Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Oak Brook, IL (PRWEB) June 17, 2013 The distribution of white matter brain abnormalities in some patients after mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) closely resembles that found in early Alzheimers dementia, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. Findings of MTBI bear a striking resemblance to those seen in early Alzheimers dementia, said the studys lead author, Saeed Fakhran, M.D., assistant professor of radiology in the Division of Neuroradiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Additional research may help further elucidate a link between these two disease processes. MTBI, or concussion, affects more than 1.7 million people in the United States annually. Despite the name, these injuries are by no means mild, with approximately 15 percent of concussion patients suffering persistent neurological symptoms. Sleep-wake disturbances are among the earliest findings of Alzheimers patients, and are also seen in a subset of MTBI patients, Dr. Fakhran said. Furthermore, after concussion, many patients have difficulty filtering out white noise and concentrating on the important sounds, making it hard for them to understand the world around them. Hearing problems are not only an independent risk factor for developing Alzheimers disease, but the same type of hearing problem … Continue reading →

Public release date: 18-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Linda Brooks lbrooks@rsna.org 630-590-7762 Radiological Society of North America OAK BROOK, Ill. The distribution of white matter brain abnormalities in some patients after mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) closely resembles that found in early Alzheimer's dementia, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. "Findings of MTBI bear a striking resemblance to those seen in early Alzheimer's dementia," said the study's lead author, Saeed Fakhran, M.D., assistant professor of radiology in the Division of Neuroradiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "Additional research may help further elucidate a link between these two disease processes." MTBI, or concussion, affects more than 1.7 million people in the United States annually. Despite the name, these injuries are by no means mild, with approximately 15 percent of concussion patients suffering persistent neurological symptoms. "Sleep-wake disturbances are among the earliest findings of Alzheimer's patients, and are also seen in a subset of MTBI patients," Dr. Fakhran said. "Furthermore, after concussion, many patients have difficulty filtering out white noise and concentrating on the important sounds, making it hard for them to understand the world around them. Hearing problems are not … Continue reading →

By Todd Feathers, Globe Correspondent For the past two years, Samantha Matteis family has hoped for a multimillion-dollar award in their suit against the MBTA to pay the burgeoning medical costs she has incurred since suffering a brain injury in a 2009 Green Line trolley crash but their hopes were dashed Monday. Mattei, a 23-year-old Salem resident who was studying mathematics at Merrimack College, was one of several passengers hurt. The MBTA admitted liability in the collision because the trolley operator was found to have been text messaging on his cellphone. Mattei took the transportation agency to court in 2011, asking for $8.6 million to pay for her treatment and compensate her for pain and suffering and loss of future income, according to court documents. But a jury in Essex Superior Court in Lawrence awarded her nearly $580,000, disappointing Mattei. After lawyers fees are deducted, the sum will barely pay for her medical expenses to date, which have already risen to about $390,000, her father Fred Mattei said today. It leaves us a very uncertain future about how were going to afford to take care of my daughter and pay her medical bills, he said. What dazzled me was that … Continue reading →

By Kim Walter Although disappointed with the final General Assembly budget, the Brain Injury Association of Virginia will continue fighting for improved and increased services for those with brain injury in underserved areas. Local residents living with brain injury or caring for someone who has suffered from one attended a budget hearing at Lord Fairfax Community College earlier this year. There, they shared personal stories of triumphs and setbacks with legislators, and pleaded for additional funding to support services that can't be found in the area. Community members also described their struggle with waiting lists for services and waivers. The Senate and House Appropriation Committee allocated $105,000 for brain injury service providers to go toward alleviating waiting lists, which is supposed to impact 87 people. Funding was not appropriated to expand core services to underserved areas such as the northern Shenandoah Valley. Anne McDonnell, director of the Brain Injury Association of Virginia, said the expansion of services is vital to the region. The northern Shenandoah Valley district has about 5,000 people living with a disability from a brain injury, she said. "That's not even including the people who claim to be recovered, or are just kind of hanging on," she … Continue reading →

Newswise The Department of Defense has established the world's first brain tissue repository to help researchers understand the underlying mechanisms of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in service members. The announcement follows Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's Symposium on Traumatic Brain Injury. Secretary Hagel convened a group of senior defense officials, experts in the medical field, and outside organizations to discuss advancements and areas of collaboration regarding traumatic brain injury. "We have been at war for more than a decade and our men and women have sacrificed," said Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense (health affairs) and director, TRICARE Management Activity. "The military health care system is bringing all the resources it can to better understand how to prevent, diagnose and treat traumatic brain injuries and to ensure that service members have productive and long, quality lives. Our research efforts and treatment protocols are all geared toward improving care for these victims. And that will have benefits to the American public, at large." The Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine Brain Tissue Repository for Traumatic Brain Injury was established at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) in Bethesda, Md., with a multi-year grant from the U.S. Army … Continue reading →

