ABSTRACT
The skilled therapist of the brain-injured person requires an understanding of the underlying anatomy and physiology, its relationship to the injury, the mechanisms of learning, and the creative array of multimodal therapeutic skills that they have at their disposal. The 21st century brings an ever-increasing understanding of the mechanisms involved in how the brain accomplishes learning and how these mechanisms are impacted by the traumatic event. We are at a point where we must view more than just the injury to the neurons but must consider the damage to the environment in which the neurons exist. This chapter reviews some of these issues and provides some insight into the therapeutic process.
