Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

By David Armstrong - 2012-09-10T10:00:00Z A Florida brain-injury facility accused of abusive and substandard practices is fighting a state order to move out scores of patients, saying regulators are overstepping their authority. The Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation, located 50 miles southeast of Tampa in rural Wauchula, told the state Friday that it would not begin the process of discharging any patients until a judge hears an appeal it filed on Aug. 28. That action, before the Division of Administrative Hearings, alleges state regulators exceeded their authority in ordering the removal of patients and acted in an arbitrary and capricious way. The dispute stems from a surprise inspection last month by three state agencies. Regulators moved in after Bloomberg News reported on dozens of cases of alleged abuse and neglect at the for-profit facility, known as FINR. Patients families or state agencies have accused the centers staffers of abuse or care lapses in at least five residents deaths since 1998, two of them in the last two years. Michelle Dahnke, a spokeswoman for the states Agency for Health Care Administration, which was sent FINRs response, declined to comment. State investigators determined FINR was breaching its license by treating 50 patients … Continue reading →

Novi, MI (PRWEB) September 10, 2012 Dr. Randall Benson will present on the latest techniques in neuroimaging at the North American Brain Injury Societys (NABISs) 25th Annual Conference on Legal Issues in Brain Injury, September 13-15, in Miami, FL. Dr. Benson is nationally recognized for his research into traumatic brain injury (TBI). In 2010, Benson testified before the U.S. Congress Judiciary Committee on his research into neuroimaging of retired National Football League (NFL) players. Earlier this week, the NFL announced it had granted $30 million to the National Institutes of Health for medical research. The announcement followed research that suggests NFL players are at higher risk of death from brain disorder than the general population. Dr. Benson holds a dual fellowship in behavioral neurology and functional neuroimaging from Massachusetts General Hospital. He received his residency training in neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine. A board-certified neurologist and medical director at the Center for Neurological Studies (CNS), he has authored or co-authored numerous research articles in juried publications, has spoken on the topic of brain injury/disorder around the world, and has been and is involved in significant research projects. At the NABIS conference, Dr. Bensons presentation will focus on … Continue reading →

The Fort Detrick-based Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs on Friday announced $100 million in grants to fund research into the diagnosis and treatment of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury. The money follows an executive order issued by the White House on Aug. 31 that calls for expanded mental health services for members of the military, veterans and their families. The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs are funding the research, CDMRP spokeswoman Gail Whitehead said. Two consortia, one to focus on PTSD and another on mild TBI, are to be set up. Investigators from a number of organizations, including the Defense Department, VA and academia, are expected to collaborate on the work, which will take place over five years, Col. Dallas Hack, director of the Combat Casualty Care Research Program at Detrick, said Friday. The Army has grappled with PTSD and mild TBI in recent years. The long-term health consequences for those who suffer are not well understood. "We didn't want a single (consortium) to try to be everything to everybody," Hack said. More than 2 million service members have deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq since Sept. 11, 2001. The Army estimates that as many as … Continue reading →

Newswise Keith Yeates, PhD, director of the Center for Biobehavioral Health in The Research Institute at Nationwide Childrens Hospital, has been designated lead neuropsychologist for a five-year, multisite study of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among United States children, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The grant is for approximately $2.75 million. We know surprisingly little about the effects of treatment on the outcomes of traumatic brain injury in children and adolescents, said Dr. Yeates. The results of this study should help us provide parents of children with TBI with better evidence-based recommendations for their childrens care. The study will include children 8 to 18 years and is designed to examine the effect of treatment during the acute, short-term and longer-term phases of care on the functional, psychosocial and disability outcomes after traumatic brain injury. The study consortium involves investigators at Harborview Medical Center and Seattle Childrens Hospital, Texas Childrens Hospital, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, and Nationwide Childrens. In addition to his role as the studys lead neuropsychologist, Dr. Yeates, also a faculty member at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, will also serve as Nationwide Childrens principal investigator on the grant. View post: CDC Traumatic Brain … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Sep. 7, 2012) New research offers a possible strategy for treating central nervous system diseases, such as brain and spinal cord injury, brain cancer, epilepsy, and neurological complications of HIV. The experimental treatment method allows small therapeutic agents to safely cross the blood-brain barrier in laboratory rats by turning off P-glycoprotein, one of the main gatekeepers preventing medicinal drugs from reaching their intended targets in the brain. The findings appeared online Sept. 4 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and is the result of a study from scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health. "Many promising drugs fail because they cannot cross the blood-brain barrier sufficiently to provide a therapeutic dose to the brain," said David Miller, Ph.D., head of the Laboratory of Toxicology and Pharmacology at NIEHS, and leader of the team that performed the study. "We hope our new strategy will have a positive impact on people with brain disorders in the future." In a two-pronged approach, the research team first determined that treating rat brain capillaries with the multiple sclerosis drug marketed as Gilenya (fingolimod) stimulated a specific biochemical signaling pathway in the … Continue reading →

