Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Schertz, TX (PRWEB) September 19, 2013 Professional Center for Enhanced Performance recommends parents consider the benefits of Neurofeedback to prepare for their kids new school year. Neurofeedback is an exercise for the brain to help with focus, concentration, memory, and attention - all of which are needed to excel in the educational setting. It is training in self-regulation which is necessary for optimal brain function. Furthermore, the exercise can improve symptoms of ADHD, ADD, and other learning disorders/difficulties. While, ProCEP believes Neurofeedback is extremely useful for schoolchildren, the method can improve cognitive function for any individual. It is proven to help relieve a variety of conditions such as mood swings, PMS, and organic brain disorders including seizures, stroke and traumatic brain injury. For parents looking to help their children reach peak performance, Neurofeedback is great for musicians, athletes, and leaders. College students can benefit greatly from this therapy as well. Neurofeedback has been proven to be a successful form of PTSD, anxiety, drug abuse, addiction, migraine and depression treatment. With the stressors of a new semester, students would be best served utilizing a therapy to improve focus. No drugs are used during treatment. The Professional Center for Enhanced Performance offers … Continue reading →

September 18, 2013 [ Watch the Video: Pain in the Brain with Dr. Vania Apkarian ] Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online By using brain scans on chronic pain sufferers, neuroscientists based in Chicago have discovered a connection between the brain and experiencing chronic pain, according to a report in the journal Pain. We may have found an anatomical marker for chronic pain in the brain, said study author Vania Apkarian, a professor of physiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. About 23 percent of individuals with low back pain are chronic, or long-term, sufferers. While some sources of pain can be seen at the site of injury, recent research indicates that the brain may be more involved with chronic pain than previously thought. Currently we know very little about why some patients suffer chronic low back pain, said Dr. Debra Babcock, a program director at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The earlier we detect pain will become chronic, the better we may be able to treat patients. The research team began by scanning the brains of 46 volunteers who reported low back pain for about three months before coming to a hospital for … Continue reading →

Denver, CO (PRWEB) September 17, 2013 The Invisible Brain Injury Project (http://www.invisibleheadinjury.com), a partnership between the Tug McGraw Foundation and CereScan Corp. of Denver, CO, and others has recently surpassed the $100k mark in initial funding. This project is specifically geared to seek new and more efficient identification of and treatment for invisible wounds such as Mild-to-Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI). The Invisible Brain Injury Project is aimed at addressing mTBI sustained by current and former military members and is an endeavor sponsored in part by CereScan, a clinical facility dedicated to state of the art functional brain imaging for the identification of a wide array of brain based disorders. John Kelley, Chairman and CEO of CereScan comments, We are delighted to see the donations to this project continue to increase. When combining the power and capabilities of both The Tug McGraw Foundation and CereScan, the Invisible Brain Injury Project stands as a beacon of hope for the thousands of brain injured service members who are seeking assistance. The continued growth of donations to this project speaks to an increasing national awareness of the problems confronted by our returning warfighters who have sustained an mTBI and the demonstrated track record … Continue reading →

ORILLIA- Andrew Parks had started to believe he wasnt going to get better. After months of literally sitting alone in the dark, the 21-year-old Orillia native, who suffered a serious blow to the head during a hockey game in September 2012, was questioning if it was how he was going to be living the rest of his life. You dont think its ever going to be any different, Parks said, a huge smile on his face as he shared the story of his recovery. After six long months and little to no improvement in his condition, Parks was admitted to the Carrick Brain Center in Marietta, Ga. the same one where NHL superstar Sidney Crosby received treatment in 2011 to which he credits a large portion, if not all, of his recovery. Its like I never had a concussion, said Parks, who has moved to New York state, where hes playing hockey for Brockport University this fall. Parks, a forward with the Trenton Golden Hawks Junior 'A' hockey team, was hit from behind and driven head first into the boards last year during an early regular-season game against the Kingston Voyageurs. Other than the fact his neck was sore, he … Continue reading →

Newswise Schaumburg, IL, Sept. 16, 2013 The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) will address the latest developments in traumatic brain injury (TBI), neuromodulation and stroke at three new Innovation and Technology Symposia. The meetings will take place during the CNS Annual Meeting, October 19-23, 2013, at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco. The sessions will offer neurosurgeons the opportunity to collaborate on new technologies and innovations fueling the advancement of neurosurgery in three critical treatment areas. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Oct. 19, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Course Directors: Raj K. Narayan, MD and Jack Jallo, MD CME Credits: 6 This session will feature world-renowned TBI expert Julian E. Bailes, Jr., MD, Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery and Co-Director of the NorthShore University HealthSystem Neurological Institute in suburban Chicago, and also a former NFL and NCAA team physician. Along with other highly accomplished TBI specialists, Dr. Bailes will discuss the alarming escalation of TBI, especially among athletes and the military. In recent years, news coverage shows that even celebrities, including George Clooney, Gary Busey, Brett Michaels and Natasha Richardson, have suffered from TBI. In the past decade, researchers have learned more about concussions and other head injuries than ever … Continue reading →

