Jan. 23, 2013 Stroke, traumatic injury, and metabolic disorder are major causes of brain damage and permanent disabilities, including motor dysfunction, psychological disorders, memory loss, and more. Current therapy and rehab programs aim to help patients heal, but they often have limited success. Now Dr. Shai Efrati of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine has found a way to restore a significant amount of neurological function in brain tissue thought to be chronically damaged -- even years after initial injury. Theorizing that high levels of oxygen could reinvigorate dormant neurons, Dr. Efrati and his fellow researchers, including Prof. Eshel Ben-Jacob of TAU's School of Physics and Astronomy and the Sagol School of Neuroscience, recruited post-stroke patients for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) -- sessions in high pressure chambers that contain oxygen-rich air -- which increases oxygen levels in the body tenfold. Analysis of brain imaging showed significantly increased neuronal activity after a two-month period of HBOT treatment compared to control periods of non-treatment, reported Dr. Efrati in PLoS ONE. Patients experienced improvements such as a reversal of paralysis, increased sensation, and renewed use of language. These changes can make a world of difference in daily life, helping patients recover their … Continue reading →

The NIH-funded project will investigate new methods for better assessing TBI. Clifton Park, NY (PRWEB) January 23, 2013 Nearly 1.7 million Americans suffer TBI annually as a result of car accidents, blunt trauma, gunshots, military combat, and other head traumas. Many who experience TBI require surgical intervention, and in some cases, require daily assistance for years post-injury. Healthcare costs associated with current TBI treatment exceed $60 billion a year; however, existing analytic assessment methods fall short of clinical need. Clinicians require informative metrics and easy-to-use image analysis tools capable of handling large, heterogeneous pathologies that cause severe brain deformations. To address these critical needs, Kitware will collaborate with Dr. Marc Niethammer at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and Dr. Jack Van Horn at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The team will leverage computational methods for segmenting, registering, and interpreting images that contain large and changing pathologies to better characterize injury, quantify longitudinal changes, predict outcomes, and support patient treatment management. At Kitware, Stephen Aylward, Senior Director of Operations, North Carolina, is the Principal Investigator; he will work closely with Project Leader Danielle Pace, a Research and Development Engineer at Kitware. The team will perform multimodal brain … Continue reading →

E-mail this page to a friend! Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens Hyperbaric Treatment in Oxygen Chamber Brings Stroke Damaged Brains to Life Tenfold increase in oxygen levels during HBOT treatment supplies the necessary energy for rebuilding neuronal connections and stimulating inactive neurons Jan. 23, 2013 - Stroke, traumatic injury, and metabolic disorder are major causes of brain damage and permanent disabilities, including motor dysfunction, psychological disorders, memory loss, and more. Most therapy and rehab has limited success. There is new hope from Tel Aviv University, however, where researchers say they have been able to restore a significant amount of neurological function in brain tissue thought to be chronically damaged even years after the initial damage. Now Dr. Shai Efrati of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine has found a way to restore a significant amount of neurological function in brain tissue thought to be chronically damaged even years after initial injury. Theorizing that high levels of oxygen could reinvigorate dormant neurons, Shai Efrati of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and his fellow researchers, including Prof. Eshel Ben-Jacob of TAU's School of Physics and Astronomy and the Sagol School of Neuroscience, recruited post-stroke patients for hyperbaric oxygen … Continue reading →

JEFFREY BROWN: Next: how brain scans may be able to help identify serious head injuries to living and retired football players and to the rest of us. In less than two weeks, football fans will gather for the country's biggest sporting event, Super Bowl Sunday. But even as pro football is drawing strong ratings, there are growing concerns about the long-term effects of concussions and other hits to the head. Today, researchers in California and Illinois reported they can identify protein deposits in the brains of living players that could help identify those at risk of developing an injury known as CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The study done by Gary Small of UCLA and others is quite small. Five former players, all retired and between the ages of 45 and 73, were given a compound that showed a buildup of a protein known as tau in the brain. DR. GARY SMALL, UCLA: We see, here's the cortex and the deeper brain structures. JEFFREY BROWN: Dr. Small is the lead author of the new paper published in "The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry." GARY SMALL: This is the first time we have been able to image in living football players protein … Continue reading →

By ECM on January 23, 2013 at 6:48 pm by T.W. Budig ECM Capitol reporter Its more than just another bill to her, explained Rep. Laurie Halverson of Eagan. Halverson is carrying legislation to create a research grant program to fund breakthrough research and treatment of spinal cord and traumatic brain injury. Gabe Roderick talks about how a spinal injury has affected his life, and of the simple bodily functions he hopes to regain some day. Rep. Laurie Halverson, DFL-Eagan, standing behind Roderick, is carrying legislation to create a grant program for promising spinal cord and traumatic brain injury research. (Photo by T.W. Budig) A freshman Democrat, she has a background as a caregiver for people with spinal cord injuries. So the proposed creation of the Jablonski/Roderick Spinal Cord and Traumatic Brain Injury Grant Program is emotional. Its an issue very close to my heart, Halverson said. Halverson and Sen. Jeff Hayden, DFL-Minneapolis, admit their legislation faces challenges. They have no funding source for the $4 million a year they want the grant program funded. Read the original: Bill would fund research for spine, brain injuries … Continue reading →

Public release date: 23-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: George Hunka ghunka@aftau.org 212-742-9070 American Friends of Tel Aviv University Stroke, traumatic injury, and metabolic disorder are major causes of brain damage and permanent disabilities, including motor dysfunction, psychological disorders, memory loss, and more. Current therapy and rehab programs aim to help patients heal, but they often have limited success. Now Dr. Shai Efrati of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine has found a way to restore a significant amount of neurological function in brain tissue thought to be chronically damaged even years after initial injury. Theorizing that high levels of oxygen could reinvigorate dormant neurons, Dr. Efrati and his fellow researchers, including Prof. Eshel Ben-Jacob of TAU's School of Physics and Astronomy and the Segol School of Neuroscience, recruited post-stroke patients for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) sessions in high pressure chambers that contain oxygen-rich air which increases oxygen levels in the body tenfold. Analysis of brain imaging showed significantly increased neuronal activity after a two-month period of HBOT treatment compared to control periods of non-treatment, reported Dr. Efrati in PLoS ONE. Patients experienced improvements such as a reversal of paralysis, increased sensation, and renewed use of language. … Continue reading →