Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Newswise Baltimore, Md. - Sinai Hospital of Baltimore announces the opening of the new Louis and Phyllis Friedman Neurological Rehabilitation Center. The 20-bed center located on the fifth floor of the hospitals South Tower provides specialized rehabilitation services to adults who have sustained a brain injury, stroke or other neurological disorder and is one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in the state. The center offers a comprehensive, patient-centered approach to treatment, featuring the latest technology; a team of more than 40 doctors, nurses and therapists; and an emphasis on family-centered care. Highlights include: A dedicated nine-bed brain injury unit with the highest number of certified brain injury specialists in Maryland A state-of-the-art gym filled with the most advanced technology to assist patients in their daily therapy, including a ZeroG gait and balance training system, an advanced tool that enables therapists to safely treat patients through a wide range of activities, and the latest generation of training devices for visual perception A simulated community called "Greater Heights" that helps facilitate patients integration into their own community following discharge, featuring grocery store and bus stop settings and an ATM A fully equipped home transition apartment that allows patients to … Continue reading →

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury, or TBI, caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that can change the way your brain normally works. After the original blow, the brain then hits the skull in a counterblow that causes the head and brain to move quickly back and forth. In more severe cases, often as the result of twisting the neck during the blow, pressure is put on the brain stem. This is particularly worrisome, as the brain stem is where all basic involuntary life functions are controlled including heart rate, breathing, sleeping and eating. Bleeding, or other damage may occur as a result of a concussion. Often, people who sustain a concussion cannot remember the events surrounding the blow. Symptoms of a concussion include being drowsy, hard to wake up or similar changes, having a headache, loss of consciousness, memory loss (amnesia) of events before the injury or right after, nausea and vomiting, seeing flashing lights, or even feeling like you have "lost time". Sometimes the symptoms may even be severe enough to seek immediate medical attention. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the U.S. National Library of Medicine … Continue reading →

Fall Sports Season Signals Parents to Watch for Symptoms and Engage School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists to Help Rockville, MD (PRWEB) October 11, 2012 Kids and teens suffering from TBI may struggle with speech, language, and thinking, which can lead to problems reading or memorizing. They may have more trouble than usual focusing on tasks and homework or difficulties paying attention in class. Poor grades and/or problems talking with friends or doing favorite activities may result. Every school district across the United States has a speech-language pathologist (SLP) who can work with a TBI-impacted student and his or her family and teachers to create a treatment plan. Leveraging their training in cognitive communication impairments and experience helping children develop language and reading skills, SLPs can administer and interpret cognitive and behavioral assessments. They may also work with teachers to transition kids returning to school after TBI and modify test times, class loads, homework, and deadlines as needed. Having ongoing access to school-based SLPs can be especially helpful, given that the full impact of a brain injury may not be evident until months or even years later. A child who has a TBI in kindergarten may not have noticeable difficulty in school until … Continue reading →

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Amarantus BioSciences, Inc. (AMBS), a biotechnology company developing new treatments and diagnostics for Parkinson's disease and Traumatic Brain Injury centred on its proprietary anti-apoptotis therapeutic protein MANF, today provided the following update to shareholders from its President & CEO Gerald E. Commissiong: "The fundamental progress the Company has made since our First Annual CEO Letter was released in May has been quite significant. We have achieved the following milestones: While these developments are of significant importance for the Company, advancing MANF as a disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson's disease continues to be our primary focus. We anticipate announcing interim results from on-going delivery experiments by the end of October. The Company is working to secure funding to advance MANF towards an Investigational New Drug filing for Parkinson's disease with the Food and Drug Administration. As new and exciting proof-of-concept data for MANF in secondary therapeutic indications continues to be published by research laboratories throughout Europe, China, Japan and North America, the value of our intellectual property ("IP") portfolio is steadily increasing. We are continually expanding our IP portfolio for MANF by filing and aggregating new patents. As we further carve-out our position as the partner … Continue reading →

BRAINTREE, Mass., Oct. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital (BRH), a world- class rehabilitative care provider, will sponsor the 33rd Annual Neurorehabilitation Conference Saturday and Sunday, November 3 and 4, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts. One of the longest running and most prestigious conferences of its kind, this event brings together thought-leaders in traumatic brain injury, stroke and other neurologic disorders to present the most recent research and clinical findings and discuss their impact on patient treatment. "Neuroplasticity - the brain's ability to remodel itself following injury - is an extraordinary capacity of the brain," said Dr. Douglas Katz, Medical Director of the nationally recognized Acquired Brain Injury Program at BRH. "By better understanding this mechanism, we can leverage its power to enhance recovery and improve quality of life for patients." The conference will feature a veritable Who's Who of specialists in neurology, stroke, spinal cord injury, neurotechnology and more. The conference's featured presenter will be Randolph Nudo, M.D., Director, Langdon Center on Aging; Marian Merrell Dow Distinguished Professor in Aging; and Professor, Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center. His topic will be "Harnessing the Potential of Neuroplasticity to Improve Recovery … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Oct. 8, 2012) Using animal models, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered how a protein deficiency may be linked to frontotemporal dementia (FTD) -- a form of early-onset dementia that is similar to Alzheimer's disease. These results lay the foundation for therapies that one day may benefit those who suffer from this and related diseases that wreak havoc on the brain. As its name implies, FTD is a fatal disease that destroys cells, or neurons, that comprise the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain -- as opposed to Alzheimer's which mainly affects brain's memory centers in the hippocampus. Early symptoms of FTD include personality changes, such as increased erratic or compulsive behavior. Patients later experience difficulties speaking and reading, and often suffer from long-term memory loss. FTD is usually diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 65, with death occurring within 2 to 10 years after diagnosis. No drug exists to slow, halt or reverse the progression of FTD. A new study led by Gladstone Senior Investigator Robert V. Farese, Jr., MD, offers new hope in the fight against this and other related conditions. In the latest issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, available today online, … Continue reading →

