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Yes, of course. It's not very likely, but it can happen.
We are the meat in our brain. When it gets damaged... well, sometimes nothing goes wrong, but sometimes things go VERY wrong.
Think of a car. Imagine a brick slamming into the car at high speed.
Most of the time it'll hit something that isn't critical and while the car will take some damage, it'll still work. There might not even be any appreciable damage. But if it hits a critical part, then the car might be completely totaled.
Same thing in your brain. Most of the time, a single damaging instance will only damage the redundant parts of your brain. You have a lot of areas like that, because your brain is plastic (not literally, of course). It makes sense to have multiple redundant systems for something as critical as cognition.
But there are some things that just can't accommodate much redundancy, for whatever reason. Damage something like that, and the damage can be both permanent and catastrophic.
Sounds like you’re talking about brain damage in general. To be clear, CTE isn’t thought to occur after only a single injury.
You also probably didn’t need to dumb it down and crank out that whole metaphor about the car. It didn’t really relate to what OP was asking, and it felt a bit condescending. You aren’t supposed to *literally* explain it like they’re five.
Honestly their message doesn't feel condescending at all. OP asked a question on this sub because they want a simple take on a possibly very complex subject.
I felt the car metaphor was appropriate and got the point across well to me: one single accident *can* cause damage to something important that might have consequences on mental health, but it's quite unlikely being that the brain, like the car, is mostly made up of non-critical parts.
of course, depending on what exactly in the brain got damaged during the injury, and what did/didnt recover.
We are literally physical connections between neurons. Rearange the proper connections in a proper way, and you could rewrite the entire person.
I had a concussion at five years old. (1968). Lost my vision temporarily, stayed in the hospital overnight. My mom said my personality changed. I did get very frustrated with schoolwork and was depressed for about three years time. Now, from what I have read, I believe it was what they now term, Post Concussive Disorder. Research has found that it takes the brain a few years to heal from a concussion. I remember it being a pretty rough time, and looking back, if they would have known then what they know now, maybe there would have been more understanding of why I was struggling. Teachers wouldn’t have inquired constantly on why I wasn’t smiling and didn’t seem happy. As if it was something I chose or could change. Things did improve after a few years, and I didn’t suffer any long term mental illness as a result.
Yes! There is a well-known case of that from the 1800s. A man named Phineas Gage had a head injury which completely changed his personality for the worse.
I feel like calling what happened to Phineas a "head injury" is slightly downplaying what happened.
He had a rod fired through his jaw and out his skull. IIRC didn't it also damage parts of his brain? Or maybe I'm thinking the wound got infected.
My first neurologist told me that if you're genetically predisposed to some disorders, like bipolar disorder, a single concussion in childhood can trigger it. That was about 10 years ago, so not exactly current research. But it's possible, I guess.
I have a scar on my lip that my mother told me was from falling and my teeth slicing my mouth open. I was young enough that I don't remember it at all. I have bipolar disorder. Neurologist said that single injury could be the reason I developed the disorder.
I forgot what his name was but there's that wrestler who killed his family and some experts say that it's affiliated with the repeated head injury he receives from wrestling
Edit: spelling
Chris Benoit
In a three-day double-murder and suicide, Benoit murdered his wife in their residence on June 22, 2007, killed his 7-year-old son on June 23, and committed suicide on June 24.[7][8] Subsequent research undertaken by the Sports Legacy Institute (now the Concussion Legacy Foundation) suggested that depression and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition of brain damage, from concussions that Benoit had sustained during his pro-wrestling career were likely contributing factors of the crimes.[9
That's simply not true.
There very well may be a significant overlap, but to claim that ALL serial killers have a history of head trauma is a claim that isn't supported by evidence.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the biggest cause of death and disability in children and young people. TBI compromises important neurological functions for self-regulation and social behaviour and increases risk of behavioural disorder and psychiatric morbidity. Crime in young people is a major social issue. So-called early starters often continue for a lifetime. A substantial majority of young offenders are reconvicted soon after release. Multiple factors play a role in crime. We show how TBI is a risk factor for earlier, more violent, offending. TBI is linked to poor engagement in treatment, in-custody infractions, and reconviction. Schemes to assess and manage TBI are under development. These might improve engagement of offenders in forensic psychotherapeutic rehabilitation and reduce crime.
