Science has since discovered that neurons can actually regenerate using a really unique method if an area of the brain gets damaged – we call this method neurogenesis. What happens is the brain uses a secret supply of neural stem cells and transforms them into new neurons without using mitosis.
And one of the most exciting and important recent discoveries is that brain cells DO regenerate throughout your entire life. We now know that neurogenesis — the formation of new brain cells — is not only possible, it happens every day.
It is possible for the brain to heal itself, with new brain cells growing to replace damaged ones, but much of the 'recovery' we experience is actually due to the brain 're-wiring' itself and finding new pathways to bypass recently-broken connections.
Not long ago, it was thought that the brain had little ability to repair itself following stroke. We know, however, that individuals can and do regain function. There is an increasing amount of research indicating that the brain is a fighter when damaged and does attempt to heal itself.
Although damaged brain cells cannot be restored, the brain's natural ability to rewire itself through neuroplasticity is the key to recovery. Therapeutic interventions like physical and occupational therapy seldom require drugs.
Brain damage may be temporary or permanent and recovery can be prolonged. Concussion is a type of mild TBI that may be considered a temporary injury to the brain but could take minutes to several months to heal.
In fact, depending on the severity of the injury, recovery time for a TBI may vary from a few weeks to six or more months. Each person reacts differently to injury and illness. Thus, recovery time will vary between individuals. However, the length of recovery time for TBI depends on how long a patient is unconscious.
In the brain, the damaged cells are nerve cells (brain cells) known as neurons and neurons cannot regenerate. The damaged area gets necrosed (tissue death) and it is never the same as it was before. When the brain gets injured, you are often left with disabilities that persist for the rest of your life.
Nerve Cells Do Not Renew Themselves
Yet, nerve cells in your brain, also called neurons, do not renew themselves. They do not divide at all.
Physical damage to the brain and the spinal cord can also kill or disable neurons. Damage to the brain caused by shaking or hitting the head, or because of a stroke, can kill neurons immediately or slowly, starving them of the oxygen and nutrients they need to survive.
It is likely that humans are born with all of the nerve cells (neurons) that will serve them throughout life. For all practical purposes, when our neurons die, they are lost forever.
OK, so quick recap - every minute, babies develop up to 500,000 neurons. And the brain continues to grow and transform all the way through adolescence until about the age of 26. Beyond that, people used to believe that the adult brain stopped growing new neurons. But that's not the case.
Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural pathways throughout life and in response to experiences. While the brain usually does this itself in response to injury or disease, when humans focus their attention enough, they can slowly rewire these pathways themselves.
The brain itself doesn't feel pain. Though the brain has billions of neurons (cells that transmit sensory and other information), it has no pain receptors. The ache from a headache comes from other nerves — inside blood vessels in your head, for example — telling your brain something is wrong.
An evidence-based rehab program can speed up the rewiring process by employing an integrated multi-disciplinary approach to addiction treatment. In some people, the brain rewiring process can take a month. In others, it can take several months.
Unlike most other injuries, a brain injury doesn't simply heal in time and many people who sustain a moderate or severe brain injury will never fully recover to be the person they once were and live the life they once lived. But with the right help, at the right time, there can be life after brain injury.
As a result, physical damage to the brain is permanent. However, the brain is also incredibly adaptive and can reorganize its circuitry through a mechanism called neuroplasticity. This means that functions affected by brain damage have the potential to be recovered by healthy, undamaged regions of the brain.
Despite initial hospitalization and inpatient rehabilitation services, about 50% of people with TBI will experience further decline in their daily lives or die within 5 years of their injury. Some of the health consequences of TBI can be prevented or reduced.
After any brain injury, even a mild one, there tends to be a drop or loss of IQ, but this score usually improves as time passes. This fact leads researchers to argue that most “intelligence loss” after brain injury is really just a result of trauma.
"Pathological anxiety and chronic stress are associated with structural degeneration and impaired functioning of the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which may account for the increased risk of developing neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression and dementia," said Dr.
The overall incidence of mortality among traumatic brain injury patients was 1.23 per 100 person-day observation [95% (CI: 1.0, 1.5)] with a median survival time of 106 (95% CI: 60, 121) days.
People with brain damage may have severe symptoms. They may have disorientation and not be able to tell you where they are or what the time is. They also may have an inability to process emotions. People with brain damage may have balance issues and sensitivity to pain and light.