Public release date: 14-Sep-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Meng Zhao eic@nrren.org 86-138-049-98773 Neural Regeneration Research In recent years, neurotoxicity from exposure to low levels of lead in the environment has become increasingly prevalent. Therefore, the discovery of herbs that have lead-eliminating properties without harmful side effects is essential for the management of lead poisoning. Preliminary studies by Yu Wang and colleagues from Longnan Teachers College have verified that olive leaf extract can protect the blood, spleen and hippocampus in lead-poisoned mice. However, little is known about the effects of olive leaf extract on lead-induced brain injury. A recent study from Yu Wang and colleagues investigated brain histological structure and antioxidant capacity in lead-poisoned mice as well as apoptotic factors in the cerebral cortex of mice using transmission electron microscopy, spectrophotometry and immunohistochemical staining. The researchers have confirmed that olive leaf extract can inhibit lead-induced brain injury by increasing antioxidant capacity and reducing apoptosis. These findings, published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 22, 2013), initially reveal the action mechanism underlying olive leaf extract treatment for lead poisoning, and provide scientific evidence and theoretical basis for development and utilization of olive leaf in boosting the body … Continue reading →

Public release date: 16-Sep-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Timothy S. Paul tp2111@columbia.edu 212-305-2676 Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has awarded a five-year, $1.5 million grant extension to Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health to fund research into the function of a biomarker for brain injury called Translocator Protein 18 kDa, better known as TSPO, in order to better understand its function in brain injury and inflammation and discover targets for therapy. Toms Guilarte, PhD, chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, will lead the new studies. Dr. Guilarte pioneered these studies beginning in 1995 that led to the validation of the biomarker and established its use in research studies underway around the world. When the brain is injured, TSPO levels increase markedly in the areas of brain injury. The process can be made visible using Positron Emission Tomography (PET), providing a real-time picture of where the damaging inflammation from injury is happening and the ability to track how treatment reduces this inflammation. But little is known about how or why this happens. TSPO, previously known as Peripheral … Continue reading →

Published: Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, 9:20p.m. Updated 8 hours ago As thousands of troops returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with head wounds between 2007 and 2010, the Veterans Affairs regional health system in central Texas closed a research center that was established for such injuries. Timothy Shea, director of the VA Heart of Texas Health Care Network in Arlington, pushed to close the center and fire its chief neurologist. Afterward, Shea retired and became a VA consultant. Dr. Robert Van Boven, the neurologist who ran the Brian Injury and Recovery Laboratory in Austin, sued the VA and eventually settled his lawsuit for undisclosed terms. His lawyer, Tom Devine of Washington, said Van Boven was decisively vindicated and emerged with a big smile of thanks. Shea told the Tribune-Review that the Van Boven dispute was a very minor thing and did not influence his decision to retire at 61. In his lawsuit, Van Boven said the VA hired him in 2007 to run the brain injury center, a joint project with the University of Texas. The VA put $6.3 million toward its startup and the Office of National Drug Control Policy gave $4.5 million for equipment for graduate education and research. … Continue reading →

The New Jersey-based International Brain Research Foundation isnt without its critics, who say it oversells its accomplishments and may be preying on desperate families. In particular, the foundation faces criticism for combining a variety of experimental treatments, none of which have been proven conclusively to work. The not-for-profit group posted $5.5 million in revenues and a 38 percent profit margin in 2011. The foundation (www.ibrfinc.org) paid chief executive officer Philip DeFina, a neuropsychologist, a $404,435 annual salary in 2011, according to the foundations most recent IRS Form 990. Theyre not recognized by anybody in the mainstream, said Dr. David Cifu, professor and chairman of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Virginia Commonwealth University. Theyre not doing good science. When you look at their research, its not what I would treat patients based on. Cifu, 51, said its hard to know whether the foundations treatments really are helping people because there hasnt been rigorous evaluation of those methods. He added that some nutraceuticals can harm patients. The bigger risk is offering false hope, Cifu said. Some things in life are permanent, and thats sad. The foundations chief medical officer, neurologist Dr. Jonathan Fellus, rejected Cifus statements, though Fellus said he and others … Continue reading →

Immediate resuscitation crucial to treat brain injury - HeadInjuryUK.com Immediate resuscitation and assessment is crucial in brain injury treatment, neurosurgeon explains. By: Head Injury UK … Continue reading →