Question: Can someone retrain their brain after a serious head trauma

Asked by purpleflyingmonkey to Carina, Emma, Hannah, Mel, Yashar on 31 Aug 2012.

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  1. Photo: Yashar RazaviYashar Razavi
    answered on 31 Aug 2012:

    You’ll always retain/ keep your brain. Not sure what you mean by this purple!

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  2. Photo: Hannah BrownHannah Brown
    answered on 1 Sep 2012:

    @yashar, I though that’s what it said when I first read it, but it actually says “retrain”

    Great question, pfm.

    Certainly it is possible to regain some of the activities that are lost as a result of a head injury. It all depends in the type of injury, though.

    There’s transient damage, which might involve swelling and bleeding, that might get better with time, and you will be able to do some retraining, for example, using to use your hands.

    But if it’s a bad injury, where you completely lose part of your brain, or maybe even have a spinal cord injury, it may be impossible to retrain.

    It all really just depends on how bad the trauma is.

    Maybe one day, we will be able to use stem cells to grow new brain cells and we will be able to retrain the brain, even in really bad injuries. Fingers crossed!!

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  3. Photo: Carina MarshallCarina Marshall
    answered on 2 Sep 2012:

    I think it also depends on your age. Very young babies that suffer head trauma often recover completely….whereas an adult with the same injury would never have regained function. But the brains in young babies and children are stil developing, so there’s some room for fixing things.

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  4. Photo: Melina EllisMelina Ellis
    answered on 3 Sep 2012:

    Hannah and Carina agree- it depends on the area of damage and the severity, age, etc.

    Also your brain is actually quite amazing and has the ability to re-wire and relearn things after head injury. People who have suffered a stroke may be able to retrain their brain to move, walk or talk again as a result of neuroplasticity- your brain making new connections as you learn or relearn.

    There is more specific information about it here:

    https://www.strokefoundation.com.au/blog/?tag=neuroplasticity

    Hope this helps to answer your Q!

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