Brain Injuries: A Multidisciplinary, Illustrated Guide
Galina Nikolskaya, MD & Nicholas Rowley, JD
Description
Description
Brain Injuries: A Multidisciplinary, Illustrated Guide, by board-certified neurologist Dr. Galina Nikolskaya and trial lawyer Nicholas Rowley, provides a comprehensive masterclass on traumatic brain injuries.
In an illustrated question-and-answer format modeled after how Rowley questions his experts during direct examination, Nikolskaya and Rowley cover everything from the basics of brain anatomy to unique symptoms, physical exam findings, specialized neurodiagnostics, and treatment and rehabilitation strategies, while providing insights gained from years of experience working on brain injury cases in the courtroom. The authors are also joined by specialists in audiology, ophthalmology, neuropsychiatry, and rehabilitation medicine who offer unique insights from their various fields on issues your injured clients may experience.
A traumatic brain injury is a complex condition that can have profound effects on your client's cognitive, physical, and emotional functioning. This two-volume set gives you the background necessary to counter defenses and teach juries what they need to know to provide just verdicts for your clients. As Nick Rowley writes:
It's important that we know the anatomy of the brain. If we don't know the anatomy, our opponents will. If we don’t know the anatomy, we're going to lack the credibility that we would have if we had a full understanding of the brain and how it works.
If we were trying a case that involved an engine that exploded, we would need to know what an engine is made of—its parts, its function, how the gaskets and fluids work, everything about the engine. It's our job to understand the engine—in this case, the brain—and educate the jury. In the courtroom, we are teachers and directors. The experts are just that, the experts, but it’s our job that when we try a brain injury case, that the jurors finish our trial with an understanding of the brain that they've never had before. We must become the authority on any subject matter that we’re going to present in front of a jury.
Anytime you're litigating a brain injury case, whether you’re reviewing an MRI report, a neurologist's report, an EMG (electromyography) report, or a neuropsychology report, you can look to this [set] to identify the different parts of the brain that have abnormalities. Using the clinical data, objective testing, and imaging, we can start to understand what has happened to our client, the human we represent.
Tens of thousands of people walk around every day with traumatic brain injuries—at times with no obvious signs or neurological or cognitive symptoms. The changes in your clients might be in their personality, cognition, memory, sleep patterns, reading comprehension, or ability to work. Unless you understand brain injuries, their long-term effects, and how they occur, you risk missing the full story.
Nikolskaya and Rowley prepare you to handle the many nuances of brain injury cases. With this two-volume set, you will be better armed to navigate everything from clinical evidence gathering and expert testimony to advocating for just compensation for brain injury survivors. This unique guide is designed to serve as an accessible educational resource. It presents complex neurological concepts and brain injury medicine in a comprehensible manner to help you secure outstanding outcomes for your brain-injured clients.
Details
Details
Hardback: Hardcover; Two Volumes; 704 pages; 1st edition (2026); 7x10; 2-Volume Set: 978-1-951962-85-2; Volume 1: 978-1-951962-86-9; Volume 2: 978-1-951962-87-6
Publisher: Trial Guides, LLC
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Volume I
Introduction
- Brain Anatomy Overview by Galina Nikolskaya, MD and Nicholas Rowley, JD
- Mechanisms of Traumatic Brain Injuries: Microscopic and Structural Damage by Galina Nikolskaya, MD and Nicholas Rowley, JD
- The Neurological Exam: From Normal to Objective Evidence Across Traumatic Brain Injury Severity by Galina Nikolskaya, MD and Nicholas Rowley, JD
- Audiology and Vestibular Issues in Traumatic Brain Injury by Robert Allen, Au.D.
