Public release date: 26-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Kim Newman sciencenews@einstein.yu.edu 718-430-3101 Albert Einstein College of Medicine November 26, 2012 (BRONX, NY) Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center have found that a special magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique may be able to predict which patients who have experienced concussions will improve. The results, which were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), suggest that, in some patients, the brain may change to compensate for the damage caused by the injury. "This finding could lead to strategies for preventing and repairing the damage that accompanies traumatic brain injury," said Michael Lipton, M.D., Ph.D., who led the study and is associate director of the Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center at Einstein and medical director of MRI services at Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein. Each year, 1.7 million people in the U.S., sustain traumatic brain injuries (TBI), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Concussions and other mild TBIs (or mTBIs) account for at least 75 percent of these injuries. Following a concussion, some patients experience a brief … Continue reading →

Public release date: 26-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Linda Brooks lbrooks@rsna.org 630-590-7762 Radiological Society of North America CHICAGO Using a special magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique to image patients with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), researchers have identified a biomarker that may predict which patients will do well over the long term, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The results of the study showed that in some patients the brain may have changed to compensate for the damage caused by the injury. "This finding has huge potential implications for preventing and repairing the damage that accompanies traumatic brain injury," said Michael Lipton, M.D., Ph.D., associate director of the Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and medical director of MRI at the Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, N.Y. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year in the U.S. 1.7 million people sustain traumatic brain injuries. MTBI, or concussion, accounts for at least 75 percent of all traumatic brain injuries. Following a concussion, some patients experience a brief loss of consciousness. Other symptoms include headache, dizziness, memory loss, … Continue reading →

Leading experts in research, treatment and rehabilitation will be presenting at the 2012 Pediatric Brain Injury Conference, to be held on Thursday, Nov. 29, at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough. Sponsored by the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts (BIA-MA) in conjunction with the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, Wingate Healthcare and Braintree & New England Rehabilitation Hospitals, the conference is intended for medical professionals, teachers, coaches, parents, family members and others. Douglas Katz, M.D., director of the Acquired Brain Injury Program and Medical Education at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital, will present the keynote address on pharmacological intervention in pediatric brain injury. Pediatrician Greg Parkinson and his wife Sandra Parkinson, a physical therapist, will co-present the plenary address, A New Normal: Reinventing Yourself after a Head Injury. A Survivor Perspectives panel will be a new addition to this years workshop offerings. Attendees will hear firsthand how a childs world and the family dynamic are changed following a brain injury, according to organizers. Brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability in children and adolescents, said Arlene Korab, executive director of BIA-MA. Parents, teachers and medical professionals need to know about the new research and advances in … Continue reading →

Supplement fails to prove effective in recovery November 25, 2012 2:00 AM CHICAGO The hunt for brain injury treatments has suffered a big disappointment in a major study that found zero benefits from a supplement that the U.S. military had hoped would help wounded troops. The supplement is marketed as a memory booster online and in over-the-counter powders and drinks. It is also widely used by doctors in dozens of countries to treat traumatic brain injuries and strokes, although evidence on whether it works has been mixed. U.S. scientists had high hopes that in large doses it would help speed recovery in patients with brain injuries from car crashes, falls, sports accidents and other causes. But in the most rigorous test yet, citicoline (see-tee-KOH'-leen) worked no better than dummy treatments at reducing forgetfulness, attention problems, difficulty concentrating and other symptoms. "We very much were disappointed," said Dr. Ross Zafonte, the lead author and a traumatic brain injury expert at Harvard Medical School. "We took a therapy that is utilized worldwide and we found that at least its present use should be called into question." The study involved 1,213 patients aged 18 and older hospitalized at eight U.S. trauma centers. They … Continue reading →