Different Behaviors to Expect from Brain Injury (TBI)
Depending on which parts of the brain are affected, people may experience changes in memory, attention, emotions, movement, or sensory processing. Some may struggle with overstimulation or fatigue, while others notice shifts in mood, communication, or problem-solving. Recovery and adjustment take time, and support that’s tailored to each person’s unique challenges and strengths can make a meaningful difference in healing and daily life.
Though there are symptoms that are common for injury in all areas of the brain, below are some of the lesser known symptoms associated with injury in different areas:
Left Hemisphere
Language deficits (speech, reading & writing)
Logic deficits
Depression
Anxiety
Insight deficits
Slow, cautious behavior
Easily distractible
Perseveration (involuntary repetition of a thought, word, or action despite the termination of a stimulus)
Right Hemisphere
Spatial-temporal deficits - can manifest as a lost sense of direction, confusion about time and date, or problems with judging distances and navigating familiar environments
Poor body scheme (internal map / awareness of body) - can lead to difficulties with motor skills, coordination, and balance, resulting in clumsiness, difficulty with tasks like dressing, and bumping into objects or people
Poor Judgement
Increased risky-behavior / safety risk
Difficulty with abstract reasoning
Impulsivity
Bilateral Brain Injury
Impaired vision
Emotional abnormalities
Confusion
Short attention span
Difficulty with memory / memory loss
Poor executive functioning which can manifest as difficulty planning, organizing, initiating, inhibiting, and monitoring ones own actions
Brain-Stem Injury
Difficulty swallowing and/or slurred speech
Unstable vitals
Blurred vision
Potential for changes in breathing or difficulty breathing
Abnormal heart rhythm
Frontal Brain Injury
Personality changes
Body scheme deficits
Poor problem solving
Parietal Brain Injury
Attention deficits
Numbness or tingling in the limbs
Neglect of one side of the body or space (hemineglect) - it can result in a person ignoring half of their plate, shaving or applying makeup to only one side of their face, or failing to see objects on their neglected side, etc.
Weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
Headaches
Seizures
Temporal Brain
Agnosia - the inability to recognize objects, people, or sounds through a particular sense (ex: can’t recognize a familiar voice or identify a familiar object like a toothbrush or spoon)
Prosopagnosia - “face blindness” or an inability to recognize faces
Difficulty learning and retaining new information
Impaired long-term and factual memory
Emotional changes
Difficulty finding the right words to express oneself
Difficulty understanding spoken words
Occipital Brain Injury
Vision impairment - vision loss, blind spots, color blindness, distorted vision, issues with depth perception, seeing motion occur and seeing more than one object at a time
Cerebellum Brain Injury
Dysmetria - overshooting or undershooting an intended target
Delayed reaction time
Poor balance
Tremor
Difficulty with fine motor tasks (ex: buttoning buttons, threading a needle)
Difficulty tracking objects with eyes
Though many of the symptoms listed above are common with TBI, this list is not exhaustive and each person experiences changes in the body at a different pace. Some symptoms may take months, or even years, to develop and they can worsen over time. Psychotherapy provides a calm and supportive space to process the emotional impact of the injury and the life changes that follow. A trauma-informed approach helps patients feel safe, seen, and in control as they navigate symptoms like anxiety, overwhelm, or grief. If you are interested in scheduling a free 15-minute consultation call, click here.