Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

JOHNSTOWN, CAMBRIA COUNTY--- The Department of Defense made the decision to close two of the network sites of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, one of which is in Johnstown. The decision was made in June 2013. On the center's website it was stated that it was not currently treating patients, no service members care was impacted. The center was started through earmarks from Congressman John Murtha. The neurorehabilitation site treated service members experiencing ongoing symptoms from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and, simultaneously, another condition that might include behavioral health issues. In a statement online: "Because the facilities were unique and intensive, they handled a small number of patients and incurred high costs compared to other facilities. As the contract for the two sites expired and costs were measured, including those for a necessary information technology upgrade at each site, the DOD decided that other existing facilities could provide this care for service members." 30 people were laid off as a result of the center closing. Senator Bob Casey released a statement about the closing to WTAJ News. "The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center provided award-winning treatment for our military and veterans with brain injuries with professionalism … Continue reading →

Experts used to think that when a region of the brain is damaged, its function is lost forever. However, new studies revealed that the brain can reorganize itself after injury so that when nerve cells die, their functions are taken over by other cells. Neuroplasticity is the principle behind CSMCs revolutionary robotic technology This is the principle behind neuro-plasticity which is also the science behind the ground-breaking In-Motion Robotic Therapy a revolutionary technology that helps patients relearn arm movements that were affected by stroke. Cardinal Santos Medical Center (CSMC), located in Greenhills, San Juan, recently introduced the first In-Motion Robotic Therapy in the country. This breakthrough medical technology provides rehabilitation treatment for stroke survivors and patients with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and other neurological conditions. CSMC Department of Rehabilitation Medicine chair Dr. Ofelia Reyes said the In-Motion Robotics is a cost-effective therapy because of its intensive nature such that results can be seen in a shorter period of time compared to standard stroke rehabilitation treatments. And as proven by actual cases of our patients, the effects are long-term and longer lasting. The treatment gives stroke and other neurological patients new hope for a better quality of life, … Continue reading →

KUSA - It's a risk snowboarder Kevin Pearce experienced firsthand. On New Year's Eve in 2009, Pearce's life and career in snowboarding changed forever after a crash during practice. Pearce was known as the one snowboarder who could challenge Shaun White at the Vancouver Olympics. But on that practice run, he suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him in a coma, followed by a long road of adjusting to what would be a lifelong disability away from the sport. Pearce's story has now been captured in a new HBO documentary called "The Crash Reel. " Directed by two-time Oscar nominee Lucy Walker, the film follows Pearce and his family and friends, using footage that captures the soul of the sport at a time when the stakes - and danger - have never been higher. The Crash Reel was an official selection at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and won the Audience Award at South By Southwest Film Festival. Pearce's horrific crash was initially captured on film by his buddies who rushed to the scene. After being airlifted to University Hospital in Salt Lake City, Pearce was transferred to Craig Hospital, where he received treatment in the hospital's Brain Injury … Continue reading →

Anne Jones, 62, and Robin Jones, 73, at their home in Menlo Park, Calif. He took a test that revealed proteins typical of Alzheimer's disease. Anne Jones, 62, and Robin Jones, 73, at their home in Menlo Park, Calif. He took a test that revealed proteins typical of Alzheimer's disease. If you're having chest pain, your doctor can test you for a heart attack. If you're having hip pain, your doctor could test for osteoarthritis. But what if you're depressed? Or anxious? Currently there are no physical tests for most disorders that affect the mind. Lab tests like these could transform the field of mental illness. So far efforts to come up with biomarkers for common mental health disorders have proven largely fruitless. That doesn't stop people from trying. Doctors are trying to create them, and patients are taking them, too, even though they know that existing biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease, for instance have serious limitations. Six years ago, Robin Jones of Menlo Park, Calif., found himself in a parking lot. He had no idea where his car was. That was unlike him. He was a 67-year-old scientist who worked on nuclear energy plants, one who was good with details. … Continue reading →

To view our videos, you need to enable JavaScript. Learn how. install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now. Then come back here and refresh the page. Tom Barber had a brain injury when he slipped and fell on ice and landed on the side of his head. "He started with the excruciating headaches and the nausea and the vomiting," Chick Barber, Tom's wife, said. When Barber fell, it caused his brain to bleed. Doctors decided to wait and see, hoping that the blood would dissipate. But a few weeks later at a check up, it was obvious he was in trouble. "The nurse said, 'Your birthday, Mr. Barber,' and he had slurred speech," Chick Barber said. The blood began to spread, placing more pressure on his brain. He needed surgery, but because he had a heart condition and was on blood thinners, he was not a candidate for the traditional, risky, open cranial brain surgery. But thankfully there was another option. "It's something new," said Dr. Julie Pilitsis. "We can take out this blood at the bedside rather than going to the operating room." It's called a bedside burr-hole subdural drainage, or in less technical terms, bedside brain surgery. … Continue reading →

