Diffuse Axonal Injury: Know the Facts
Diffuse axonal injury is one of the most common results of accidents. It is simply an injury resulting from the shearing forces of the accident: the sudden acceleration and the sudden deceleration. These forces then contribute exponentially to the removal of the myelin wrapped around the axons of the brain, hampering the overall function of the body’s CPU.
Here is a crash course on some of the terms about the brain and the forces working on a diffuse axonal injury:
Axon – this is a part of the nerve cell that transmits electrical signals to another nerve cell. It is important in transferring crucial information such as sensory and motor signals to facilitate processing. It is normally elastic except when stretched to great extents.
Myelin – Myelin is the insulating material wrapped around the axons of nerve cells. This has a dual function of “insulating” the electrical signal carried by the axon at the same time allowing faster transmission of the electrical signal along the length of the axon.
Shearing Force – shearing force is any type of force that wears out surfaces by scraping it off or tearing it causing significant damage to the function of the surface. The shearing of myelin from the axon damages the axon at a great extent, causing slower conduction of electrical signals or its ultimate stoppage.
Cytoskeleton – the cytoskeleton functions like the framework of a building. It is the foundation of the cell’s structure and shape. During a diffuse axonal injury, the cytoskeleton of the axon disintegrates rendering it lacking in mechanical support.
To describe the events culminating to a diffuse axonal injury (DAI), it is important to know the abovementioned terms. During a case of DAI, the axons in the white matter of the brain slide with each other with the sheer force and weight of the brain. The force of the slide and the additional weight causes the myelin to be sheared off from the axons, causing an influx of ions which destroys the axon in a matter of days to weeks.
Also, the cytoskeleton of the axon is disintegrated, further causing vulnerability to the already weakened axon. The loss of cellular integrity sometimes causes the axon to detach from the main cell giving a distinct histology of DAI.
Persons who suffered from DAI tend to have poor prognosis and progresses only from coma to persistent vegetative states. This qualifies as a form of an accident worthy of attention from head injury law firms who will try and claim justice to the depressing result of the accident.
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