Question: What does brain damage actually do to your brain.?

Joe Bathelt answered on 4 Nov 2016:

That’s a really interesting question. Brain damage is a term that is often mentioned on TV or in the news, but often it is not clear what that damage actually means. The brain can be damaged in different ways. That could be through brute force. For example, when something hits the head and penetrates through the skull. This kind of injury actually destroys a part of the brain, which can lead to long-lasting impairment. Something similar can also happen when no object penetrates the skull, but the brain gains a lot momentum and hits against the skull. This can occur in cycling or car accidents or through forceful impacts like in rugby, American football, or boxing.
There is another type of brain injury that is a bit more subtle, but can be just as problematic. This occurs when the brain does not get enough oxygen. Brain cells require a lot of oxygen and die very quickly when there is not enough available. This can happen when a person can’t breathe or when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted, e.g. when bleeding in the brain occurs (stroke).
So, in short, brain damage can either mean injury to parts of the brain through force that destroys the tissue or dying of brain cells when they can’t get enough oxygen.