Reston, VA; Orlando, Florida (PRWEB) July 02, 2013 Occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, neuropsychologists and others who treat individuals with brain injury may now learn ALL of the evidence-based cognitive rehabilitation strategies recommended in scientific literature in one two-day training course based on the ACRM Cognitive Rehabilitation Manual: Translating Evidence-Based Recommendations into Practice. Coming to the Orlando, FL region November 12 13, 2013 at Disneys Contemporary Resort / Walt Disney World Resort, FL, USA, the course will be held in conjunction with the 90th Annual ACRM Conference, Progress in Rehabilitation Research. Advance registration rates are available at http://www.ACRM.org/COG The training encompasses all of the evidence-based strategies recommended in the scientific literature and operationalizes them into step-by-step guidelines for immediate use in clinical practice. Course content is designed to enable participants to confidently choose proven interventions for effective treatment of various cognition impairments. Never before have research outcomes been so accessible for use in everyday clinical practice. Based on the Cognitive Rehabilitation Manual: Translating Evidence-Based Recommendations into Practice, this live introductory training operationalizes scientific recommendations into standards and step-by-step procedures that may confidently be used by rehabilitation professionals. "Leaders of the interdisciplinary team taking care of people with cognitive disfunction need to … Continue reading →

ATLANTA--July 1, 2013: NAPA AUTO PARTS is once again launching its "Get Back and Give Back" Campaign to support the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF), a not-for-profit organization that serves United States military personnel wounded or injured in service to our nation, and their families. Starting today and running through July, the "Get Back and Give Back" Campaign makes it easy for those interested to contribute to the IFHF, which this year is raising funds to build new facilities focused on the diagnosis and treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injuries. The "Get Back and Give Back" Campaign will offer a nationwide text-to-donate program during the month, which allows anyone to text 'NAPA' to 27722 to make a $10 donation. NAPA AUTO PARTS and NAPA AutoCare Centers are also offering customers mail-in rebates of up to $25 for every battery, alternator, and starter they purchase during the month. Customers can choose to donate all or a portion of these rebates, and NAPA AUTO PARTS will also donate $1 to the IFHF for any redeemed rebate. "NAPA has a very large military family, including our employees and our customers who have served or are actively serving in … Continue reading →

The mental fuzziness induced by cancer treatment could be eased by cognitive exercises performed online, say researchers. Cancer survivors sometimes suffer from a condition known as "chemo fog"a cognitive impairment caused by repeated chemotherapy. A study hints at a controversial idea: that brain-training software might help lift this cognitive cloud. Various studies have concluded that cognitive training can improve brain function in both healthy people and those with medical conditions, but the broader applicability of these results remains controversial in the field. In a study published in the journal Clinical Breast Cancer, investigators report that those who used a brain-training program for 12 weeks were more cognitively flexible, more verbally fluent, and faster-thinking than survivors who did not train. Patients treated with chemotherapy show changes in brain structure and function in line with diffuse brain injury, and they often report long-term cognitive effects, says Shelli Kesler, a Stanford University clinical neuropsychologist who led the research. The new study "suggests that cognitive training could be one possible avenue for helping to improve cognitive function in breast cancer survivors treated with chemotherapy," she says. The results may not convince everyone. "One of the biggest challenges in the cognitive training world is to … Continue reading →

MORRISVILLE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oxygen Biotherapeutics, Inc., (OBI) (OXBT), today announced enrollment of the first subject in the second cohort of its global Phase IIb clinical trial to investigate the safety and tolerability of Oxycyte in patients with severe, non-penetrating traumatic brain injury (STOP-TBI). The first patient of the second cohort was enrolled in Israel at the Rambam Health Care Campus (RHCC) - the only Level 1 trauma center in the north of Israel. The RHCCs neurotrauma center treats approximately 200 severe brain injuries annually and is recognized as a teaching center of excellence for the region. The neurotrauma center is led by Dr. Leon Levi who, together with Department of Neurosurgery Chief, Professor Menashe Zaaroor, serve as co-principal investigators in the STOP-TBI trial. The first cohort, of the three-cohort study, concluded with an independent safety monitoring board recommending, unanimously, advancement to Cohort 2. In addition to the 5 study centers receiving ethics committee approval in Israel, the study is expected to include sites in Switzerland, France and Spain, as well as other countries to be named later. Dr. Levi, who is Oxygen Biotherapeutics National Advisor in Israel for the study, recently commented, The neurosurgical department at RHCC is proud to … Continue reading →

The cause of strokes in younger people remains largely a mystery. The cause of strokes in younger people remains largely a mystery. Twenty percent of strokes hit people under age 65, and the cause of many of those strokes remains a mystery. Having had a concussion or other traumatic brain injury might make the risk of a stroke more likely, a study says. Back in 2011, researchers in Taiwan had unearthed an association between traumatic brain injury and stroke by combing through hospital records. It's one of those "Oh, really?" findings that gets scientists itching to check it out themselves. Researchers at the University of Michigan and the VA Center for Clinical Management and Research took on the challenge. They dug through billing records from emergency rooms in California from 2005 to 2009. They found more than 436,000 people who had come to the ER with a traumatic brain injury. Those people were 30 percent more likely to have a stroke afterwards than people who hadn't had a traumatic brain injury. A little over one percent of them ended up having a stroke later on. The results were published online in the journal Neurology. The researchers found that people under … Continue reading →