Public release date: 8-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Carolann Murphy CMurphy@KesslerFoundation.org 973-324-8382 Kessler Foundation West Orange, NJ. October 8, 2012. Scientists from Kessler Foundation are presenting recent findings during Progress in Rehabilitation Research, the 2012 Conference of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Society of NeuroRehabilitation (ACRM-ASNR). A.M. Barrett, MD, Amanda Botticello, PhD, Peii Chen, PhD, Abhijit Das, MD, Gail F. Forrest, PhD, Yael Goverover, PhD, Denise Krch, PhD, Karen Nolan, PhD, and Mooyeon Oh-Park, MD, are addressing a variety of topics that represent the Foundation's rehabilitation research in stroke, brain injury, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury. A.M. Barrett, MD, the current president of ASNR, is director of Stroke Rehabilitation Research at Kessler Foundation. Drs. Barrett and Chen will present promising results of prism adaptation treatment for spatial neglect, a common post-stroke hidden disability. Dr. Park, the assistant director of Stroke Rehabilitation Research, will present the Foundation's work on the impact of post-stroke cognitive deficits on patient satisfaction surveys of inpatient rehabilitation. Dr. Chen, research scientist in Stroke Rehabilitation Research, will discuss the Kessler Foundation Neglect Assessment Process (KF-NAP)-a new standardized tool for reliable functional assessment evaluation of spatial neglect. Drs. Chen and … Continue reading →

by Michael Pines, Accident & Injury Prevention Expert Kids and brain injury: now that the school season has begun, learn what you can do to prevent brain injury for your little one. When people talk about traumatic brain injury, many assume its the type of injury reserved for professional athletes or those who serve our country. But the truth is, brain injury can happen to anyone, and when it does, lives can be changed forever. When children get injured, not only does the risk for permanent disability skyrocket, but the severity of the injury can increase substantially. Fortunately, most people who sustain a TBI including children will recover from the incident within a few days or weeks. Some mild brain injuries can heal with proper medical care. However, some brain injuries even mild concussions can lead to long-term damage. Now, researchers at The American Academy of Neurology are determining how brain injury affects children and how repetitive TBIs or even one severe blow to the head can lead to a neurodegenerative disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a type of brain injury that can leave an injured person with irreparable brain atrophy similar to Alzheimers disease. Essentially, repetitive … Continue reading →

SUNNYVALE, Calif., and NOKOMIS, Fla., Oct. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Amarantus BioSciences, Inc. (AMBS), a biotechnology company developing new treatments for brain-related disorders including Parkinson's disease and Traumatic Brain Injury ("TBI") centered on its proprietary anti-apoptotic therapeutic protein MANF, and Rainbow Coral Corp. (RBCC) biotech subsidiary Rainbow BioSciences, have selected NuroPro, Amarantus' Parkinson's disease blood test in development to diagnose symptomatic and asymptomatic Parkinson's sufferers, as the target product candidate for the proposed joint venture ("JV"). The pending JV agreement will see the two entities partner towards the commercialization of NuroPro. "This is a cutting edge approach to diagnosing a debilitating disease that afflicts millions of people worldwide," said RBCC CEO Patrick Brown. "The marketplace is crying out for new breakthroughs in the diagnosis of neurological diseases, and we believe NuroPro has the potential to accurately diagnose people who suffer from Parkinson's disease, allowing physicians to initiate treatment regimens earlier, as well as conduct clinical research on disease-modifying treatments in development on a younger population of patients." The deal is being structured to enable completion of the final stages of the NuroPro program, resulting in a commercially viable product to be introduced to the market place. NuroPro is being developed for … Continue reading →

News Friday, October 5, 2012 MANCHESTER Brain Injury and Stroke Education and discussion group for individuals with a brain tumor, brain injury, or stroke, as well as their family and friends. From 6-7:30 p.m. second Tuesday of the month. Group held at Catholic Medical Center. For more information and to register, call Bob Vieira, LICSW, at 663-6662. Im a Survivor This group is geared towards those who have completed or are finishing treatment for cancer. Family members are also welcome. From 4-5 p.m. the last Wednesday of the month at Norris Cotton Cancer Center 87 McGregor St. Call Jane Pinard, LICSW at 629-8683 the day of the group to ensure that the session is being held that day. Living with Cancer Education and support for patients, their loved ones and caregivers, facing the daily challenges of living with cancer. From 3-4 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month at Norris Cotton Cancer Center 87 McGregor St. Call Jane Pinard, LICSW at 629-8683 the day of the group to ensure that the session is being held that day. Phone support groups Read the original post: Local cancer support groups … Continue reading →