Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

E-mail this page to a friend! Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens Hyperbaric Treatment in Oxygen Chamber Brings Stroke Damaged Brains to Life Tenfold increase in oxygen levels during HBOT treatment supplies the necessary energy for rebuilding neuronal connections and stimulating inactive neurons Jan. 23, 2013 - Stroke, traumatic injury, and metabolic disorder are major causes of brain damage and permanent disabilities, including motor dysfunction, psychological disorders, memory loss, and more. Most therapy and rehab has limited success. There is new hope from Tel Aviv University, however, where researchers say they have been able to restore a significant amount of neurological function in brain tissue thought to be chronically damaged even years after the initial damage. Now Dr. Shai Efrati of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine has found a way to restore a significant amount of neurological function in brain tissue thought to be chronically damaged even years after initial injury. Theorizing that high levels of oxygen could reinvigorate dormant neurons, Shai Efrati of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and his fellow researchers, including Prof. Eshel Ben-Jacob of TAU's School of Physics and Astronomy and the Sagol School of Neuroscience, recruited post-stroke patients for hyperbaric oxygen … Continue reading →

JEFFREY BROWN: Next: how brain scans may be able to help identify serious head injuries to living and retired football players and to the rest of us. In less than two weeks, football fans will gather for the country's biggest sporting event, Super Bowl Sunday. But even as pro football is drawing strong ratings, there are growing concerns about the long-term effects of concussions and other hits to the head. Today, researchers in California and Illinois reported they can identify protein deposits in the brains of living players that could help identify those at risk of developing an injury known as CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The study done by Gary Small of UCLA and others is quite small. Five former players, all retired and between the ages of 45 and 73, were given a compound that showed a buildup of a protein known as tau in the brain. DR. GARY SMALL, UCLA: We see, here's the cortex and the deeper brain structures. JEFFREY BROWN: Dr. Small is the lead author of the new paper published in "The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry." GARY SMALL: This is the first time we have been able to image in living football players protein … Continue reading →

By ECM on January 23, 2013 at 6:48 pm by T.W. Budig ECM Capitol reporter Its more than just another bill to her, explained Rep. Laurie Halverson of Eagan. Halverson is carrying legislation to create a research grant program to fund breakthrough research and treatment of spinal cord and traumatic brain injury. Gabe Roderick talks about how a spinal injury has affected his life, and of the simple bodily functions he hopes to regain some day. Rep. Laurie Halverson, DFL-Eagan, standing behind Roderick, is carrying legislation to create a grant program for promising spinal cord and traumatic brain injury research. (Photo by T.W. Budig) A freshman Democrat, she has a background as a caregiver for people with spinal cord injuries. So the proposed creation of the Jablonski/Roderick Spinal Cord and Traumatic Brain Injury Grant Program is emotional. Its an issue very close to my heart, Halverson said. Halverson and Sen. Jeff Hayden, DFL-Minneapolis, admit their legislation faces challenges. They have no funding source for the $4 million a year they want the grant program funded. Read the original: Bill would fund research for spine, brain injuries … Continue reading →

Public release date: 23-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: George Hunka ghunka@aftau.org 212-742-9070 American Friends of Tel Aviv University Stroke, traumatic injury, and metabolic disorder are major causes of brain damage and permanent disabilities, including motor dysfunction, psychological disorders, memory loss, and more. Current therapy and rehab programs aim to help patients heal, but they often have limited success. Now Dr. Shai Efrati of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine has found a way to restore a significant amount of neurological function in brain tissue thought to be chronically damaged even years after initial injury. Theorizing that high levels of oxygen could reinvigorate dormant neurons, Dr. Efrati and his fellow researchers, including Prof. Eshel Ben-Jacob of TAU's School of Physics and Astronomy and the Segol School of Neuroscience, recruited post-stroke patients for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) sessions in high pressure chambers that contain oxygen-rich air which increases oxygen levels in the body tenfold. Analysis of brain imaging showed significantly increased neuronal activity after a two-month period of HBOT treatment compared to control periods of non-treatment, reported Dr. Efrati in PLoS ONE. Patients experienced improvements such as a reversal of paralysis, increased sensation, and renewed use of language. … Continue reading →

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The worlds leading scientific experts in the field of traumatic brain injury will meet on March 6-7, 2013 in Washington, DC for the 3rd Annual Traumatic Brain Injury Conference, hosted by Arrowhead Publishers. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability in the United States and around the world. In the US alone, an estimated 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury every year and over 30 percent of all reported injury-related deaths list TBI as a contributing factor. The intent of this conference is to provide attendees with a holistic perspective on the diagnosis, treatment and outcomes associated with traumatic brain injury. In order to better understand how best to achieve the goal of bringing new therapies to market for TBI, speakers will be presenting novel research in the following areas: The need for consensus on these key subject areas will drive lively and enlightening discussions. The two day conference will feature a wide range of TBI experts from academia, industry, military and government. Some of the featured speakers include: More than thirty experts in the field will be participating in plenary and panel sessions at this dynamic event. Please visit http://www.tbiconference.com … Continue reading →

AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD boy has learnt to walk again after emerging from a coma. For eight months, Kerri Garwood watched her son Daniel Wraight battle with a near-fatal brain injury that had left him bed-bound and unable to feed or walk by himself. my little hero: Kerri Garwood with her son Daniel, 8, who overcame a near-fatal brain injury that had left him unable to feed or walk by himself But now the plucky pupil, who attends Rush Green Junior School, in Rush Green, has just returned to the classroom after a long but successful journey back from a coma that was threatening his life. The youngster, who suffered severe complications during an operation to remove fluid on his brain in May, was welcomed back to his class earlier this month, just two days after leaving hospital and returning home to his family in Rush Green Gardens. myprint-247 Visit our website and save 33% on Recycled Business Cards when you order in January. Use discount code: SAVEBIG at the checkout to apply the discount. Offer applies to any quantity. Valid until: Thursday, January 31 2013 It has been a gruelling journey for Kerri, 28, who said that Daniel's spiralling deterioration began … Continue reading →

The new research comes too late for Junior Seau, but in decades to come it may help ex-football players and others cope with and prevent brain disease related to head impacts. A study released Tuesday reported signs of CTE, a brain disease linked to concussions, had been found in five living former NFL players via scanning that uses low-dose radioactivity. The investigators admit the study was small and more research is needed, but it is potential breakthrough in fighting a disease that has been only diagnosed after death. "One of the problems with CTE cases is that some of them end in suicide. The suicides are often precipitous, without warning," said neurosurgeon Julian Bailes, a co-author of the report and co-director of the NorthShore Neurological Institute in Evanston, Ill. Seau, a former NFL linebacker and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, shot himself to death last May. The National Institutes of Health recently said tests of Seau's brain showed CTE, which has been linked to depression and dementia. "The hope would be if you could identify them while they are in the early states that they could be treated,'' said Bailes, who describes the search for a … Continue reading →

The Infrascanner Model 2000, which uses near-infrared technology to screen for intracranial hematomas, is intended for use on battlefields, in hospitals, and on the sidelines of high-contact sports. The Infrascanner Model 2000 looks for the difference in infrared light absorption between normal brain tissue and hematomas. Some 10 million people around the world seek treatment for head trauma every year, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) is predicted to become the world's third leading cause of death and disability by 2020. The device is meant to be used on eight points of the brain. The Infrascanner Model 2000, a portable intracranial hematoma detector, just may put a dent in the death rate if it helps to quickly spot potential brain bleeds in TBI victims. The handheld device, recently approved for both military and civilian use by the FDA, uses near-infrared (NIR) tech on eight different points of the brain. Because there is a higher concentration of hemoglobin in a hematoma than in normal brain tissue, they absorb NIR light differently, and the device looks for that difference. The scanner was found in a clinical trial to be inferior to an actual CT scan, so it is meant to screen for bleeds … Continue reading →

Public release date: 22-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Connie Hughes connie.hughes@wolterskluwer.com 646-674-6348 Wolters Kluwer Health Philadelphia, Pa. (January 22, 2013) Researchers are making new strides in understanding the health consequences and treatment and rehabilitation needs of combat veterans and other service members affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI). The January-February issue of The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, official journal of the Brain Injury Association of America, is a special issue devoted to new research in military TBI. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. "For the second consecutive year, we've expedited publication of new papers related to diagnosis, management, and rehabilitation of the many thousands of military personnel affected by TBI," comments John D. Corrigan, PhD, ABPP, Editor-in-Chief of JHTR. Contributed by leading U.S. experts in brain injury and rehabilitation, the eight papers in the special issue address a wide range of aspects of military TBIfrom combat to peacetime, and from active duty to many years after trauma. Important Updates on Brain Injury in Military Personnel There's a pressing need for new research on military TBIa problem with lasting consequences on the lives of thousands of Iraq and … Continue reading →

Studies in Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans Show That Even Mild TBI Can Have Lasting Impact Newswise Philadelphia, Pa. (January 22, 2013) Researchers are making new strides in understanding the health consequences and treatment and rehabilitation needs of combat veterans and other service members affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI). The January-February issue of The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, official journal of the Brain Injury Association of America, is a special issue devoted to new research in military TBI. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. "For the second consecutive year, we've expedited publication of new papers related to diagnosis, management, and rehabilitation of the many thousands of military personnel affected by TBI," comments John D. Corrigan, PhD, ABPP, Editor-in-Chief of JHTR. Contributed by leading U.S. experts in brain injury and rehabilitation, the eight papers in the special issue address a wide range of aspects of military TBIfrom combat to peacetime, and from active duty to many years after trauma. Important Updates on Brain Injury in Military Personnel There's a pressing need for new research on military TBIa problem with lasting consequences on the lives of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. It … Continue reading →