Brain Injury - Symptoms by Region

Each region of the brain controls a specific bodily function. Damage to the brain, however slight, can impair function.and affect the way we think, feel and act. Symptoms can vary by intensity of injury and region affected.

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Frontal Lobe
(forehead)

• Loss of simple movement (paralysis)
• Inability to plan a sequence of movements (such as in making coffee)
  
• Changes in mood, personality, social behavior
  
• Difficulty thinking and expressing thought
• Persistence of a single thought
• Inability to focus
  
• Difficulty in problem-solving 

Parietal Lobe

• Inability to attend to more than one task or object at a time
• Inability to name an object
• Inability to locate the words for writing
• Problems with reading
• Difficulty in drawing objects
• Problems distinguishing left from right
• Difficulty with math
• Lack of awareness of certain body parts and/or the environment (leads to self-care problems)
• Inability to focus visual attention
• Eye-hand coordination problems

Occipital Lobes

• Vision defects (Visual Field Cuts)
  
• Difficulty locating objects in the environment
• Difficulty identifying colors
• Hallucinations
• Visual illusions (seeing objects inaccurately)
• Inability to recognize written words
• Problems in recognizing drawn objects
• Inability to recognize a moving object
• Problems with reading and writing

Temporal Lobes
(just above ears)

• Difficulty in recognizing faces or understanding spoken words
  
• Selective attention problems (to what is seen and heard)
  
• Difficulty identifying and speaking about objects
• Long- and short term memory loss
• Increased/ decreased interest in sexual behavior
  
• Inability to categorize objects
• Persistent talking (caused by right lobe damage)
• Aggression

Brain Stem

• Difficulty breathing or swallowing 
• Difficulty in perceiving the environment or organizing information
• Problems with balance, movement
• Dizziness, nausea
• Sleeping problems 
  

Cerebellum
(base of the skull)

• Inability to coordinate fine movements
  
• Loss of ability to walk
• Inability to reach out and grab objects
• Tremors
• Dizziness
• Slurred speech
• Slowness of movement