CBIS EXAM PREP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS | CERTIFIED BRAIN INJURY SPECIALIST STUDY
GUIDE 2026/2027
lost productivity - ANS ✔✔one measure of the cost to society due to injury or disease; includes
the loss of wages a person would have earned if they had not become unemployable due to
disability, loss of taxes contributing to economy, costs to the government of supporting the
individual, etc.; lost productivity costs DO NOT include cost of treatment and support post-injury
or illness
acquired brain injury (ABI) - ANS ✔✔An injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital,
degenerative, or induced by birth trauma
traumatic brain injury (TBI) - ANS ✔✔an alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain
pathology, caused by an external force
traumatic impact - ANS ✔✔injuries resulting from contact (when head is struck by or against an
object)
traumatic intertial injuries - ANS ✔✔injury to the brain not caused by impact but as a result of
inertial forces, such as acceleration-deceleration forces
closed injuries - ANS ✔✔injury to the brain resulting in brain lacerations, contusions or
intracerebral hemorrhage
open injuries - ANS ✔✔injury to the head in which there is a breach of the skull or a breach of
the meninges
penetrating brain injury - ANS ✔✔any injury that involves the penetration of a foreign object,
munitions, fragment, bone chip, etc. through the dura mater
,non-traumatic brain injury - ANS ✔✔damage to the brain caused by internal factors, such as
oxygen or nutrient deprivation to brain cells, exposure to toxins, pressure from a tumor or
blockage, or other neurological disorder
coup-contrecoup injury - ANS ✔✔Coup injury: head injury that results from impact of a moving
object--occurs at the site of impact
Contrecoup effect: impact injury resulting from the moving head striking a stationary object--
injury occurs at the side of the head opposite the point of impact
primary injury - ANS ✔✔initial cause of damage to the brain, from which injury severity ratings
are obtained
secondary injury - ANS ✔✔pathophysiological events that occur following the initial primary
injury to the brain
loss of consciousness (LOC) - ANS ✔✔temporary altered state, unlike sleep, when a person is
unresponsive to stimuli; usually due to trauma, stroke, or other injury
risk factors for brain injury - ANS ✔✔injury severity
age at injury
alcohol misuse
domestic violence
service in the military
participation in sports
history of prior brain injury
chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) - ANS ✔✔a condition, diagnosed after death, relative
to multiple concussions caused by significant force. A progressive degenerative disease, CTE is
,most often sustained by athletes participating in contact sports; may also be observed in
domestic violence victims or abused children who have sustained numerous blows to the head
neurogenic bladder - ANS ✔✔a secondary condition caused when a TBI affects the cerebral
structures controlling bladder storage and emptying functions
spasticity - ANS ✔✔involuntary, abnormal motor patterns; may interfere with a person's general
functioning, self-care, and mobility
activities of daily living (ADLs) - ANS ✔✔dressing, eating, showering, toileting, walking
post-traumatic immune paralysis - ANS ✔✔acute period after sustaining significant bodily
trauma, when the immune response is significantly impaired; frequently associated with the
high prevalence of potentially life-threatening infections post-injury
computed tomography (CT) - ANS ✔✔a cross-sectional series of X-rays used to view body
organs, allowing medical professionals to view the scans in multiple individual layers; some
scans can be reconstructed into a 3D image
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - ANS ✔✔a technique that uses a magnetic field and radio
waves to create detailed images of the organs and tissues within the body
diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) - ANS ✔✔an MRI method that maps the diffusion of molecules,
primarily water, in a person's body non-invasively
acceleration-deceleration forces - ANS ✔✔sudden impact following a high velocity of speed,
frequently resulting in brain injury
intracranial pressure (ICP) - ANS ✔✔Pressure inside the skull from the brain and CSF. Pressure
may vary due to production and absorption of CSF following injury.
