It sounds like a science-fiction novel. A woman feels no fear, not from armed robbers, spiders, rats, snakes….not from anything. When we hear that someone has “brain damage” we often think of a person in an unresponsive coma. However, brain damage comes in many forms. Take the brain injury of an ordinary mother of three with a specific psychological impairment, the result of a very rare genetic disease that damaged a brain structure called the amygdala (uh-MIG’-duh-luh).
The 44-year-old woman literally knows no fear because of the brain damage. Her case shows that the amygdala plays a key role in making people feel afraid in threatening situations, researchers say.
Although the woman’s condition is very rare and caused by a genetic condition, don’t let this fool you into thinking that a traumatic brain injury can not affect you as well. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have devastating effects on the victim and some of these effects like persistent migraines, memory loss, or slower mental cognition may not be immediately obvious
Memory loss or behavioral and impulse control issues are both examples of hidden damage. Because of this lack of visibility, insurance companies or liable parties will often claim that there is no brain damage at all.
Brain damage can occur as early as birth at the hands of a negligent physician or anytime when you are involved in a car accident. Even a “mild concussion” suffered during a friendly game of touch football can change your life forever.
So the best advice is to always err on the side of caution anytime you suffer a head injury and get checked out by a physician.
CA.