Evidence shows that once brain cells are damaged or destroyed, they will not regenerate. The recovery process of the patient continues to take place even though new brain cells are not produced.
Recovery is thought to happen when other parts of the brain compensate for damaged or destroyed brain tissue, or the brain learns to reroute information around those areas.
In the event of extensive damage to the brain, it is unlikely that the remaining brain can assume all of the functions of the destroyed areas. In this case, the patient must learn how to compensate for this loss through other methods involving adaptations in the environment or in his/her own functioning.
NEXT: End of The Critical Phase.
The concussions that disable, are almost always more symptomatic at 24 hours, than at the 2-4 hour time frame when injured persons are evaluated in the emergency room. Brain injury symptoms escalate over the first 24 hours, because brain injury involves a cascade of events. It is critical that if you are still symptomatic the day after your injury, go back to the same Emergency Room, don’t wait for a doctors appointment. It is critical that the Emergency Room personnel see that the symptoms still persist or have gotten worse.