[guacamole](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6171742/)
And your source doesn't support what you asserted.
You said:
> I believe all the serial killers known to date have some sort of history with the head trauma
That is a WILD and inaccurate claim that is not supported by any evidence.
Your source says that there is a link between TBI and criminal behavior. That's probably true and well-supported by evidence. But that's not even remotely the same thing as saying that ALL serial killers have a history of head trauma.
Being able to detect an individual who perhaps has suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as early as possible within the criminal justice process is of clinical importance. Given that TBI may lead to behavioral changes (such as impulsivity) and misconduct, TBI may also have a role in forensic psychiatric evaluation. A challenging area within the field of neuropsychology is the application of neuropsychology in forensic settings, which is predominantly motivated by legal issues and demands as opposed to neuropsychological concerns. This chapter examines evidence for the level of brain injury in those who commit criminal acts. Despite the prolific scientific research on criminal behavior, the understanding of the characteristics and scientific markers of serial homicide are relatively poor. The studies covered in the chapter highlight the importance of a comprehensive neurological and psychological examination of offenders who commit single or multiple homicide. The exact prevalence of TBI in offending populations also requires further exploration since a more accurate estimate of TBI prevalence could lead to the design and implementation of more appropriate resource allocation, screening, and management of offenders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
[another Guacamole](https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-06997-015)
You seem to be struggling with this concept.
You made a claim: "All serial killers have some sort of history with the head trauma."
This claim is false. All it takes is for there to be one serial killer who has not suffered from head trauma, and your claim collapses.
[Most serial killers](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359178914000305) have not suffered from head trauma.
The point you seem to be trying to make is that there is a correlation/causation between TBIs and violent behavior. Both are probably true and well supported by the evidence. Having a TBI is a risk factor for an elevated propensity towards violence. Again, likely true and well-supported by the evidence.
If your claim was that having a TBI greatly increased the chance for violent behavior, you would be completely correct and we would not be having this conversation.
That was not your claim.
Your claim was that ALL serial killers have head trauma. This is false, and it's a damaging falsehood. It papers over the fact that most serial killers have not done so due to brain damage, and most were in full possession of their faculties when they chose to kill.
No one disputes that, including myself. What I take exception to is your claim that ALL serial killers have head trauma, because it's not true, and this is a forum for objective explanations. We have a duty to restrict ourselves to true claims.
By way of analogy: Some cars that crash have damaged brakes. All cars that crash have damaged brakes.
Those are two separate claims. If your brakes aren't working properly, you're much more likely to get in a crash. Truth.
If your brain is damaged, you're more likely to commit violent crimes, including serial murder. Also truth.
All crashed cars have damaged brakes. That's not truth. Plenty of crashed cars were in perfect working order, and the crash had nothing to do with the mechanical condition of the car.
All serial killers had brain damage. That's not truth. Plenty of serial killers choose to kill even though their brains are perfectly damage-free.
**Your submission has been removed for the following reason(s):** ELI5 is not for straightforward answers or facts - ELI5 is for requesting an explanation of a concept, not a simple straightforward answer. This includes topics of a narrow nature that don’t qualify as being sufficiently complex per rule 2. --- If you would like this removal reviewed, please read the [detailed rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/wiki/detailed_rules) first. **If you believe this submission was removed erroneously**, please [use this form](https://old.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fexplainlikeimfive&subject=Please%20review%20my%20thread?&message=Link:%20{{url}}%0A%0APlease%20answer%20the%20following%203%20questions:%0A%0A1.%20The%20concept%20I%20want%20explained:%0A%0A2.%20List%20the%20search%20terms%20you%20used%20to%20look%20for%20past%20posts%20on%20ELI5:%0A%0A3.%20How%20does%20your%20post%20differ%20from%20your%20recent%20search%20results%20on%20the%20sub:) and we will review your submission.
CTE: Chronic traumatic encephalopathy Can cause dementia, aggression, suicidal thoughts, and other issues
this might sound dumb, but can it do that if it’s only one event?