Ted Dwane, bassist for the musical group Mumford & Sons, has a blood clot on the surface of his brain, which requires him to have emergency surgery, according to news reports. HuffPost Entertainment reported that the blood clot was discovered via a scan after he reported not feeling well. Because of Dwane's surgery, the group has canceled concerts this week. According to the American Society of Hematology, symptoms of a blood clot in the brain include seizures, speech problems, visual disturbances and weakness. Depending on where the clot is located in the body, treatment could range from blood-clot dissolving medicines or blood-clot preventing medicines, to surgery. Blood clots usually form when your blood vessels experience injury, and dissolve away once the injury is healed; however, sometimes the clots form in non-injured blood vessels, or don't dissolve completely, according to the American Society of Hematology. The Mayo Clinic reported that blood clots can also break off and travel to other parts of the body, such as the lungs (which causes life-threatening pulmonary embolism) and the brain (which can lead to stroke if an artery that supplies blood to the brain is blocked by the clot). There are numerous risk factors for … Continue reading →

Traumatic Brain Injury Patients Treated with Anti-Spasm Agent Partially Recover from Disorders of Consciousness At the International Neuromodulation Societys 11th World Congress, Dr. Stefanos Korfias of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Athens will present the results of a clinical study led by Professor Damianos Sakas, which showed that two of six in-patients studied at Evangelismos Hospital in Athens steadily emerged from minimally conscious state after receiving intrathecal baclofen (ITB) after traumatic brain injury. The drug relaxes spasticity that can result from brain injury and may be used to facilitate care, but is not normally used to restore function. The patients, a 24-year-old man and a 29-year-old man, had been in minimally conscious states for three years and 18 months, respectively. Their scores on a revised coma recovery scale (with a maximum of 23) increased from 10 19 and 11 22, respectively. Minimally conscious state is defined as a consciousness disorder in which a patient shows fluctuating, but not reproducible, signs of self-awareness and the surroundings. Most patients in a minimally conscious state also have moderate to severe spasticity as a result of their injuries. Dr. Konstantinos Margetis, who contributed significantly to this study, notes that some sporadic … Continue reading →

June 12, 2013 At the International Neuromodulation Society's 11th World Congress, Dr. Stefanos Korfias of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Athens will present the results of a clinical study led by Professor Damianos Sakas, which showed that two of six in-patients studied at Evangelismos Hospital in Athens steadily emerged from minimally conscious state after receiving intrathecal baclofen (ITB) after traumatic brain injury. The drug relaxes spasticity that can result from brain injury and may be used to facilitate care, but is not normally used to restore function. The patients, a 24-year-old man and a 29-year-old man, had been in minimally conscious states for three years and 18 months, respectively. Their scores on a revised coma recovery scale (with a maximum of 23) increased from 10 -- 19 and 11 -- 22, respectively. Minimally conscious state is defined as a consciousness disorder in which a patient shows fluctuating, but not reproducible, signs of self-awareness and the surroundings. Most patients in a minimally conscious state also have moderate to severe spasticity as a result of their injuries. Dr. Konstantinos Margetis, who contributed significantly to this study, notes that some sporadic case reports have suggested a potential beneficial effect of … Continue reading →

Public release date: 10-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Lauren Scrivo LScrivo@KesslerFoundation.org 973-324-8384 Kessler Foundation WEST ORANGE, N.J.The New Jersey Commission on Brain Injury Research awarded two grants to scientists at Kessler Foundation to study emotional processing deficits in people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the effects of aerobic exercise on memory impairments after TBI. The grants exceeded $500,000. "With the support of the Commission, we look forward to expanding our knowledge of how the brain functions after brain injury and developing treatments that improve the function of individuals with TBI," said Nancy Chiaravalloti, Ph.D., director of TBI and Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Research at Kessler Foundation. "Aerobic exercise, if proven effective, is cost-effective, natural and readily available, so individuals have control of their rehabilitation. These studies incorporate brain imaging at the new Neuroimaging Center at Kessler Foundation, which shows the importance of gathering objective data to make innovative rehabilitation interventions widely accessible." Jeanne Lengenfelder, Ph.D., assistant director of Neuropsychology Research, was awarded $397,941 for three years to evaluate impaired emotional processing in individuals with TBI (CBIR13IRG026). Unable to recognize facial expressions and social cues, they often have difficulty maintaining personal relationships. Dr. Lengenfelder and Research Scientist Helen … Continue reading →

Published: 7:34AM Saturday June 08, 2013 Source: Fairfax Carla Grobler, of Paraparaumu, and her daughter, Amelia Grobler Barrington, 3, who was left brain-damaged after a serious medical mishap - Source: Fairfax After winning a 3-year battle with ACC on behalf of her brain-damaged daughter, Carla Grobler feels like the war is only just beginning. In 2009, Grobler gave birth to a girl in Christchurch Hospital. Soon afterwards, the baby, named Amelia, developed seizures and was diagnosed with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy - a brain injury caused by a deprivation of oxygen. Several hours before delivery, Grobler was running a high fever. During the delivery, a doctor had difficulty turning the baby into the correct position. A caesarean section was ordered but a midwife had forgotten to inform the anaesthetist that Grobler had previously experienced problems with an epidural. This resulted in Grobler being able to feel the scalpel as the procedure began, leading to another delay in delivery while a general anaesthetic was administered. When baby Amelia finally arrived, she had to be resuscitated and soon began suffering seizures. But ACC declined Grobler's injury claim after it received medical advice that chorioamnionitis, a bacterial infection, could have been the cause of … Continue reading →