury guide (5th ed., pp. 1–27). McLean, VA: Brain Injury Association of America.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, L. M., & Godfrey, H. P. D. (1995). Family support programs and rehabilitation: A cognitive-behavioral approach to TBI. New York: Plenum Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Thurman, D. J., & Guerrero, J. (1999). Trends in hospitalization associated with TBI. Journal of American Medical Association, 282, 954–957.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, D. H., Levin, H. S., & Eisenberg, H. M. (1990). Mild head injury classification. Neurosurgery, 27, 422–428.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuropsychology, Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Samantha Backhaus

Authors
  1. Samantha Backhaus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Samantha Backhaus .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Jeffrey S. Kreutzer

  2. Kessler Foundation, Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ, USA

    John DeLuca

  3. Independent Practice, Wynnewood, PA, USA

    Bruce Caplan

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Backhaus, S. (2018). Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_286

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation