The condition described as a shearing injury resulting in permanent neural loss is a concussion. A concussion is classified as a mild traumatic brain injury that occurs when there is a sudden movement of the head that causes the brain to move rapidly back and forth. This motion can lead to stretching and damaging of the brain's neural pathways, resulting in cognitive and functional deficits that may persist over time. The shearing forces involved in a concussion can disrupt neural communication, leading to symptoms such as confusion, memory loss, and in some cases, long-term changes in brain function.
In contrast, a contusion typically refers to bruising of the brain tissue resulting from trauma, which may lead to localized damage but does not inherently imply the widespread neural loss characteristic of concussions. A basilar fracture involves a break at the base of the skull, which can result in various neurological deficits, but the focus is more on structural damage rather than shearing injury. An epidural hematoma is a collection of blood between the skull and the dura mater, often resulting from trauma, leading to increased intracranial pressure and potentially severe consequences, but it does not primarily describe the shearing mechanism associated with neural loss.