In this episode of the Brain Health Mission Podcast, we are joined by Prof. Håkan Ashina, physician-scientist in neurology and professor at the University of Copenhagen, to explore Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). He dives into what TBI is, what happens to the brain after a head injury, and how we can recognise it.
Together with Prof. Jana Midelfart Hoff, he debunks the common myth that TBI is always accompanied by a loss of consciousness. From headaches, nausea and memory problems to changes in behaviour, understanding what has changed after an impact can be an important first step.
They discuss the risks of brain injury in both high-impact sports and everyday situations, including falls and e-scooter accidents, and look at how repeated injuries can accumulate over time, as well as how to approach recovery. Beyond individual prevention, they also discuss how safer roads, environments and behaviours can help reduce the risk of injury, and why coordinated care is an essential part of brain injury management.
As Prof. Ashina puts it, protecting your brain from TBI does not mean stopping living — it means understanding the risks, taking sensible precautions, and knowing how to support your brain if an injury does occur.