Dietary supplement may protect the brain from injury The dietary supplement creatine can protect the brain when its oxygen supply is reduced, a University of Auckland study has found. The new study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, was led by Dr Nick Gant along with Professor Winston Byblow, and PhD student Clare Turner, all from the Faculty of Science, University of Auckland Centre for Brain Research. The brain requires a constant supply of oxygen and is highly vulnerable when this supply is reduced by injury or disease, says Dr Gant. We set out to help improve the brains natural defences and think weve discovered a way of doing this. The secret to creatines success is that it requires no oxygen to make energy. The study found that creatine was stored in areas of the brain that are easily oxygen deprived. "Athletes have been getting an energy boost for their muscles from creatine for over 20 years," says Dr Gant. "Creatine supplementation increases the amount of useable energy stored in muscle and our research shows it has a similar effect within the brain. The team used a combination of advanced neuroscience techniques to study the brains of healthy adults. Participants … Continue reading →

Neurofeedback Neurofeedback In September 2013, Chris Gardner went from kicking and spinning as a black belt in taekwondo to being locked in a world where he could not follow conversations or even walk his dog. The 58-year-old Vienna, Va., resident had just had brain surgery to remove a large tumor, and the operation affected his mobility and cognition. After nine months of physical and occupational therapy, hed made little progress. So he tried neurofeedback, hoping this controversial treatment would improve his balance and mental processes. Neurofeedback a type of biofeedback uses movies, video games, computers and other tools to help individuals regulate their brain waves. A patient might watch a movie, for example, while hooked to sensors that send data to a computer. A therapist, following the brain activity on a monitor, programs the computer to stop the movie if an abnormal number of fast or slow brain waves is detected or if the brain waves are erratic, moving rapidly from fast to slow waves. The stop-and-start feedback, repeated over and over in numerous sessions, seems to yield more-normal brain waves. Researchers who endorse the technique say they dont know exactly how it works but they say the changes in … Continue reading →

THE death of a Failsworth man who drove his car into a lamp post was the result of a brain injury, an inquest has determined. Frederick Moores (77), of Ravenoak Drive, had a suspected epileptic fit at the wheel of his car in Hollinwood Avenue last August 16. He and his wife were travelling to see their son. Mr Moores was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital where his condition worsened and he died four days A consultant neuropathologist at Salford Royal, Dr Pal, explained how she had seen two areas of injury in Mr Mooress brain: one a bleed between the skull and the brains surface, the other a lesion to the thick band of nerve fibres, the corpus callosum, connecting right and left sides of the brain. Dr Pal said: A lesion in this area results in a deep unconsciousness that has a very poor prognosis. Mr Moores had seemed alert after waking following he accident. A few hours later he complained of a headache, suffered a seizure and slipped into unconsciousness. It is my theory that he suffered the damage to his corpus callosum during his seizure and this was determined as unsurvivable brain damage. Mr Moores … Continue reading →

The parents of a baby left with a brain injury after complications during birth have praised a charity for its help and support. Teenage couple Lucy Thear and Mark Cairns, both 18, couldnt wait to welcome their first child into the world in July last year. But their delight turned into heartache when Lexie-May was an undiagnosed breech and was born bottom first in a stressful and traumatic birth. Sadly the youngster, who was born weighing 6lbs, suffered a severe brain injury and it is difficult at this stage to know how badly she will be affected in later life. Mum-of-one Lucy, of Chopwell, Gateshead, said: Everything was good during my pregnancy and we were so excited about having a baby. The labour was going fine until we realised that Lexie-May was an undiagnosed breech. She suffered a severe brain injury during birth and when she was born she was not breathing and was floppy. I couldnt hold her as she was immediately taken away for treatment. It took about 20 minutes for doctors to resuscitate her and about half-an-hour into Lexie-Mays life she suffered two fits and was hooked straight up to ventilation, drips and a heart monitor, she … Continue reading →