- Acute Traumatic Brain Injury-Related Brain Bleeds by Galina Nikolskaya, MD and Nicholas Rowley, JD
- Subacute and Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury Bleed Complications by Galina Nikolskaya, MD and Nicholas Rowley, JD
- Blood Neurotoxicity in Traumatic Brain Injury: Microscopic Insights by Galina Nikolskaya, MD and Nicholas Rowley, JD
About the Authors
Volume II
Introduction
- Traumatic Brain Injury-Vulnerable Brain Regions and Associated Symptoms by Galina Nikolskaya, MD, and Nicholas Rowley, JD
- Sleep Disorders in Brain Injury by Galina Nikolskaya, MD
- Post-Traumatic Brain Injury Visual and Ocular-motor Dysfunction by Penelope Suter, OD
- Neuro-Ophthalmologic Assessment in Traumatic Brain Injury: Advances in Visual-Oculomotor Diagnostics by Marianna Samuels, OD
- Post-Traumatic Headaches by Galina Nikolskaya, MD, and Nicholas Rowley, JD
- Conventional and Advanced Neuroimaging in Traumatic Brain Injury by Cyrus A. Raji, MD, PhD, Galina Nikolskaya, MD, and Rod J. Oskouian, MD
- Interactions Between Traumatic Brain Injuries and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder by Lester Zackler, MD, Galina Nikolskaya, MD, and Nicholas Rowley, JD
- Rehabilitation and Reintegration After Traumatic Brain Injury by David Patterson, MD, Galina Nikolskaya, MD, and Nicholas Rowley, JD
About the Authors
Free Chapter Sample
Free Chapter Sample
What Legal Leaders Are Saying
— Brian Panish, Managing Partner at Panish|Shea|Ravipudi, past president of the Inner Circle of Advocates, has nine verdicts over 50 million, forty over 10 million, and one product liability verdict against General Motors for $4.9 billion“Nick Rowley and Dr. Galina Nikolskaya’s book, Brain Injuries, is an exceptional and highly valuable resource that masterfully bridges the gap between complex medical science and practical legal application, offering a clear, engaging, and deeply informative exploration of traumatic brain injury that is accessible without sacrificing sophistication. Through its unique question-and-answer format, and richly illustrated explanations, it transforms intricate neurological concepts—such as brain anatomy, neuronal communication, and the functional impact of injury—into understandable and compelling material, while simultaneously equipping legal professionals with the tools to effectively analyze, present, and advocate brain injury cases, making it not only an educational text but also a strategic guide. What truly distinguishes the work is its multidisciplinary voice, blending the clinical expertise and teaching clarity of a neurologist with the real-world trial insight of an accomplished attorney, resulting in a narrative that is both authoritative and practical, and further enriched by vivid analogies (like the brain as an orchestra or a city), detailed visuals, and real-world context that enhance retention and understanding. Overall, the book stands out as a definitive, thoughtfully crafted, and indispensable reference for anyone seeking a deeper comprehension of brain injury—whether in medicine, law, or advocacy—and reflects a rare combination of intellectual rigor, clarity, and purpose.”
— Arash Homampour, the Homampour Law Firm, Los Angeles; Super Lawyers Top 10 Southern California“Every trial lawyer who handles brain injury cases knows the gap between understanding the medicine well enough to talk about it and understanding it deeply enough to teach it to a jury. This book closes that gap. Dr. Nikolskaya and Nick Rowley have created something I wish existed when I tried my first TBI case: a comprehensive, beautifully illustrated guide written in a direct-examination Q&A format that mirrors how we actually learn from experts and present evidence in the courtroom. The multidisciplinary approach, covering everything from cellular neuroanatomy to neuroimaging to rehabilitation, gives attorneys and medical professionals alike the foundation to truly advocate for brain injury survivors.”
— William Barton, trial lawyer and author of Recovering for Psychological Injuries“Brain Injuries: A Multidisciplinary, Illustrated Guide by Nick Rowley and Galina Nikolskaya, MD is accurate, brief, and clear, and the gold standard for future legal books. Why? Because (1) it’s presented in a question-and-answer trial format that mimics the courtroom, and (2) it emphasizes the “mild” TBI, which is the kind that the defense thrives on and most of us have, and (3) the book has over 180 trial ready medical illustrations and (demonstrative) exhibits. The questions are by Nick Rowley, one of the nation’s finest trial lawyers, and the answers are by Galina Nikolskaya, MD, a forensic neurologist with a focus on brain injuries. You can’t do any better. It’s all here—waiting for you and your next client.”
— Randi McGinn, past president of the Inner Circle of Advocates, AAJ Speaker, Trial Guides author, and New Mexico trial lawyer“If you could choose one part of your body you would never want injured or impaired, it would be your brain—the center of your ability to reason, to remember, to connect with your loved ones and the world around you. Nick and Dr. Nikolskaya have written a book that helps us understand the profound loss suffered by people who are brain-injured. More importantly, it shows us how to explain the depth of this loss to judges and jurors. If you have a brain injury case, this book is a must-read.”
