Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Austin, Texas (PRWEB) January 14, 2015 On Saturday, April 11, 2015, the Healthy Brain Foundation (HBF) co-hosted with Dell Childrens Medical Center of Central Texas will host the Annual Concussion Conference in Austin, Texas at Dell Childrens Medical Center of Central Texas. This event will attract healthcare and education professionals from a variety of disciplines as well as community stakeholders. This day-long program will encourage education and discussion bringing together experts, practitioners and community stakeholders. The Program Planning Committee has assembled a faculty with renowned clinical experts in the treatment and management of concussions. The Conference will provide opportunities for approved continuing education sessions as well as opportunities for professional networking through social events and special programming. The increased awareness about concussions over the past few years has been great," said Michael Reardon, MD, Chair of the conference program planning committee and a Neurologist at Pediatric Specialty Services and Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas. "However, I know from my daily practice that there are still a lot of misconceptions out there. The pace of new research on concussions has really accelerated, and there is a lot of new information that people may not know about yet. This conference … Continue reading →

Provided by Washington Post NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. The headquarters of Oakley, a maker of recreational and military gear, looks as if it belongs in a war zone. Its a massive bunker with exposed-steel pipes, girders and blast walls. Even the dais in the auditorium is armored. But on a recent afternoon, the talk inside the building, set atop an arid, inland hillside in Orange County, is not about fighting wars but about caring for warriors. Doctors, scientists and veterans approach the podium at a conference to present some of the latest tools to help vets recover from wounds both mental and physical: bionics, virtual reality, magnetic waves. A session called Healing the Warrior Brain features a trim, bleach-blond former Army staff sergeant named Jonathan Warren, who recounts on video his struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder after combat in Iraq. His flashbacks, panic attacks and booze benders were well chronicled: For a year, the Los Angeles Times tracked Warrens efforts to find peace, including via Veterans Administration therapy. It didnt work, he says. But now a different Jon Warren is here to say that he is finally free of symptoms, one year after that 2013 story ran. No longer does his … Continue reading →

Leah Carter, project manager/counselor for Carmel Community Living Corp and Brain Centers, looks over Leonard Grantner's shoulder Thursday as he works on brain development therapy at the center. (Carie Canterbury / Daily Record) If you go What: Grand opening for Carmel Community Living Corp and Brain Centers When: 2-6 p.m. Jan. 15 Where: 402 Valley Road, Suite G More info: Meet the staff, learn about the center and enjoy refreshments. Individuals of all ages can be affected with neurological or neurodevelopmental, intellectual or developmental disabilities. The good news is there is help available close to home. Leonard Granter, 74, attends two sessions a week, for 15 weeks, at Carmel Community Living Corp and Brain Center located at 402 Valley Road, Suite G, in the Fremont Business Development Center. Carmel Brain Therapy is a multi-modality program for the treatment of those with neuro-motor or neuro-developmental issues. The program helps those suffering from attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, Asperger's syndrome and other learning and behavioral problems. The program also helps adults suffering from memory and concentration difficulties such as dementia, Parkinson's disease and traumatic brain injury. Grantner for the past four weeks has participated in brain development therapy, at … Continue reading →

Expert guidance appears in annual military TBI issue of Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation January 8, 2015 - Military service members with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), or concussion, should follow a six-step process of progressive activity, leading to return to active duty, according to new clinical recommendations by an expert panel. The guidance appears in the January-February issue of The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, official journal of the Brain Injury Association of America, an annual special issue devoted to new research on TBI in the military. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. The new guidance includes specific recommendations for rest and activity, based on minimal or absent symptoms at each stage of the progression. The clinical recommendations were developed by a Progressive Activity Working Group established by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC). Specific Guidance for Return to Activity after Military mTBI The Working Group consisted of Department of Defense representatives across all service branches and from the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, as well as other experts with experience assessing military patients with mTBI. The lead author was Karen L. … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- The military is updating its protocol for treatment and return to active duty following concussions and traumatic brain injuries. The new guidelines dictate a six-step process of progressive activity, which must be completed before military personnel are allowed back on active duty. The new guidelines were compiled by the Progressive Activity Working Group, which was assembled by officials at the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. The ad hoc group consisted of experts in neuroscience and brain injuries, as well as Department of Defense representatives from throughout the military. Research shedding new light on the compounding and long-lasting effects of concussions have moved leaders in a variety of fields and industries to rethink treatment and recovery guidelines for traumatic brain injuries. While this development has garnered the most attention within the context of sports, especially football, the military's decision to revamp TBI protocol was, in fact, an effort to personalize rest and recovery guidelines for soldiers and other military personnel -- to update research heavily reliant on sports-related studies. "Although service members share similarities with athletes," lead researcher Dr. Karen L. McCulloch, a neuroscientist at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, wrote in an introduction … Continue reading →