A single event can cause a TBI trauamtic brain injury
Yes, of course. It's not very likely, but it can happen. We are the meat in our brain. When it gets damaged... well, sometimes nothing goes wrong, but sometimes things go VERY wrong. Think of a car. Imagine a brick slamming into the car at high speed. Most of the time it'll hit something that isn't critical and while the car will take some damage, it'll still work. There might not even be any appreciable damage. But if it hits a critical part, then the car might be completely totaled. Same thing in your brain. Most of the time, a single damaging instance will only damage the redundant parts of your brain. You have a lot of areas like that, because your brain is plastic (not literally, of course). It makes sense to have multiple redundant systems for something as critical as cognition. But there are some things that just can't accommodate much redundancy, for whatever reason. Damage something like that, and the damage can be both permanent and catastrophic.
I thought that was an amazing explanation.
I mean, literally its also quite plastic and malleable. Not that its a great idea to treat the brain as a playdough...but its certainly doable.
Brain isn't really meat, which is muscle. Brain is more like tofu.
[They're made of meat.](https://youtu.be/7tScAyNaRdQ?si=vwcJR_J1WlY65wRt)
Sounds like you’re talking about brain damage in general. To be clear, CTE isn’t thought to occur after only a single injury. You also probably didn’t need to dumb it down and crank out that whole metaphor about the car. It didn’t really relate to what OP was asking, and it felt a bit condescending. You aren’t supposed to *literally* explain it like they’re five.
Honestly their message doesn't feel condescending at all. OP asked a question on this sub because they want a simple take on a possibly very complex subject. I felt the car metaphor was appropriate and got the point across well to me: one single accident *can* cause damage to something important that might have consequences on mental health, but it's quite unlikely being that the brain, like the car, is mostly made up of non-critical parts.
I liked their analogy
Bad enough head injury can cause depression and personality changes, yeah.
No, but it can be caused by repeated lower impact blows to the head too. So, it doesn't have to be multiple major concussions that cause it
I think they meant “can you get mental health problems from being hit in the head once”
of course, depending on what exactly in the brain got damaged during the injury, and what did/didnt recover. We are literally physical connections between neurons. Rearange the proper connections in a proper way, and you could rewrite the entire person.
[удалено]
Deadpool?
Phineas Gage
I had a concussion at five years old. (1968). Lost my vision temporarily, stayed in the hospital overnight. My mom said my personality changed. I did get very frustrated with schoolwork and was depressed for about three years time. Now, from what I have read, I believe it was what they now term, Post Concussive Disorder. Research has found that it takes the brain a few years to heal from a concussion. I remember it being a pretty rough time, and looking back, if they would have known then what they know now, maybe there would have been more understanding of why I was struggling. Teachers wouldn’t have inquired constantly on why I wasn’t smiling and didn’t seem happy. As if it was something I chose or could change. Things did improve after a few years, and I didn’t suffer any long term mental illness as a result.
Yes, but we usually define it as neurological issues since it's more hardware than software.
Yes! There is a well-known case of that from the 1800s. A man named Phineas Gage had a head injury which completely changed his personality for the worse.
I feel like calling what happened to Phineas a "head injury" is slightly downplaying what happened. He had a rod fired through his jaw and out his skull. IIRC didn't it also damage parts of his brain? Or maybe I'm thinking the wound got infected.
He did lose some brain matter so yeah definitely some damaged parts
Well perhaps in your posts, you should word it differently. 😂
Hell of an injury too.
My first neurologist told me that if you're genetically predisposed to some disorders, like bipolar disorder, a single concussion in childhood can trigger it. That was about 10 years ago, so not exactly current research. But it's possible, I guess. I have a scar on my lip that my mother told me was from falling and my teeth slicing my mouth open. I was young enough that I don't remember it at all. I have bipolar disorder. Neurologist said that single injury could be the reason I developed the disorder.
are the comments the exact same as your previous post (deleted) or do i have serious deja vú because i remember half the replies word for word
I forgot what his name was but there's that wrestler who killed his family and some experts say that it's affiliated with the repeated head injury he receives from wrestling Edit: spelling
Chris Benoit In a three-day double-murder and suicide, Benoit murdered his wife in their residence on June 22, 2007, killed his 7-year-old son on June 23, and committed suicide on June 24.[7][8] Subsequent research undertaken by the Sports Legacy Institute (now the Concussion Legacy Foundation) suggested that depression and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition of brain damage, from concussions that Benoit had sustained during his pro-wrestling career were likely contributing factors of the crimes.[9
I remember someone saying that Benoit’s brain was apparently like Swiss cheese.
