TBIs Can Impact Thermoregulation
Ideally, all of the extremely complex mechanisms and interactions of the brain and body are designed to work together to maintain optimal functioning and keep the system in balance. However, this can only occur under certain conditions and within certain parameters. The mechanisms must have accurate program coding, be supplied with appropriate and clean nutrients to form and fuel the processes, remain operationally unimpeded (such as from disease, injury, excessive stress, toxins, etc.), and perform within a relatively small temperature range.
Our body, with direction from the brain, expends calculated effort and resources to maintain a relatively steady core temperature of around 98 degrees Fahrenheit (there are slight variations and exceptions, of course). Under normal circumstances (without exercise), our core temperature typically fluctuates only a degree or two during the day. When our immune system detects a threat, however, the brain “raises the bar” and allows a temporary higher core temperature to help fight that threat.
Automatic thermoregulation utilizes various chemical responses that control blood flow, vasodilation and vasoconstriction, sweating, and various forms of thermogenesis. We, also, assist thermoregulation with behavioral and environmental adjustments.
Damage (and/or resulting inflammation) to the brain has the potential to disrupt all of the mechanisms for thermoregulation. In warmer climates, this can be a real problem since a traumatic brain injury sufferer may be more prone to heat stress and hyperthermia for many reasons. In addition to the automatic thermoregulation responses not working properly, there may also be dysfunction in sensory clues normally meant to warn of the need for action. Core temperatures that rise above normal operating ranges can wreak havoc on the brain and body (and may even result in death) if not timely corrected.
From Charles Whitman: Up Against All Odds:
Ambient temperatures in Austin had been extremely high for an extended period of time leading up to a record temperature of 101 degrees Fahrenheit (for the year) on July 31, 1966— the very day he decided to begin carrying out his actions by killing his mother and wife later that night. Brains damaged by TBI are extremely susceptible to heat and, in those conditions, the brain can also swell causing numerous cognitive impairments. “Hot temperatures can stop nerve fibres from working properly,” according to the Brain & Spine Foundation of London. “This means that sometimes messages cannot get through to and from the brain.” When Whitman began shooting from the UT tower, it was close to 100 degrees and it was near noontime. He was also wearing jeans and a second layer of coveralls over that.
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