Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

ODriscoll, who resigned from the IRB medical advisory board two years ago in protest at its handling of head injuries, cites the treatment of his own nephew, Brian ODriscoll, as evidence of the problem. Speaking at the film premiere last week, Alex Corbisiero, the England and Lions player, said the games protocols for dealing with concussion were laughable. Former players Lewis Moody and Rory Lamont have both also called for stricter controls, suggesting the decision to return to play should be taken by doctors because players would be too influenced by their own career conisiderations. Head injuries can increase the risks of dementia, in particular chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). While boxers were long known to be at risk of brain damage, the risk from other contact sports has only more recently become known. Chris Bryant MP, a former amateur player, has called for a parliamentary inquiry into the way sports handle the issue of concussion, warning that lawsuits over the issue could otherwise be a "real possibility". Such lawsuits have already been seen in the US, where 4,500 former American football players launched a class action suit against the NFL, accusing the league of hiding the dangers of brain injury … Continue reading →

The Kano State Government has released N6.4 million for the treatment abroad of two children who were involved in a motor accident recently in the state. The Interim Management Chairman of Madobi Local Government, Alhaji Auwalu Tudunwada, disclosed this at a press briefing in Kano on Saturday. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the children are Jamilu Ahmed and Idris Yunusa from the Madobi Local Government Area of the state. The LG chairman said the money had since been handed over to the childrens parents to enable them travel immediately to India for the treatment of their wards. The children will undergo brain treatment in India following the brain injury they sustained during the accident, he said. Tudunwada said Yunusas treatment would gulp N4 million while Ahmeds treatment would cost N2.4 million. He commended the state governor, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso, for approving the money, describing the approval as a humanitarian gesture. The Madobi LG Interim Management Chairman also thanked the State Deputy Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, for facilitating the moneys release in his capacity as the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. Also, Tudunwada expressed the local councils intention to rehabilitate its 18 health centres in order to … Continue reading →

PTSD Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Protocols | Personalized Medicine PTSD Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Protocols | Personalized Medicine The Institute of Nutritional Medicine Cardiovascular Research has cutting-edge re... By: Russ Scala … Continue reading →

In conflict zones such as Afghanistan and Iraq, military personnel are often exposed to intense explosive blasts, which can lead to symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and eventually long-term brain damage. Now, new research has revealed that veterans exposed to these types of blasts are still at risk of damage in their brains white matter even when symptoms do not present. The findings, published in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, suggest that the absence of a TBI diagnosis does not necessarily erase a veterans risk of brain damage from blast exposure. According to senior author Dr. Rajendra Morey, very little is known about how explosive forces from bombs, grenades and other military devices impact the brain, but he described them as extremely high-pressure events. From what the military guys tell me, its a huge pressure wave, and it happens very suddenly, Morey, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, told FoxNews.com. It kind of stuns you and could confuse you depending on how strong it is. It can knock you off your feet; throw you against a wall or vehicle. The guys describe being bell rung, where you were stunned to … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise DALLAS February 28, 2014 UTSouthwestern Medical Center today launched the new Texas Institute for Brain Injury and Repair, a state-funded initiative to promote innovative research and education, with the goals of accelerating translation into better diagnosis and revolutionizing care for millions of people who suffer brain injuries each year. The event brought together state government leaders, supporters of UTSouthwestern, and representatives from the National Football League (NFL) to celebrate this new program. Relying on UTSouthwesterns strengths in basic and translational research, the Institute will include scientists focused on improving the understanding of brain damage at the molecular and cellular level, as well as those seeking to identify new therapeutic opportunities, which could ultimately be delivered in clinical care settings. This Institute reflects an effort unprecedented in its commitment to address the devastating effects of brain injury, said UTSouthwestern President Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky. The initiative involves the entire community, from patients and parents to scientists and caregivers. The expansive scope from bench science to bedside treatment and an intense focus on novel therapeutic advances already being developed at UTSouthwestern will, we hope, lead to tremendous benefits for those with brain trauma. This … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise DALLAS Feb. 28, 2014 Ever since 18-year-old Kennedy Garza-Espindola tumbled from the top of a cheerleading formation in late 2012, hitting her head twice in the fall to the ground, getting back to normal has been an unimaginable challenge. As a result of the serious concussion suffered in a Saginaw High School gymnasium, Ms. Garza-Espindola has had to find new ways of processing information and dealing with social situations. Her recovery is painfully slow and could take years due to the unseen damage the injury inflicted on her brain. I may look fine on the outside, but nobody knows what a brain injury is like until they experience it, said Ms. Garza-Espindola, now a freshman majoring in nursing at Texas State University in San Marcos. You have no idea how bad it can be. Ms. Garza-Espindola is the type of patient the new Texas Institute for Brain Injury and Repair at UTSouthwestern Medical Center aims to help. The Institute, which was launched on February 28 by UTSouthwestern, will undertake basic and translational research that will promote better understanding of brain damage at the cellular level and will seek to identify new therapeutic … Continue reading →