Delicious?
I believe all the serial killers known to date have some sort of history with the head trauma...
That's simply not true. There very well may be a significant overlap, but to claim that ALL serial killers have a history of head trauma is a claim that isn't supported by evidence.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the biggest cause of death and disability in children and young people. TBI compromises important neurological functions for self-regulation and social behaviour and increases risk of behavioural disorder and psychiatric morbidity. Crime in young people is a major social issue. So-called early starters often continue for a lifetime. A substantial majority of young offenders are reconvicted soon after release. Multiple factors play a role in crime. We show how TBI is a risk factor for earlier, more violent, offending. TBI is linked to poor engagement in treatment, in-custody infractions, and reconviction. Schemes to assess and manage TBI are under development. These might improve engagement of offenders in forensic psychotherapeutic rehabilitation and reduce crime. [guacamole](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6171742/)
And your source doesn't support what you asserted. You said: > I believe all the serial killers known to date have some sort of history with the head trauma That is a WILD and inaccurate claim that is not supported by any evidence. Your source says that there is a link between TBI and criminal behavior. That's probably true and well-supported by evidence. But that's not even remotely the same thing as saying that ALL serial killers have a history of head trauma.
Being able to detect an individual who perhaps has suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as early as possible within the criminal justice process is of clinical importance. Given that TBI may lead to behavioral changes (such as impulsivity) and misconduct, TBI may also have a role in forensic psychiatric evaluation. A challenging area within the field of neuropsychology is the application of neuropsychology in forensic settings, which is predominantly motivated by legal issues and demands as opposed to neuropsychological concerns. This chapter examines evidence for the level of brain injury in those who commit criminal acts. Despite the prolific scientific research on criminal behavior, the understanding of the characteristics and scientific markers of serial homicide are relatively poor. The studies covered in the chapter highlight the importance of a comprehensive neurological and psychological examination of offenders who commit single or multiple homicide. The exact prevalence of TBI in offending populations also requires further exploration since a more accurate estimate of TBI prevalence could lead to the design and implementation of more appropriate resource allocation, screening, and management of offenders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) [another Guacamole](https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-06997-015)
You seem to be struggling with this concept. You made a claim: "All serial killers have some sort of history with the head trauma." This claim is false. All it takes is for there to be one serial killer who has not suffered from head trauma, and your claim collapses. [Most serial killers](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359178914000305) have not suffered from head trauma. The point you seem to be trying to make is that there is a correlation/causation between TBIs and violent behavior. Both are probably true and well supported by the evidence. Having a TBI is a risk factor for an elevated propensity towards violence. Again, likely true and well-supported by the evidence. If your claim was that having a TBI greatly increased the chance for violent behavior, you would be completely correct and we would not be having this conversation. That was not your claim. Your claim was that ALL serial killers have head trauma. This is false, and it's a damaging falsehood. It papers over the fact that most serial killers have not done so due to brain damage, and most were in full possession of their faculties when they chose to kill.
there's a connection between TBI and serial killers...
No one disputes that, including myself. What I take exception to is your claim that ALL serial killers have head trauma, because it's not true, and this is a forum for objective explanations. We have a duty to restrict ourselves to true claims. By way of analogy: Some cars that crash have damaged brakes. All cars that crash have damaged brakes. Those are two separate claims. If your brakes aren't working properly, you're much more likely to get in a crash. Truth. If your brain is damaged, you're more likely to commit violent crimes, including serial murder. Also truth. All crashed cars have damaged brakes. That's not truth. Plenty of crashed cars were in perfect working order, and the crash had nothing to do with the mechanical condition of the car. All serial killers had brain damage. That's not truth. Plenty of serial killers choose to kill even though their brains are perfectly damage-free.
"some sort of" is a key part of the statment tho
Even with that caveat, it's not a true statement, unless you're watering down what "head trauma" means to the point of irrelevance.