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Memory Alpha

Brain damage was any form of damage or injury to the brain. There were a variety of causes of brain damage such as from head injuries, cerebral trauma, infections, genetic disorders, or tumors.

One form of brain damage that could easily be treated with Starfleet medical technology was a concussion. Aphasia was normally caused by brain damage. (DS9: "Babel")

In 2267, Spock speculated that if the probe Nomad had indeed only erased Nyota Uhura's memory without causing brain damage, she could be re-educated. Doctor Leonard McCoy later confirmed that she had suffered no brain damage. (TOS: "The Changeling")

In 2268, Lal expressed a high probability (93%) that were Spock to be interrogated by him and his fellow Vians, he would suffer brain damage leading to permanent insanity. This was in contrast to the 87% likelihood that McCoy would die if similarly interrogated. (TOS: "The Empath")

Later that year, McCoy assured Donald Cory that all arterial damage and brain damage should immediately begin to reverse following administration of a new drug treatment for mental illness to Garth of Izar. (TOS: "Whom Gods Destroy")

When Deanna Troi's brain had difficulty processing the emotions from the two-dimensional beings in 2367, it led to brain damage (namely unresponsive cells) in her cerebellum and her cerebral cortex, which resulted in a loss of her empathic abilities. Eventually, this condition reversed itself due to her Betazoid DNA being able to heal brain damage more easily than other species. (TNG: "The Loss")

When Chakotay and Tuvok were in a shuttle accident in 2371, Tuvok had a concussion and Chakotay's bioneural energy was disembodied from his brain. Both recovered with treatment. (VOY: "Cathexis")

In 2373, The Doctor treated B'Elanna Torres after she was found unconscious by Kes near engineering. He found strong signs of telepathic activity and stated that the synaptic patterns of the implanted memories were not compatible with her neural pathways, which was why she passed out, and that it had also caused minor cortical damage which he had corrected. He wanted to put a cortical inhibitor on her to suppress theta wave activity to prevent further brain damage. (VOY: "Remember")

In a deleted scene from Star Trek Generations, Tolian Soran tacitly threatens Geordi La Forge by telling him it is possible to stop the Human heart for up to ten minutes before the onset of brain damage. [1]

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