, subdural hematoma (SDH) - ANS ✔✔bleeding into the space between the dura mater and the
arachnoid layers of the meninges
hydrocephalus - ANS ✔✔Abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the
brain
diffuse axonal injury (DAI) - ANS ✔✔brain injury occurring when the white matter tracts are
stretched and broken, resulting in extensive, widespread damage
hypoxia/anoxia - ANS ✔✔decrease in/absence of oxygen getting to the brain; results in cell
death
major descending nerve tracts - ANS ✔✔-anterior corticospinal tract
-lateral corticospinal tract
-rubrospinal tract
-tectospinal tract
major ascending nerve tracts - ANS ✔✔-fasciculus cuneatus and fasciculus gracilis
-Lissauer's tract
-anterior and posterior spinocerebellar tracts
-spinothalamic tracts
-spinoreticular tract
-spinotectal tract
neuroprotection - ANS ✔✔preservation of neuronal functioning and structure; reducing the
rate of neuronal loss over time; refers to the ability of a drug or biological agent to prevent brain
cells from dying
GUIDE 2026/2027
lost productivity - ANS ✔✔one measure of the cost to society due to injury or disease; includes
the loss of wages a person would have earned if they had not become unemployable due to
disability, loss of taxes contributing to economy, costs to the government of supporting the
individual, etc.; lost productivity costs DO NOT include cost of treatment and support post-injury
or illness
acquired brain injury (ABI) - ANS ✔✔An injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital,
degenerative, or induced by birth trauma
traumatic brain injury (TBI) - ANS ✔✔an alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain
pathology, caused by an external force
traumatic impact - ANS ✔✔injuries resulting from contact (when head is struck by or against an
object)
traumatic intertial injuries - ANS ✔✔injury to the brain not caused by impact but as a result of
inertial forces, such as acceleration-deceleration forces
closed injuries - ANS ✔✔injury to the brain resulting in brain lacerations, contusions or
intracerebral hemorrhage
open injuries - ANS ✔✔injury to the head in which there is a breach of the skull or a breach of
the meninges
penetrating brain injury - ANS ✔✔any injury that involves the penetration of a foreign object,
munitions, fragment, bone chip, etc. through the dura mater
,non-traumatic brain injury - ANS ✔✔damage to the brain caused by internal factors, such as
oxygen or nutrient deprivation to brain cells, exposure to toxins, pressure from a tumor or
blockage, or other neurological disorder
coup-contrecoup injury - ANS ✔✔Coup injury: head injury that results from impact of a moving
object--occurs at the site of impact
Contrecoup effect: impact injury resulting from the moving head striking a stationary object--
injury occurs at the side of the head opposite the point of impact
primary injury - ANS ✔✔initial cause of damage to the brain, from which injury severity ratings
are obtained
secondary injury - ANS ✔✔pathophysiological events that occur following the initial primary
injury to the brain
loss of consciousness (LOC) - ANS ✔✔temporary altered state, unlike sleep, when a person is
unresponsive to stimuli; usually due to trauma, stroke, or other injury
risk factors for brain injury - ANS ✔✔injury severity
age at injury
alcohol misuse
domestic violence
service in the military
participation in sports
history of prior brain injury
chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) - ANS ✔✔a condition, diagnosed after death, relative
to multiple concussions caused by significant force. A progressive degenerative disease, CTE is
,most often sustained by athletes participating in contact sports; may also be observed in
domestic violence victims or abused children who have sustained numerous blows to the head
neurogenic bladder - ANS ✔✔a secondary condition caused when a TBI affects the cerebral
structures controlling bladder storage and emptying functions
spasticity - ANS ✔✔involuntary, abnormal motor patterns; may interfere with a person's general
functioning, self-care, and mobility
activities of daily living (ADLs) - ANS ✔✔dressing, eating, showering, toileting, walking
post-traumatic immune paralysis - ANS ✔✔acute period after sustaining significant bodily
trauma, when the immune response is significantly impaired; frequently associated with the
high prevalence of potentially life-threatening infections post-injury
computed tomography (CT) - ANS ✔✔a cross-sectional series of X-rays used to view body
organs, allowing medical professionals to view the scans in multiple individual layers; some
scans can be reconstructed into a 3D image
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - ANS ✔✔a technique that uses a magnetic field and radio
waves to create detailed images of the organs and tissues within the body
diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) - ANS ✔✔an MRI method that maps the diffusion of molecules,
primarily water, in a person's body non-invasively
acceleration-deceleration forces - ANS ✔✔sudden impact following a high velocity of speed,
frequently resulting in brain injury
intracranial pressure (ICP) - ANS ✔✔Pressure inside the skull from the brain and CSF. Pressure
may vary due to production and absorption of CSF following injury.
, subdural hematoma (SDH) - ANS ✔✔bleeding into the space between the dura mater and the
arachnoid layers of the meninges
hydrocephalus - ANS ✔✔Abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the
brain
diffuse axonal injury (DAI) - ANS ✔✔brain injury occurring when the white matter tracts are
stretched and broken, resulting in extensive, widespread damage
hypoxia/anoxia - ANS ✔✔decrease in/absence of oxygen getting to the brain; results in cell
death
major descending nerve tracts - ANS ✔✔-anterior corticospinal tract
-lateral corticospinal tract
-rubrospinal tract
-tectospinal tract
major ascending nerve tracts - ANS ✔✔-fasciculus cuneatus and fasciculus gracilis
-Lissauer's tract
-anterior and posterior spinocerebellar tracts
-spinothalamic tracts
-spinoreticular tract
-spinotectal tract
neuroprotection - ANS ✔✔preservation of neuronal functioning and structure; reducing the
rate of neuronal loss over time; refers to the ability of a drug or biological agent to prevent brain
cells from dying
