Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

ScienceDaily (July 24, 2012) A study, performed in mice and utilizing post-mortem samples of brains from patients with Alzheimer's disease, found that a single event of a moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) can disrupt proteins that regulate an enzyme associated with Alzheimer's. The paper, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, identifies the complex mechanisms that result in a rapid and robust post-injury elevation of the enzyme, BACE1, in the brain. These results may lead to the development of a drug treatment that targets this mechanism to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. "A moderate-to-severe TBI, or head trauma, is one of the strongest environmental risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. A serious TBI can lead to a dysfunction in the regulation of the enzyme BACE1. Elevations of this enzyme cause elevated levels of amyloid-beta, the key component of brain plaques associated with senility and Alzheimer's disease," said first author Kendall Walker, PhD, postdoctoral associate in the department of neuroscience at Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM). Building on her previous work, neuroscientist Giuseppina Tesco, MD, PhD, of Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM), led a research team that first used an in vivo model to determine how a single episode of … Continue reading →

Brooks, Coulson Charged in News Corp. Hacking Probe By David Armstrong - 2012-07-24T04:01:00Z Soon after Peter Price arrived at the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation to recover from a brain injury, he pleaded for a rescue. Jess, they beat me up, Price told his sister, Jessica Alopaeus, in May 2009. You have to get me out of here. Staffers at his new home held him down and punched him in the face and groin, Price said. When Alopaeuss efforts to transfer him stalled, Price said his desperation led him to a step aimed at speeding his release. He swallowed five fish hooks and 22 AA batteries hed picked up during a patient outing at Wal-Mart. After emergency surgery to remove the objects, he was allowed to transfer to another facility. Residents at the Florida Institute have often been abused, neglected and confined, according to 20 current and former patients and their family members, criminal charges, civil complaints and advocates for the disabled. These sources and over 2,000 pages of court and medical records, police reports, state investigations and autopsies contain an untold history of violence and death at the secluded institute known as FINR, which is located amid cattle ranches … Continue reading →

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- InnerSpace Neuro, Inc., developer of the Hummingbird family of products used to treat Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), today reported that an abstract featuring its Hummingbird SynergyDuo Ventricular Catheter is being presented at the Neurotrauma 2012 meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. The company also announced launch of its new Tunneled Ventricular Catheter. The abstract, authored by Dr. Howard Yonas, M.D., et al, from the University of New Mexico, showed that brain access provided by the SynergyDuo Ventricular is critical to ensuring a fixed spatial relationship between the probes with consistent placement in the brains deep frontal white matter. Over 209 procedures were part of the clinical study; 65 of those procedures used the SynergyDuo Ventricular Catheter. Parameter integration, consistencyin catheterplacement,and fixed spatial relationships of brain probes are critical elementsin caring for TBI patients, said Dr. Yonas. The Hummingbird Tunneled Ventricular Catheter, launched at the Neurotrauma meeting, is the first-ever tunneled ventricular catheter that provides dedicated ICP monitoring with continuous ventricular drainage. The companys patented AirPulse ICP technology eliminates the need for a transducer on the external ventricular drainage (EVD) mount, thereby avoiding priming, de-bubbling, breaking sterility to re-zero, and ICP leveling of fluid-filled systems. The Hummingbird Tunneled Ventricular Catheter provides … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (July 19, 2012) New treatments to lessen the severity of the more than 21,000 Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) cases that occur in Australia each year are on the horizon. Published July 19 in the journal, Brain, a study led by researchers from Monash University's Australian Centre for Blood Diseases (ACBD) revealed how inhibiting certain enzymes decreased the severity of TBI, providing a target for future treatments. Caused by a blow to the head, often suffered during falls or road crashes, severe TBI can result in long-term disability or death. Effects can include impairments to cognitive and motor function, vision, hearing and emotional regulation. Additionally, the post-injury disruption to blood flow, oxygen supply and nerve function around the brain has been linked to debilitating diseases including Alzheimer's disease and post-traumatic epilepsy. The study was led by Professor Robert Medcalf and Dr Maithili Sashindranath of the ACBD, who collaborated for five years with scientists at the University of Geneva in Switzerland and the University of Michigan in the United States. Professor Medcalf said the researchers identified two enzymes, known as t-PA and MMP-3, that act together to promote injury severity following TBI. "The enzyme t-PA, well known for its ability to … Continue reading →

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) - At 2:30 a.m. Thursday, a child passed away after a suffering a brain injury. The child's mother and her girlfriend were arrested and are being preliminarily charged in connection to the death. Bloomington Police officers and detectives arrived to the 2300 block of S. Henderson St. at 8:19 p.m. Tuesday in response to a 2-year-old child who was having difficulty breathing. The child was transported to IU Health Bloomington Hospital where medical personnel found indications of possible child abuse, according to a report. Medical staff at the hospital told Bloomington Police that the child had a severe head injury and bruising from what appeared to be from older injuries. The child was transported to Riley Hospital for continued treatment. The childs mother, Tameria Kline, and the mothers girlfriend, Dominique Irby, were brought to the Bloomington Police Department for questioning. Irby admitted to officers that she had abused the child before in the part while the childs mother watched. Both the mother and the girlfriend denied abuse that caused the brain injury, officers say. Irby has been initially charged with battery on a minor, a Class D felony, and Kline has been charged with neglect of a … Continue reading →

