Whenever a part of your brain is affected by trauma, the chance that permanent damage has occurred is not often overlooked. You may have heard of someone losing short-term memory after a concussion, or someone suffering amnesia after an accident. This is not uncommon, considering swelling in the brain can cause memory lapses that are typically temporary. Once the swelling subsides, memory will generally return. However, if the part of the brain that is damaged cannot heal properly after a traumatic brain injury, chances are the memory loss could be permanent and long-term.
What exactly causes memory loss during a traumatic brain injury? There are millions of nerves in our brain, and when one of them is damaged or abruptly traumatized, you can expect them not to function as they are supposed to. If the brain cannot heal itself back to its previous state, it will not function properly and endure minor or substantial memory loss.
Memory loss after a traumatic head injury to the brain will typically return after the initial swelling goes down. This can take anywhere from a few weeks to even a few months, and in some cases, can be permanent. Stress can also cause memory loss, and after a stressful event, sometimes short-term memory can be lost. This is typically temporary, as well.
No matter what kind of head trauma occurred, it is important to seek medical treatment immediately after such an incident to increase the possibility of improved mental stability. If traumatic brain injuries are left unattended, they can result in permanent damage and, in the case of a bleed in the brain, death.