Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

By Chelsea Conaboy / Globe Staff/ June 7, 2013 A group of Boston doctors is proposing to study an emergency treatment for brain-injured patients without obtaining the trauma victims consent, arguing that they often arrive at the hospital unconscious or without family members who can speak on their behalf. Federal law and the ethics of medical research require that patients or their surrogates be told about any risks of participating in a study and have the chance to refuse enrollment. But the law allows for an exemption in certain cases involving emergency care. This would be the first such study conducted at Boston hospitals since the US Food and Drug Administration created the rules allowing for it in 1996. Copyright 2013 Globe Newspaper Company. Get the full story with unlimited access to BostonGlobe.com. Just 99 for 4 weeks. Get Access Now Go here to see the original: Researchers look to conduct research without consent in brain injury study … Continue reading →

Marijuana continues to be a paradox as it makes its way from illicit drug to wonder medicine being used to treat a number of symptoms and disorders more safely than traditional pharmaceuticals. In the latest news, cannabis, which has been associated with long-term cognitive deficits in chronic users, is now being tested as a treatment to preserve brain function after traumatic injury. Amidst the many it-damages-your-brain studies, some reports have shown that cannabis has neuroprotective effects. Studies have suggested that it has protective effects in neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimers, Huntingtons and Parkinsons diseases. The author of the new study, Dr. Yosef Sarne of Tel Aviv University's Adelson Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases, theorized that ultra-low doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of marijuana, induces minor damage to the brain, which may actually precondition the brain to protect it against more severe damage from injuries such as lack of oxygen, seizures or toxic drug exposure. In other words, it may act as a sort of vaccine against more traumatic harm. In Dr. Sarne's animal study, published in the journals Behavioural Brain Research and Experimental Brain Research, researchers injected mice with a single, very low dose … Continue reading →

(PRWEB) June 07, 2013 In a landmark study published in the Journal Neuropsychopharmacology, Susana G. Torres-Platas analyzed the brains of suicide victims and concludes: "The presence of hypertrophic astrocytes in BA24 white matter is consistent with reports suggesting white matter alterations in depression, and provides further support to the neuroinflammatory theory of depression." * Suicide is a serious problem for U.S. military personnel who have suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI). According to an article published May 15, 2013 in JAMA Psychiatry, "Risks of suicidal thoughts in soldiers rises with the number of TBIs they experience - both in the short term and over a person's lifetime." **The standard treatment protocol Neurological Wellness Center physicians employ for individuals who have experienced TBI and have no overt physical symptoms is just four perispinal injections of 25 mg etanercept over 16 day period coupled with oral minocycline 100 mg 2X daily for 50 days. "This treatment interrupts a self-perpetuating cycle of inflammation that can persist for years after the injury," Rolando Hernandez M.D. neurosurgeon for Neurological Wellness Center. This dosage of Enbrel is quite low compared to the recommended dose for moderate rheumatic psoriasis. This dose of minocycline is the same as that … Continue reading →

Queensland scientists will begin clinical trials of treatment for spinal cord injuries after discovering dramatic improvements in balance and coordination when blocking a protein. Researchers at the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR), and the University of Melbourne showed that blocking protein EphA4 could rapidly restore the balance and limb coordination of models with spinal injuries. QBI Director and study co-leader, Professor Perry Bartlett said the research confirmed and expanded on previous studies showing that blocking the action of this protein receptor prevented the loss of nerve tissue following injury and promoted repair. Professor Bartlett and QIMR Professor Andrew Boyd identified the role of EphA4 in 1998. They showed that the EphA4 protein was critical to the development of the nerves which control walking and other complex muscle functions. Subsequent studies showed that after a spinal cord injury, the production of the EphA4 protein was increased and this protein acted to stop severed nerve endings from regrowing through the injury site. Professor Boyds laboratory at QIMR, working with Professor Bartletts lab at UQ, then developed a decoy protein, to block, or inhibit EphA4 function. This has been used to improve recovery of function after spinal … Continue reading →

Lets just say my inbox has been hit hard by people including several current and former NHL players who want to know more about the GyroStim, which I profiled in Sundays paper. There was a lot of stuff I couldnt get into the final version of the print story, including the fact that former Dallas Cowboys stars Tony Dorsett, Randy White and Darren Woodson are now singing the spinning machines praises, after years of head/brain injury problems. Sidney Crosby and Joey Hishon arent the only NHL players who have credited the machine for their recovery from severe concussions. Ottawas Guillaume Latendresse, not mentioned in the story, also said the GyroStim cured his concussion and I know the word cure is a bit strong, but I dont really know what else to call it. A lot of people, therefore, were excited to read about this new technology. And there is more to come from its inventor, Kevin Maher of Colorado Springs. Another thing that didnt make the story is about his new machine called the Performa that promises to improve the spatial awareness of normal, healthy athletes. Maher said he already has sold the machine to one of the biggest teams … Continue reading →

BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- EBS Technologies GmbH, an emerging medical device company developing the revolutionary NEXT WAVE brain stimulation platform for treatment of neurological disorders caused by stroke and brain injury, announced today that it has received CE marking for NEXT WAVE and expects to begin commercialization in Europe immediately as the result of closing a Series B financing round of $3.9 million (3,0 million) from existing investors: including lead investor Earlybird Venture Partners, High-Tech Grnderfonds (HTGF), and Brandenburg Capital. Total investment in EBS Technologies is $8.7 million (6,7 million). There is a very significant unmet clinical need for the treatment of vision impairment caused by a neurological disorder such as a stroke, said Ulf Pommerening, CEO of EBS Technologies. For example, stroke is the worlds third-leading cause of death as well as the leading cause of serious, long-term disability. There are more than 10 million stroke survivors with long-term disability in Europe and the U.S. Three out of five of these disabled persons are potentially treatable with our non-invasive EBS Next Wave therapy. We are extremely pleased that our existing investors, lead by Earlybird Venture Partners, increased their commitment to EBS, based on strong clinical results with our low-risk, non-invasive NEXT … Continue reading →

STOCKHOLM--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News: NeuroVive Pharmaceutical AB (publ)(NVP.ST), a leading mitochondrial medicine company, has recruited the first patient in a Phase IIa clinical trial to evaluate the companys drug candidate NeuroSTAT for the treatment of traumatic brain injury. The trial is being conducted at the Department of Neurosurgery, Copenhagen University Hospital under the supervision of Professor Bertil Romner and Dr Walter Fischer. Bertil Romner is a leading expert in the treatment of traumatic brain injury, and Walter Fischer is the studys principal investigator. The phase IIa trial is an open label, uncontrolled study that will recruit a total of 20 patients. The primary endpoint of the study is to evaluate NeuroSTATs pharmacokinetic properties and safety in patients with severe traumatic brain injury. In addition, secondary endpoints include several monitoring techniques to study the effect of NeuroSTAT at the mitochondrial level and how different biochemical processes are influenced by NeuroSTAT after a brain injury has occurred. Traumatic brain injury is an area of huge medical need for which there are currently no approved pharmaceutical treatment options. Mikael Brnnegrd, CEO of NeuroVive Pharmaceutical said: The inclusion of the first patient in our phase IIa trial to evaluate NeuroSTAT for traumatic brain injury … Continue reading →

BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- EBS Technologies GmbH, an emerging medical device company developing the revolutionary NEXT WAVE brain stimulation platform for treatment of vision deficits caused by neurological disorders, announced today the results of a multi-center, 82-patient clinical trial of its NEXT WAVE brain stimulation device. About one-half of the clinical trial patients were given a 40-minute treatment protocol for 10 consecutive days with the NEXT WAVE device. With a mean increase of 24%, NEXT WAVE-treated patients showed significantly better improvements in stimulation of their total visual field compared to patients in the control group, which did not receive NEXT WAVE stimulation. All patients had vision impairment lasting at least six months prior to the clinical trial and had exhausted all standard therapeutic options to improve their vision. There is a huge unmet clinical need for the treatment of vision impairment caused by a variety of different neurological disorders, such as neuropathy of the optic nerve, brain injury or stroke. For example, stroke alone is the worlds third-leading cause of death as well as the leading cause of serious, long-term disability. There are more than 10.4 million stroke survivors with long-term disability in Europe and the U.S. Three out of five of … Continue reading →

TEL AVIV, Israel, June 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Israel Brain Technologies (IBT) has announced the ten finalists for its $1 million Global B.R.A.I.N. (Breakthrough Research And Innovation in Neurotechnology) Prize competition - an international R&D award for breakthroughs in the field of brain technology. Finalists include leading researchers from the world's elite institutions as well as companies addressing the world's most critical brain-related health issues. The finalists were chosen from amongst entries from eleven different countries. The finalist projects represent breakthrough achievements with potential for significant impact on humanity. The ten finalists are: Dr. Hagai Bergman - Improved adaptive deep brain stimulation technique to treatParkinson's disease and otherbasal ganglia disorders including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders and schizophrenia. Dr. Edward Boyden- Developing optogenetics, which enables cells to be activated by light, towards identifying clinically relevant targets in the brain and for treating brain disorders. BrainGate Team led by Dr. John Donoghue-Development and first demonstrations of a neural interface system being used by people with paralysis to provide direct brain control of communication devices, computers, and robotic limbs to restore functions performed by the arm and hand. ElMindA & Soterix (Collaboration) - Integrating brain functional mapping and monitoring with targeted brain stimulation technology … Continue reading →

Posted on: 10:11 pm, June 1, 2013, by Mark Green, updated on: 10:12pm, June 1, 2013 SALT LAKE CITY A new study indicates people in the military who suffer more than one traumatic brain injury have a higher risk of suicide. Assistant psychology professor Craig Bryan, University of Utah, was the lead author of the research performed by the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah. They studied 161 military personnel stationed in Iraq who had a possible traumatic brain injury and found their risk for suicidal thoughts increased significantly over the short-term as well as throughout the individuals lifetime. Bryan said the problem is complicated by the fact some soldiers are unwilling to face up to the full danger of the situation. Most will minimize the problems and the symptoms theyre having because they dont want to be removed from duty, he said. They want to stay and continue their mission. Bryan said soldiers who do report symptoms after an injury usually see improvement within 24 to 72 hours of the incident. The recovery is quite rapid for concussions as long as the person sidelines for a while, he said. They take some time off. They … Continue reading →