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Photo of Joshua Nielsen
Photo of Joshua Nielsen
Photo of Joshua Nielsen

How can a brain injury affect your memory?

On Behalf of | Oct 23, 2020 | personal injury

As a resident of North Carolina who got into an accident, you may suffer from physical effects that last long after the incident itself. This is particularly true of brain injuries, which often have traumatic impacts lasting months, years or even a lifetime.

In particular, brain injuries tend to have lasting impacts on your memory. In what way does it affect your ability to recall things and store new memories?

Brain injuries and short-term memory damage

The Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center examines the relationship between memory and brain injury. Brain injuries, especially traumatic ones (TBIs), tend to affect short-term memory the most. Long-term memory damage is not unheard of, but is a much rarer occurrence and one you likely do not need to worry about.

Short-term memory damage happens in multiple ways. First, you have trouble recalling things that just happened. You also struggle to store new memories, which means you do not even have a memory to recall in some cases.

What memory loss looks like

Memory loss and damage manifests in different ways. For example, you could end up missing crucial appointments because you did not store the information about the time and date. You could misplace important things like your car keys because you cannot recall where you last had them.

Of course, memory loss also affects your capabilities in the workplace. You may struggle to recall assigned tasks or remember new information on production, safety, products and more. TBI sufferers like you often struggle with stress management too, which makes this situation even harder to handle. You may end up needing to take time off work for recovery, which is why people in your position tend to seek compensation.

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