March 1, 2014 Many student-athletes step on to the field every Friday or Saturday night in hopes of scoring that touchdown, but often the real struggle occurs when an athlete suffers a concussion and they want to be put back in the game. Jason Freeman, an Associate Professor at the School of Medicine at the University of Virginia, says that is not an option. "Don't ever put children in charge of that decision. Don't put parents and coaches in charge of that decision. We all have agendas that compete very often and certainly a child wants to get back to normal as fast as possible but to do that sometimes it means slowing down taking a step back and making sure that health comes first," says Freeman. University of Virginia's new Brain Injury and Sports Concussion Clinic serves as the epicenter for recovery. Saturday's program allowed anyone looking to learn more about concussions the opportunity to do so by offering techniques to help get kids back in to the classroom. "The main thing with a concussion is that you need a brief period of rest. You need to not be doing physical activity not taxing your brain too much and … Continue reading →

After an individual suffers from a traumatic brain injury (TBI), such as a stroke or concussion, the subsequent treatment can be highly variable depending on the severity of the patients symptoms. Now, new research has revealed that differences in a single gene may predict how well a person recovers from a TBI, compared to others with similar injuries. In a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers focused on the role of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene and how it related to the post-TBI recovery process. Its a basic growth factor in the brain that supports neurogenesis, which is the formation of new neurons, lead researcher Aron Barbey, a professor of neuroscience and of psychology at the University of Illinois, told FoxNews.com. One of the hypotheses is that BDNF would be critical for recovering from TBI and the formation of new neurons following an injury. According to Barbey, there are two different polymorphisms of the BDNF gene: the Met variant and the Val variant. The variants (or alleles) dictate whether the amino acids methionine (Met) or valine (Val) are incorporated in the BDNF protein. Since people inherit two copies of each gene from their parents, individuals can … Continue reading →

Lee County, TX (PRWEB) February 26, 2014 Rainey Owen of Lexington, Texas first learned of the benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) when his grandson Matt Smothermon, who had returned from Afghanistan with traumatic brain injury after three IED attacks and subsequently receiving a Purple Heart, was featured in an Oklahoma news report on the benefits of HBOT. Oklahoma lawmakers are being asked to make HBOT available to Oklahoma Veterans. In the news feature, Smothermon stated that he returned from Afghanistan as only a shell of his former self and was unable to concentrate in order to return to the legal studies he left behind to serve in Afghanistan. At that point, Smothermon signed up for a study at Oklahoma State University on Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for people with post-concussion symptoms from mild traumatic brain injury. Oklahoma State was one of a number of sites in the country participating in the National Brain Injury Rescue and Rehabilitation Project (N-BIRR). N-BIRR was organized by the International Hyperbaric Medical Foundation to test the hyperbaric protocol, HBOT 1.5, developed by Dr. Paul Harch (President of the IHMF), Dr. Neubauer, and their colleagues in New Orleans. Through the efforts of William Duncan, Ph.D., Dr. … Continue reading →

Continue reading page |1|2 Treatment might be possible (Image: Michele Constantini/plainpicture) People in a vegetative state showed signs of awareness after electric brain stimulation and minimally conscious people were able to communicate again TALK about an awakening. People who have been in a minimally conscious state for weeks or years have been temporarily roused using mild electrical stimulation. Soon after it was applied to their brains, 15 people with severe brain damage showed signs of consciousness, including moving their hands or following instructions using their eyes. Two people were even able to answer questions for 2 hours before drifting back into their previous uncommunicative state. "I don't want to give people false hope these people weren't getting up and walking around but it shows there is potential for the brain to recover functionality, even several years after damage," says Steven Laureys at the University of Lige in Belgium, who led the research. People with severe brain trauma often fall into a coma. If they "awaken", by showing signs of arousal but not awareness, they are said to be in a vegetative state. This can improve to a state of minimal consciousness, where they might show fluctuating signs of awareness, which … Continue reading →