After an individual suffers from a traumatic brain injury (TBI), such as a stroke or concussion, the subsequent treatment can be highly variable depending on the severity of the patients symptoms. Now, new research has revealed that differences in a single gene may predict how well a person recovers from a TBI, compared to others with similar injuries. In a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers focused on the role of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene and how it related to the post-TBI recovery process. Its a basic growth factor in the brain that supports neurogenesis, which is the formation of new neurons, lead researcher Aron Barbey, a professor of neuroscience and of psychology at the University of Illinois, told FoxNews.com. One of the hypotheses is that BDNF would be critical for recovering from TBI and the formation of new neurons following an injury. According to Barbey, there are two different polymorphisms of the BDNF gene: the Met variant and the Val variant. The variants (or alleles) dictate whether the amino acids methionine (Met) or valine (Val) are incorporated in the BDNF protein. Since people inherit two copies of each gene from their parents, individuals can … Continue reading →

Continue reading page |1|2 Treatment might be possible (Image: Michele Constantini/plainpicture) People in a vegetative state showed signs of awareness after electric brain stimulation and minimally conscious people were able to communicate again TALK about an awakening. People who have been in a minimally conscious state for weeks or years have been temporarily roused using mild electrical stimulation. Soon after it was applied to their brains, 15 people with severe brain damage showed signs of consciousness, including moving their hands or following instructions using their eyes. Two people were even able to answer questions for 2 hours before drifting back into their previous uncommunicative state. "I don't want to give people false hope these people weren't getting up and walking around but it shows there is potential for the brain to recover functionality, even several years after damage," says Steven Laureys at the University of Lige in Belgium, who led the research. People with severe brain trauma often fall into a coma. If they "awaken", by showing signs of arousal but not awareness, they are said to be in a vegetative state. This can improve to a state of minimal consciousness, where they might show fluctuating signs of awareness, which … Continue reading →

Lee County, TX (PRWEB) February 26, 2014 Rainey Owen of Lexington, Texas first learned of the benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) when his grandson Matt Smothermon, who had returned from Afghanistan with traumatic brain injury after three IED attacks and subsequently receiving a Purple Heart, was featured in an Oklahoma news report on the benefits of HBOT. Oklahoma lawmakers are being asked to make HBOT available to Oklahoma Veterans. In the news feature, Smothermon stated that he returned from Afghanistan as only a shell of his former self and was unable to concentrate in order to return to the legal studies he left behind to serve in Afghanistan. At that point, Smothermon signed up for a study at Oklahoma State University on Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for people with post-concussion symptoms from mild traumatic brain injury. Oklahoma State was one of a number of sites in the country participating in the National Brain Injury Rescue and Rehabilitation Project (N-BIRR). N-BIRR was organized by the International Hyperbaric Medical Foundation to test the hyperbaric protocol, HBOT 1.5, developed by Dr. Paul Harch (President of the IHMF), Dr. Neubauer, and their colleagues in New Orleans. Through the efforts of William Duncan, Ph.D., Dr. … Continue reading →

Kessler Foundation researchers have found that among individuals with TBI, depression and self-awareness affect subjective reports of memory, quality of life (QOL), and satisfaction with life. The study was published in the February 2014 issue of Brain Injury. Impairment in self-awareness (the ability to accurately recognize one's own abilities and limitations) often occurs after TBI. Intact self-awareness would result in accurate self-reports; however, intact self-awareness can also be associated with depressive symptoms. This is the first study to examine the complex relationship between self-awareness and depression, while also accounting for the self-reporting of well being and QoL by individuals with TBI. Researchers studied 30 community-based adults with TBI of at least one-year duration. Testing included the Awareness Questionnaire, Health Status Questionnaire (SF-12), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Memory Functioning Questionnaire (MFQ), and the Chicago Multiscale Depression Inventory (CMDI). "Our findings help answer the question: What abilities must be considered when interpreting responses on a self-report questionnaire?" explained Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, director of TBI Research at Kessler Foundation, and project director, Northern NJ TBI System. "These results showed first that higher levels of self-awareness are associated with poorer QoL, reports of poor memory performance and better strategy use; and also that … Continue reading →

Greg Dohler/The Gazette Eileen Elias of Bethesda-based JBS International has been providing resources for doctors in Iraq who are treating traumatic brain injuries. A North Bethesda organization says it is waging a battle against the emerging but silent epidemic of traumatic brain injury in postwar Iraq. A little over a year ago, employees of JBS International, a firm of government contractors, traveled to Iraq to help physicians treat a nation and populace beset with trauma from war. According to Eileen Elias a former mental health commissioner for Massachusetts, who went on the trip the goal was to take on traumatic brain injury. The condition refers to the brain being injured by an external force. The most common causes are traffic accidents, falls and violence. The World Health Organization considers TBI to be a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Jerri Shaw, a co-owner of JBS, said the effects of TBI in many victims in Iraq are compounded by other stressors. Theres a ripple effect. There are lots of consequences of brain injury, she said. At that meeting in Iraq, physicians put together a strategic plan to deal with traumatic brain injury. See the original post: From a distance, North … Continue reading →

GRAND FORKS - A man accused of shaking his infant son in Grand Forks and causing significant brain injury has been charged with child abuse, according to court records. Robert Allen Duckstad, 25, whose home ZIP code is listed in court records as Windom, Minn., appeared Wednesday in state district court. If convicted, he faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. The incident happened June 13 after Duckstad had come home from an overnight shift around 7:30 a.m. feeling tired, frustrated and stressed, according to a police complaint. He tried to change his 3-month-old sons diaper, but the boy was being fussy. Investigators said Duckstad told them he shook his son once, but the boy wouldnt stop crying. The crying stopped after Duckstad shook the boy two more times. That afternoon, Duckstads wife took the boy to Altru Hospital, where he was diagnosed with brain hemorrhage. The boy was taken to Amplatz Childrens Hospital in Minneapolis for treatment. Judge Sonja Clapp set Duckstads bond at $75,000. He remained in jail in Grand Forks. A preliminary hearing is set for March 24. Tags: north dakota,news,updates,crime Link: Grand Forks police say man caused infant son's brain injury … Continue reading →

A man accused of shaking his infant son in Grand Forks and causing significant brain injury has been charged with child abuse, according to court records. Robert Allen Duckstad, 25, made an initial appearance Wednesday before state district Judge Sonja Clapp in Grand Forks. If convicted, he faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. The alleged incident happened on June 13 after Duckstad had come home from an overnight shift around 7:30 a.m. feeling tired, frustrated and stressed, according to a police complaint. He tried to change his three-month-old sons diaper, but the boy was being fussy. Investigators said Duckstad told them he shook his son once, but the boy would not stop crying. The crying stopped after Duckstad shook the boy two more times. His son seemed out of it and sleepy so he put the boy in a child swing and went to bed, according to the complaint. Duckstads wife returned home around 1:45 p.m. By 4 p.m. she realized something was wrong because the boy didnt respond to his name and appeared pale, the complaint said. Thats when she took him to Altru Hospital where the boy was diagnosed with brain hemorrhage. He was taken to … Continue reading →