Traumatic brain injuries often occur as a result of a motor vehicle accident. A number of disabilities can occur as a result, with symptoms occurring within days or weeks of receiving the injury.
For people suffering from severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), the most common cognitive impairment – that is, an impairment affecting a person’s cognition, or ability to think, process information or remember – is memory loss. Often, people suffering from a severe TBI may lose specific long-term memories, and may have difficulty forming and storing new memories.
In fact, memory loss affects 54 percent to 84 percent of people suffering from TBI. It’s been observed that TBI has a variable effect on long-term memory loss, meaning different people who have similar brain injuries may experience different effects on long-term memory loss. This has been explained by the theory of cognitive reserve, which says that higher intellectual enrichment may have a protective effect on long-term memory.
A new study by the Kessler Foundation explored how working memory – that is, short-term memory, or our ability to hold and work with information over a short period of time – may also play a role in this protective effect on long-term memory. The study results suggest that working memory does play a possible role in how cognitive reserve affects long-term memory.
The potential implications of the study findings? It’s possible that treatment and rehabilitation strategies that target working memory can help improve long-term memory loss in patients suffering from traumatic brain injuries.
If you or someone you love has suffered a personal injury due to another’s negligence, Bradley I. Kramer and his experienced legal team are here to help you obtain the compensation to which you are entitled. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.