Final answer:
Survivors of traumatic brain injury may suffer from permanent brain damage with symptoms that vary based on which part of the brain is injured. Treatments like medications, counseling, and neurofeedback can help survivors cope with or recover from their disabilities. No pharmacological intervention currently addresses the secondary damage following TBI, but neurofeedback offers hope in managing symptoms.
Step-by-step explanation:
Survivors of traumatic brain injury develop various symptoms and complications depending on the severity of the injury. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result from incidents such as falls, violence, sports injuries, or car accidents, leading to potential permanent brain damage. The symptoms of severe brain injuries include loss of consciousness for minutes to hours, profound confusion, trouble with speech or controlling body movements, personality changes, and problems with mental abilities like memory. These survivors might develop chronic conditions like chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease found in individuals with a history of repetitive brain trauma, characterized by an accumulation of tau protein similar to those found in Alzheimer's disease patients.
To address these challenges, survivors may undergo various treatments, including medicines, counseling, and innovative approaches like neurofeedback, which is gaining attention as a complementary treatment for individuals with brain injury. Although there is currently no pharmacological intervention available to treat the secondary excitotoxic cascade from TBI, neurofeedback shows promise in helping survivors alleviate symptoms of TBI and potentially improve quality of life. This treatment is particularly of interest in researching how it might lead to treatments for disorders where recollection creates a disability, such as post-traumatic stress syndrome.