A WOMAN HAS sued Nebraska coach Bo Pelini's foundation and offensive coordinator Tim Beck, alleging she suffered a traumatic brain injury while participating in a drill at a football clinic put on by the foundation 2 years ago. Beverly Morgan, 66, of Lincoln said in the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Lancaster County Court that she fell and hit the back of her head during a drill in which a gauntlet of women struck her with blocking pads. The fall caused her cap and earrings to fly off, according to the lawsuit. Beck oversaw the drill and, according to the lawsuit, encouraged the women in the lines to "hit her." After Morgan fell, Beck helped her to a chair on the sideline and left. Morgan alleged Beck was negligent because he failed to warn participants of the dangers of the drill and never saw to it that she received on-site medical treatment. The lawsuit seeks $92,500 in medical costs and punitive damages. Morgan's injury occurred at an event targeted at women known as Football 101. It was supposed to be an annual event but was not held in 2011 or 2012. The 1-day event held June 2, 2010, at the University … Continue reading →

Tyler Layer doesnt remember the hit that took him out of football for good last August or the two weeks that followed. The hit knocked him out for a minute or two and caused him to miss the season. When he suffered a second concussion after a fall at home this summer, his doctor made it official: No more football. The risk of further injury to his brain was too great. Experts hope regulations put into place last year regarding concussions in high school athletes will prevent long-term damage in teens like Tyler. Its too soon to tell, though, if the rules are having the desired effect, they say. The Ohio High School Athletic Association, like its counterparts nationally, requires that athletes who show signs of a concussion loss of consciousness, dizziness, confusion, headache and vomiting or nausea be pulled out of a game. To return to play that day, they need to be cleared by a doctor, osteopath or licensed athletic trainer who certifies that they dont have a concussion, said OHSAA spokesman Tim Stried. It makes coaches and officials keep an eye out for these types of injuries and make sure the kids get referred to medical professionals, … Continue reading →

13:04 GMT, September 2, 2012 BETHESDA, Md. | The proper management of traumatic brain injuries has become a military medical standard of care thats returning 95 percent of service members with mild TBI back to the field within five days, said an Army neurologist who served on a Joint Chiefs of Staff panel to develop the protocol. Army (Dr.) Col. Geoffrey Ling, program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, addressed medical care providers Aug. 27 on the militarys model approach to TBI in a lecture at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence on the campus of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, here. Ling, who retires today, has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and as both a professor and interim chairman of neurology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and director of neurocritical care at Walter Reed. He also is an attending neurocritical care physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and has a doctorate in pharmacology. TBI is considered a signature wound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. With the adversity of war and the incidence of TBI, Ling said, the opportunity arose to do something about it. Weve developed a system of … Continue reading →

By Peter Williamson, Washington Saturday, September 01, 2012 The NFL moved this week to try to shut down lawsuits filed by thousands of former players who say they suffered or fear suffering permanent brain injuries from football-related concussions, calling the issue a "labour dispute" that should be resolved not by courts but by terms of the collective bargaining agreement. The players accuse the NFL of negligence and say league officials concealed known medical links between concussions and brain injuries, leading many of them to suffer from dementia or Alzheimers disease, or be at an increased risk of reckless or suicidal behaviour. In a motion to dismiss the suits filed late Thursday night, the NFL argues the collective bargaining agreement covers safety and health rules while delegating to each team decisions about a players condition and when they should return to play. And the league said the suits lack any specific proof of concealment. To the extent that plaintiffs have a claim addressing injuries incurred during their NFL careers, that claim may only proceed pursuant to the grievance procedures set forth in the CBAs (collective bargaining agreements)., the motion said. About 140 NFL concussion lawsuits have been consolidated in federal court … Continue reading →

Local brain injury rehabilitation center and Fort Worth community come together to prevent brain injuries among local elementary, middle and high school students CORRECTION...by Pate Rehabilitation DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Second graph of release dated August 28, 2012 should read: Fort Worth Safe Communities Coalition along with Fort Worth police and firefighters will be handing out donated helmets on Wednesday, Sept. 12 at pre-selected elementary, middle and high schools to students who arrive on their bicycles, skateboards or scooters without any head protection. Pate Rehabilitation will be on-site at Forest Oak Middle School helping hand out helmets. (Sted: Pate will be handing out their donated helmets on Friday, August 31, at Forest Oak Middle School to students who arrive on their bicycles, skateboards or scooters without any head protection.) Brain injuries can be a life altering event that no one wants to see anyone go through, especially children. While there has been great improvement in the treatment of brain injuries, prevention will always outweigh the cure. The corrected release reads: PATE REHABILITATION JOINS FORCES WITH FORT WORTH SAFE COMMUNITIES COALITION TO EDUCATE LOCAL YOUTH ON BICYCLE HELMET SAFETY Local brain injury rehabilitation center and Fort Worth community come together to prevent brain injuries … Continue reading →