Definition

An acquired brain injury (ABI) is damage to the brain caused by either a traumatic or non-traumatic injury:

Non-traumatic injury

• A medical problem or disease, such as the brain not getting enough oxygen (also known as anoxia), a tumour, brain aneurysm, infection, or a stroke (with diffuse cognitive deficits).

Traumatic injury

• A car crash, fall, assault (including intimate partner violence) or sports-related injury.

An ABI happens after birth and is not related to:

• a congenital disorder or developmental disability, such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, autism, spina bifida with hydrocephalus, or
• a process that gradually damages the brain, such as dementia, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease.

Source: Toronto ABI Network

What is a concussion? A mild brain injury following trauma is sometimes called a concussion.

• Concussions happen when the brain is injured due to a hit to the head, neck, face or somewhere else on the body.
• Some people experience a brief loss of consciousness (less than 30 minutes). Others may stay conscious, but feel dazed, in a fog or confused.
• A concussion can have both short- and long-term effects. It may or may not show up on a diagnostic imaging test, such as a CT scan.
• Only a medical professional (like a doctor or nurse practitioner) can diagnose a concussion.

Source: Living Concussion Guidelines

Videos about ABI and concussion:

• Ontario Brain Injury Association: Informational video on acquired brain injury
• Brain Injury Canada: What is an acquired brain injury?
• Canadian Concussion Centre: Concussion – An Invisible Brain Injury with Consequences