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/07/military-report-dod-va-ptsd-programs-effectiveness-071312/ The Defense Department has a woeful lack of information on the effectiveness and related costs of its post-traumatic stress disorder treatment programs, despite having spent millions on various initiatives to address psychological health and traumatic brain injury, a panel of top scientists concluded in a report released Friday. In a review of DoD and Veterans Affairs Department PTSD treatments mandated by Congress in 2010, an Institute of Medicine panel found fewer than half of all service members and veterans who screen positive for the disorders symptoms 40 percent have received referrals for care, and of those, just 65 percent actually go on to get help. The group also concluded that DoD and VA should improve tracking of treatment and outcomes and institute research programs to evaluate the effectiveness of their programs. Treatment isnt reaching everyone who needs it, and the departments arent tracking which treatments are being used or evaluating how well they work in the long term, said committee chairman Sandro Galea, head of the epidemiology department at Columbia University. The withering report comes as DoD and VA grapple with rising mental health issues within their ranks, including suicide. Of the more than 2.6 million active-duty, National Guard … Continue reading →

Instant brain injury detection could soon be reality Imagine a handheld tool that can detect almost instantly whether a person has suffered a concussion or a traumatic brain injury. Researchers at the University of Nebraska are helping make that life-saving device a reality. "This device would be relatively inexpensive and something you could easily take out onto a football field or anywhere you might have a brain injury taking place," said bioanalytical chemist David Hage. When the brain suffers trauma, it releases a protein into the blood stream. Hage has found a way to detect that protein in a single drop of blood. "By measuring how much of the protein is there, you will be able to get an idea how badly that brain injury occurred," Hage said. The immediate information comes from a device the size of a calculator, which can get people treatment quicker and possibly prevent more severe brain damage. "If a person has another concussion while the person is still recovering, the brain can swell and it can be a very catastrophic injury," said Dr. Travis Groft, director of neuropsychology at the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital. The U.S. Department of Defense is helping fund the research, and … Continue reading →

Public release date: 12-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Karen Mallet km463@georgetown.edu Georgetown University Medical Center WASHINGTON Georgetown University and MedStar National Rehabilitation Network announced today a new research and patient care partnership that extends the boundaries of neuroscience. The new Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery marks the launch of a rare research continuum spanning basic and translational science in brain recovery. The Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery focuses on the study of neural plasticity, the biological process that underlies the brain's ability to learn and develop. Researchers say plasticity offers a powerful recovery tool in conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and dementias such as Alzheimer's disease. By understanding brain plasticity mechanisms, scientists can broaden the research focus on finding ways to reverse the effects of neurological damage and disease. "Breakthroughs on these important challenges are within our grasp but require a highly interdisciplinary approach that is still rare among top research universities, largely because of the traditional organization of disciplines and the physical separations among the arts and sciences, basic neurosciences, and medical and educational applications," says Howard J. Federoff, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president for health sciences at Georgetown University … Continue reading →

Provincial politicians heard from a broker, doctors, a physical therapist, a brain injury victim and others during local public hearings on the auto insurance industry. Brampton hosted the second meeting in a series of public hearings being conducted in several Ontario communities. The provincial governments Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs has organized the sessions as part of a study of the auto insurance industrys practices and trends. The study was undertaken to develop recommendations on how auto insurance rates could be made more affordable. The Committee, composed of MPPs from the Liberal, Progressive Conservative and New Democratic parties, was in Toronto Monday. Tuesdays session was held at Bramptons Holiday Inn on Peel Centre Drive. More meetings are scheduled in Windsor and Thunder Bay this week. Mississauga-Brampton South Liberal MPP Amrit Mangat and Bramalea-Gore-Malton New Democrat Jagmeet Singh joined committee proceedings Tuesday to hear speakers and ask questions of presenters. Both politicians have introduced private members bills designed to help lower insurance rates. Singhs was focussed on preventing a drivers home address from being used as the primary factor in determining their policy rates. His proposed bill was rejected by 52-16 vote in the legislature during second reading last … Continue reading →

SAN FRANCISCO The ability for substances to pass through the blood-brain barrier is increased after adult stroke, but not after neonatal stroke, according to a new study by UCSF that will be published today (July 10) in the Journal of Neuroscience. The novel findings may have major implications for drug development and the treatment of neonatal stroke, the researchers said. The blood-brain barrier is selectively permeable and blocks unwanted molecules from entering into the brain. The selectivity is achieved through fine coordination in function of many transporting systems in endothelial cells, which line the interior of blood vessels, and communication between endothelial cells and several types of cells in the brain. When blood flow in an artery to the brain is blocked by a blood clot, as occurs in arterial stroke, brain energy metabolism is compromised, and ion and other transporting systems malfunction, leading to blood-brain disruption. The new finding suggests, the researchers said, that drugs used to treat stroke need to be tailored to the specific makeup of the neonate blood-brain barrier. "How the blood-brain barrier responds to stroke in adults and neonates currently is poorly understood," said senior author Zinaida Vexler, Ph.D., director of research at the Neonatal … Continue reading →