MANKATO, Minn. (KMSP) - Over the past few years, greater understanding of traumatic brain injuries has led to dramatic progress in recovery and treatment even though the circumstances that led to those discoveries is less than ideal. Last month, the care team helping Isaac Kolstad recover from the traumatic brain injury he suffered in an assault on the streets of Mankato, Minn., removed a piece of his skull to relieve the pressure. Soon, that skull flap will be replaced, and that will mark a major step forward as he moves toward rehab. The medical professionals who have overseen multiple surgeries during his hospital stay told the Kolstad family that doctors know much more about treating brain injuries than they did a decade ago, and much of that new knowledge can be attributed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "It is significantly different than 10 years ago," Dr. Andrew Grande, a neurosurgeon and professor at the University of Minnesota, told Fox 9 News. Grande is not involved in Kolstad's care, but he confirmed the science of treating brain injuries keeps picking up speed. "These paradigm shifts occurring in neuroscience are occurring so much more rapidly right now," he said. The … Continue reading →

Back in 2012, we asked some bicyclists in Washington, D.C., about their helmet habits. Here's what they told us. Bartender Matt Carucci says he rarely feels safe biking in the city but often rides without a helmet anyway. "There are a lot of other ways to hurt yourself," he says. John Rose/NPR Carl Cavaliere, a legal assistant, has been a bicycle commuter in Washington, D.C., for 12 years and always wears a helmet. "You realize how bad the drivers are here," he says. John Rose/NPR Chicagoans Matthew Kutz and Molly Witges didn't bring helmets to D.C. but felt safe anyway on the slow, heavy Bikeshare bikes. "You're never going to get into a high-speed collision," Kutz says. John Rose/NPR Jason Lee, a government analyst, says he wears his helmet 9 times out of 10. "My wife gets very angry when I leave the house without a helmet," Lee says. John Rose/NPR Alex Tremble works in leadership development and has commuted by bike for the past month. He says his reluctance to buy a helmet is psychological: "If you don't own [a helmet], maybe you don't really feel like a 'bike rider.' " Now that he uses a bike every day, … Continue reading →

Traumatic brain injuries from sports, recreational activities, falls or car accidents are the leading cause of death and disability in children and adolescents. While previously it was believed that the window for brain recovery was at most one year after injury, new research from the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas published online today in the open-access journal Frontiers in Neurology shows cognitive performance can be improved to significant degrees months, and even years, after injury, given targeted brain training. "The after-effects of concussions and more severe brain injuries can be very different and more detrimental to a developing child or adolescent brain than an adult brain," said Dr. Lori Cook, study author and director of the Center for BrainHealth's pediatric brain injury programs. "While the brain undergoes spontaneous recovery in the immediate days, weeks, and months following a brain injury, cognitive deficits may continue to evolve months to years after the initial brain insult when the brain is called upon to perform higher-order reasoning and critical thinking tasks." Twenty adolescents, ages 12-20 who experienced a traumatic brain injury at least six months prior to participating in the research and were demonstrating gist reasoning deficits, or … Continue reading →

Bethesda, MD (PRWEB) June 12, 2014 The Hydrocephalus Association is honored to announce Dr. Stephen A. Back, M.D., Ph.D., as the scientific keynote speaker at the 13th National Conference on Hydrocephalus. Dr. Back is a lead investigator and professor of pediatrics and neurology in the Pap Family Pediatric Research Institute at Oregon Health & Science University Doernbecher Childrens Hospital. He will address his important work on the development of strategies to promote regeneration and repair of injury to the developing and adult brain. Dr. Back is a true national and international expert on mechanisms of damage to the brain of premature infants who suffer from periventricular leukomalacia and hydrocephalus. His research is leading us rapidly towards cures that will dramatically improve the lives of these children, stated Dr. Nathan Selden, Mario and Edie Campagna Chair of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Oregon Health & Science University and Conference Medical Co-chair. Hydrocephalus is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain. There are over 1 million Americans living with hydrocephalus in the U.S., yet it remains a little known condition. While 1 in every 500 infants is born with hydrocephalus, anyone at any age can acquire hydrocephalus from a brain hemorrhage, … Continue reading →