Plain language for terms people might see on your site

A. BRAIN INJURY (TBI) TERMS

Acquired Brain Injury
Medical term for any brain damage that happens after birth due to injury, stroke, infection, lack of oxygen, or toxins.
Plain language: Brain damage that wasn’t there at birth but developed because something harmed the brain.

Acute vs Chronic
“Acute” means short-term or right away after injury. “Chronic” means ongoing over a long period.
Plain language: Think “new” versus “long-standing.”

Cognitive Function
How your brain thinks, remembers, solves problems, pays attention, and makes decisions.
Plain language: Your brain’s everyday thinking power.

Concussion
A mild form of brain injury usually from a bump, blow, or jolt to the head.
Plain language: A brain shake-up that can change thinking or balance for a bit.

Diffuse Axonal Injury
A more serious type of brain injury where brain fibers stretch or tear during a violent movement of the head.
Plain language: Wires inside the brain get twisted or stretched during a bad hit.

Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)
A scoring system doctors use right after injury to gauge alertness and basic brain function.
Plain language: A quick score doctors give to see how responsive someone is.

Neuroimaging
Scans like CT or MRI that show pictures of the brain.
Plain language: Big camera snapshots of the brain inside the skull.

Neuropsychological Testing
Detailed tests that measure memory, thinking, and how the brain is working.
Plain language: A series of brain puzzles to see how thinking skills are doing.

Severe vs Moderate vs Mild TBI
Categories of brain injury severity based on function and symptoms.
Plain language: How bad the injury is, from light to serious.

Symptom Tracking
A diary people keep of symptoms like headache, dizziness, concentration issues.
Plain language: Writing down what symptoms you have and when so doctors can see patterns.

B. NEUROPATHY TERMS

Peripheral Neuropathy
Damage to the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, usually hands and feet.