ABSTRACT
Much has been written at an academic level about brain injury and its consequences. Most people’s experience, and therefore expectations, regarding illness and injury is one of temporary reduction in functioning, followed by a gradual return to normalcy. People get sick, go to hospital, and get better. Bones are broken, casts are applied for a period, muscle strength regained over several months, and scars fade. In 1999, the term neuroplasticity was not as commonly used as it is today. In essence this is the brain’s ability to regenerate and form new connections, which can be adaptive. A number of indicators of cognitive reserve have been used, including estimated premorbid level of intelligence, years of education, occupational experience and enriching activities. E. B. Schneider and colleagues found that for individuals in rehabilitation after a moderate-severe TBI, educational attainment was a robust predictor of disability at one year post-TBI.
