KENNEBUNK — The complexities of the human brain are a mystery to most, and the effects of a traumatic injury to the brain are equally beguiling.

Take the tragic case of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, who was recently shot at close range in the head ”“ and survived. A wound of that severity usually results in death, but not only has Giffords survived, she has recently shown signs of higher cognitive functioning, moving her limbs, blinking her eyes and grabbing hold of her husband’s arm, according to published reports.

But what does the future hold for Giffords? Or for that matter, anyone with the misfortune to suffer damage to the most vital of one’s bodily organs? Each case is unique. For Giffords, physicians say it is too soon to tell how well she will be able to function in the everyday world. If the current state of brain injury rehabilitation is any indication, however, then a normal life, or at least a reasonable recovery, is not out of the question.

Take the case of Curtis Hendricksen.

Hendricksen is a resident at the River Ridge Center in Kennebunk, the only facility in York County ”“ and, in fact, the state of Maine ”“ that specializes in treating acquired brain injury and other kinds of cognitive disorders. Hendricksen suffered a traumatic head wound during a period of his life in which he worked at a sewer wastewater treatment facility in Aroostook County.

After an incident that robbed him of much of his cognitive functioning, Hendricksen recounted recently that he became withdrawn, aloof, attending ongoing therapy at River Ridge, but rarely initiating any contact with the other residents. Inactivity was his new normal.

But after a time, whether as the result of therapy or his own force of will, Hendricksen said he devised a project that drew him out of his bubble and united the River Ridge community: An all-natural water filtration system, utilizing many of the concepts learned during his career in wastewater treatment.

“It’s mother nature at its best,” said Hendricksen, visibly proud, this week when showing off his creation.

The filtration system is comprised of two interconnected water jugs, one set on a lower platform than the other. Utilizing the force of gravity, water travels through the jugs and into a large fish tank. By the time the water reaches the tank, it has been purified by rocks, plants and algae from the two jugs; these extract toxins naturally, with no chemical treatment. The goal, when the filtration system is expanded and completed, is to fill the fish tank with water suitable for a living aquarium, the end goal of Hendricksen’s still-functioning imagination.

“Before the project, he would never initiate an action,” said Mindy Morgrage, a River Ridge cognitive therapist. “Now, frequently, after group therapy, he and some of the residents will still be talking about the machine. It has really brought him out of his shell.”

“This is right up his alley,” said cognitive therapist Heather McCoy. “When it’s done, it’ll be a cool water device, and a peaceful part of the room.”

Of course, everybody’s recovery journey is different. River Ridge neuropsychologist Austin Errico said that the brain controls the body’s executive judgment, insight, language and spatial abilities, and that the loss of one or more of these critical faculties can often trigger depression in a patient, who is often aware of his or her own cognitive shortcomings.

“From an emotional standpoint, the person often feels very depressed because of the loss,” said Errico. “Behavior-wise, it can cause a lot of difficulties.”

The level of recovery that can be expected also varies from patient to patient. Steve Fox, a rehabilitation counselor, said that the extent to which a person can rebound from acquired brain injury is oftentimes dependent on their level of cognitive function before the incident; Fox likened the process to that of an athlete recovering from an ankle injury. An athlete can expect to make a more robust recovery than someone who, before the injury, exhibited a lower level of physical performance.

But unlike an ankle injury, a brain injury is something a patient must deal with for life.

“A lot of people come into here thinking, ”˜I’ll be out in a few weeks, or in a month,’” said Fox. “Brain injury is for life. It can have profound lifetime effects. It can be very frightening, and very disturbing.”

That is not to suggest, however, that all is lost after a traumatic injury; Fox and Errico have seen some impressive, and unexpected, recoveries in their careers. That comes as good news not just to those who acquire a brain injury from common incidents ”“ such as automobile accidents or falls from high places ”“ but also to veterans of military conflicts who suffer injury in battle, a common phenomenon during wartime.

According to information provided by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, a national organization dedicated to providing resources to service members living with acquired brain injury, “Of the service members who required medical evacuation for battle-related injuries to Walter Reed Medical Center from January 2001 to March 2008, 32 percent had traumatic brain injury.”

That indicates a significant number of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who require attention and support. There are resources for veterans ”“ such as the Togus VA Medical Center in Augusta and the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center in Washington, D.C. ”“ and civilians alike, including the River Ridge Center in Kennebunk and the Brain Injury Association of America, which has a location in New Hampshire.

In a sun-dappled room in River Ridge, a towering, multi-tiered waterfall made of jugs and rubber tubing stands testament to the attainability of recovery. Hendricksen, its maker, would be the first to say so.

“I’ve learned a lot about myself,” he said.

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319, or jlagasse@journaltribune.com.