Dr. Marcie Bockbrader adjusts an external brain stimulator on stroke survivor Debbie Hall at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. In an ongoing multi-center clinical trial, researchers are studying whether transcranial magnetic stimulation and occupational therapy can improve recovery for stroke patients. For the study, patients are treated with transcranial magnetic stimulation, which stimulates a specific part of the brain using the Nexstim device, a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulator (TMS), to help improve activity in the side of the body injured by stroke. The study currently has about 60 participants in 12 centers, but researchers are aiming to recruit 200 patients. During a stroke, the blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is blocked by a clot, called an ischemic stroke, or ruptures, known as a hemorrhagic stroke, depriving part of the brain from blood and oxygen. This leads to brain cell death and lasting deficits, which can include changes in speech, as well as vision and memory problems. A patient may also lose feeling and movement in one side of their body due to decreased activity and function in the side of the brain injured by stroke. The decrease in activity is similar to a negative … Continue reading →

MONDAY, Jan. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Newborns with significant jaundice are not likely to develop a rare and life-threatening type of cerebral palsy if American Academy of Pediatrics' treatment guidelines are followed, according to a new study. Jaundice is yellowing of the eyes and skin due to high levels of the liver-produced pigment bilirubin. In most cases, jaundice develops among newborns because their liver is too immature to break down the pigment quickly enough. Usually, this condition resolves without treatment. Some babies, however, must receive phototherapy. Exposure to special lights changes bilirubin into a compound that can be excreted from the body, according to the researchers. If phototherapy fails, a procedure called exchange transfusion may be required. During this invasive procedure, the infant's blood is replaced with donor blood. Recommendations for exchange transfusions are based on bilirubin level, the age of the infant and other risk factors for brain damage. Exchange transfusion isn't without risk. Potential complications from the treatment include blood clots, blood pressure instability, bleeding and changes in blood chemistry, according to the researchers. High bilirubin levels are also risky. They've been associated with a serious form of cerebral palsy called kernicterus. In order to investigate this … Continue reading →

HOUSTON, Texas (Ivanhoe Newswire) Remember standing on your head as a kid? After a minute or so you felt lots of pressure? Scientists say the same thing happens when astronauts fly into space. Without gravity, blood flows to the head, which could cause vision changes and impact future missions. Now new cutting edge devices could help answer those questions and help us here on earth. Exploring space. For retired astronaut Ken Bowersox, there's nothing like it. It's kind of a dream like experience to be able to float around while you're working, Ken Bowersox told Ivanhoe. Bowersox completed five missions including one to the International Space Station. But a weightless environment can take its toll. On every one of my flights, said Bowersox, I noticed that additional pressure in my head. NASA scientists believe the loss of gravity is putting pressure on the brain, causing vision changes in astronauts that could jeopardize future long term missions. There's a number of changes in the microgravity environment, Eric Bershad, M.D., Neurologist and Neurointensivist, and Assistant Professor of Neurology and Space Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine told Ivanhoe. That's why Dr. Eric Bershad has developed a new non-invasive way to measure brain … Continue reading →

Danger Signs Children Take your child to the emergency department right away if the child has received a blow or jolt to the head and: Has any of the danger signs for adults listed on page 4 Wont stop crying Cant be consoled Wont nurse or eat Although you should contact your childs doctor if your child vomits more than once or twice, vomiting is more common in younger children and is less likely to be an urgent sign of danger than it is in an adult Getting Better "Sometimes the best thing you can do is just rest and then try again later. How fast people recover from brain injury varies from person to person. Although most people have a good recovery, how quickly they improve depends on many factors. These factors include how severe their concussion was, what part of the brain was injured, their age, and how healthy they were before the concussion. Rest is very important after a concussion because it helps the brain to heal. Youll need to be patient because healing takes time. Return to your daily activities, such as work or school, at your own pace. As the days go by, you can … Continue reading →

The thick, hard bones of the skull help protect the brain from injury. Also, the brain is surrounded by layers of tissue (meninges) containing cerebrospinal fluid, which cushions the brain. Consequently, most bumps and knocks on the head do not injure the brain. Head injuries that do not affect the brain are considered minor. Head injuries may cause brain injury (traumatic brain injury, or TBI). In the United States, about 13 in 10,000 people sustain minor head injury, and about 3 in 10,000 sustain severe head injury each year. In the United States, from 2002 to 2006, about 1.7 million civilians had TBI each year. About 1.4 million were treated and released from emergency departments. About 275,000 were hospitalized and discharged alive, and 52,000 died. TBI is responsible for about 33% of all deaths caused by injuries of any kind. About 5.3 million people have permanent disabilities due to head injury. About 25 to 33% of people in the United States who have a severe head injury die. About half of head injuries result from motor vehicle crashes, and head injuries occur in more than 70% of severe motor vehicle crashes. Other common causes are falls (especially in older adults … Continue reading →