Brain & Nervous System Head Trauma Frontal Lobe Head Trauma Effects and Treatment By Eva Hvingelby, NP, PhD twitter linkedin Eva Hvingelby NP, PhD, is a nurse practitioner, researcher, educator, and health consultant specializing in trauma. Learn about our editorial process Eva Hvingelby, NP, PhD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Claudia Chaves, MD on January 05, 2020 Claudia Chaves, MD, is board-certified in cerebrovascular disease and neurology with a subspecialty certification in vascular neurology. Learn about our Medical Review Board Claudia Chaves, MD on January 05, 2020 Print Table of Contents View All Table of Contents The Frontal Lobe Causes Long-Term Effects Treatment Trauma to the frontal lobe of your brain can cause a wide range of problems and changes to the personality. That's because the frontal lobe is responsible for shaping observable behavior and personal characteristics. It controls things such as: Impulse control Motivation Personality Problem-solving Sexual behaviors Social behaviors Voluntary movements Caiaimage / Trevor Adeline / Getty Images The Frontal Lobe The brain is divided into six lobes, or sections: frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal, limbic, and insular cortex. The frontal lobe lies at the front of the brain, beginning right behind the eyebrows, traveling up the forehead, and covering about a third of the top of your head. The left and right sides of the frontal lobe handle some different functions. The right frontal lobe is primarily associated with non-verbal skills, such as interpreting social cues. The left frontal lobe has greater control over language expression. Both the right and left sides of the frontal lobe communicate with each other, so damage to both sides tends to have more profound effects. The Anatomy of the Brain Causes of Head Trauma The frontal lobe is one of the most common areas of the brain to be affected by head trauma. Common causes include the head being hit by: A car dashboard Front handlebars of a bicycle The ground when thrown from a motorcycle A tree or other immobile object during sports An assailant using a blunt object If the skull fractures, it's called an open injury. An open skull fracture over the frontal lobe may push bone fragments into brain tissue. It also increases the risk of infection, because bacteria, fungi, and other infectious organisms can now come into contact with the brain. An open fracture may need to be surgically repaired. Any foreign bodies that entered the brain need to be removed, bleeding has to be stopped and the wound needs to be stabilized and closed. A closed frontal lobe injury means that the skull was not broken or punctured. The damage to the brain may still be serious if the impact caused bleeding or tearing of any of the nerves and tissues. If there is serious bleeding that leads to pressure on the brain, surgery may be needed to stop the bleed and remove the blood. Long-Term Effects Damage to the frontal lobe can lead to a variety of personality and behavioral changes. Some that may impair learning include: Attention and concentration problems Difficulty solving complex problems Language difficulty Slowed critical thinking Altered social behaviors may include: Impatience and intolerance of others Impulsive, dangerous behaviors Increased or decreased interest in sex Increased or decreased talkativeness Lack of spontaneous facial expression Responding inappropriately to social cues Socially inappropriate comments or behaviors, which may be sexual Other problems may be more medical in nature, such as: Depression Impaired movement Insomnia Substance abuse Frontal lobe damage from head trauma manifests in many different ways, depending on the severity of the injury, what sections of the frontal lobe were injured, and pre-existing personality traits. Symptoms of Frontal Lobe Damage Treating Frontal Lobe Trauma With any type of head trauma treatment and brain injury management, the initial interventions focus on stopping bleeding and managing swelling and nerve death. A number of diagnostic tools can help assess head trauma and brain injury. It’s common to have both an X-ray and CT scan immediately after the injury. Next, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan may be used to further identify which areas of the brain suffered damage. Since the front part of the brain is closely related to behavior, a neuropsychologist may complete several personality and skill tests to determine which skills need re-training. Interviews with the patient, family, and friends help the medical team and therapist understand how the injury changed the person. From there, a brain injury rehabilitation plan is developed to bridge that gap and bring the person as closely back to their original functional state as possible. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Traumatic brain injury. Updated February 3, 2020.