RESEARCHERS are reporting the first treatment to speed recovery from severe brain injuries caused by falls and car crashes: a cheap flu medicine whose side benefits were discovered by accident decades ago. Severely injured patients in the US, Denmark and Germany who were given amantadine got better faster than those who received a dummy medicine. After four weeks, more people in the flu drug group could give reliable yes-and-no answers, follow commands or use a spoon or hairbrush - things that few of them could do at the start. Far fewer patients who got amantadine remained in a vegetative state, 17 percent versus 32 per cent. "This drug moved the needle in terms of speeding patient recovery, and that's not been shown before," said neuropsychologist Joseph Giacino of Boston's Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, co-leader of the study. He added: "It really does provide hope for a population that is viewed in many places as hopeless." A neurologist who wasn't involved in the research called it an important step. But many questions remain, including whether people less severely injured would benefit, and whether amantadine actually improves patients' long-term outcome or just speeds up their recovery. Each year, an estimated 1.7 million Americans … Continue reading →

Photo Researchers / Getty Images CT scan of a brain with internal bleeding Researchers are reporting the first treatment to speed recovery from severe brain injuries caused by falls and car crashes: a cheap flu medicine whose side benefits were discovered by accident decades ago. Severely injured patients who were given amantadine got better faster than those who received a dummy medicine. After four weeks, more people in the flu drug group could give reliable yes-and-no answers, follow commands or use a spoon or hairbrush things that few of them could do at the start. Far fewer patients who got amantadine remained in a vegetative state, 17 percent versus 32 percent. This drug moved the needle in terms of speeding patient recovery, and thats not been shown before, said neuropsychologist Joseph Giacino of Bostons Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, co-leader of the study. He added: It really does provide hope for a population that is viewed in many places as hopeless. Many doctors began using amantadine for brain injuries years ago, but until now theres never been a big study to show that it works. The results of the federally funded study appear in Thursdays New England Journal of Medicine. MORE: Study: … Continue reading →

NEW YORK -- Researchers are reporting the first treatment to speed recovery from severe brain injuries caused by falls and car crashes: a cheap flu medicine whose side benefits were discovered by accident decades ago. Severely injured patients who were given amantadine got better faster than those who received a dummy medicine. After four weeks, more people in the flu drug group could give reliable yes-and-no answers, follow commands or use a spoon or hairbrush -- responses that few of them could handle at the start. Far fewer patients who got amantadine remained in a vegetative state, 17 percent versus 32 percent. "This drug moved the needle in terms of speeding patient recovery, and that's not been shown before," said neuropsychologist Joseph Giacino of Boston's Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, co-leader of the study. He added: "It really does provide hope for a population that is viewed in many places as hopeless." Many doctors began using amantadine for brain injuries years ago, but until now, there never has been a big study to show that it works. The results of the federally funded study appear in today's New England Journal of Medicine. A neurologist who wasn't involved in the research called it … Continue reading →

NEW YORK Researchers are reporting the first treatment to speed recovery from severe brain injuries caused by falls and car crashes: a cheap flu medicine whose side benefits were discovered by accident decades ago. Don't miss these Health stories At just 15, Kyra Kline has already injured both her knees playing her favorite sport, basketball. A new study by researchers at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia finds an increase of 400 percent in the number of ACL tears treated at the hospital between 1999 and 2011. Severely injured patients who were given amantadine got better faster than those who received a dummy medicine. After four weeks, more people in the flu drug group could give reliable yes-and-no answers, follow commands or use a spoon or hairbrush things that few of them could do at the start. Far fewer patients who got amantadine remained in a vegetative state, 17 percent versus 32 percent. "This drug moved the needle in terms of speeding patient recovery, and that's not been shown before," said neuropsychologist Joseph Giacino of Boston's Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, co-leader of the study. He added: "It really does provide hope for a population that is viewed in many places as hopeless." … Continue reading →

NEW YORK Researchers are reporting the first treatment to speed recovery from severe brain injuries caused by falls and car crashes: a cheap flu medicine whose side benefits were discovered by accident decades ago. Severely injured patients who were given amantadine got better faster than those who received a dummy medicine. After four weeks, more people in the flu-drug group could give reliable yes-and-no answers, follow commands or use a spoon or hairbrush things few of them could do at the start. Far fewer patients who got amantadine remained in a vegetative state 17 percent versus 32 percent. "This drug moved the needle in terms of speeding patient recovery, and that's not been shown before," said neuropsychologist Joseph Giacino of Boston's Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, co-leader of the study. He added: "It really does provide hope for a population that is viewed in many places as hopeless." Many doctors began using amantadine for brain injuries years ago, but until now there's never been a big study to show that it works. The results of the federally funded study appear in today's New England Journal of Medicine. A neurologist who wasn't involved in the research called it an important step. But many … Continue reading →

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 29 (HealthDay News) -- A drug that's typically used to treat the flu and Parkinson's disease appears to speed recovery in traumatic brain injury patients, a new study indicates. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) victims who weren't fully conscious and were discharged to rehabilitation facilities after hospitalization were given amantadine hydrochloride. The drug is already given "off-label" to such patients, but if and how much it helps has remained unclear. While taking the drug, the patients given amantadine scored better on behavioral tests that measure how well the brain is functioning compared to a group of patients given a placebo, researchers report in the March 1 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. "Amantadine appeared to increase the rate of recovery compared to placebo. Patients got better faster while they were on the drug," said study co-author Joseph Giacino, director of rehabilitation neuropsychology at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, in Boston, and an associate professor in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. Study co-author Dr. John Whyte, director of the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute at Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, in the Philadelphia area, said previous observational studies had suggested amantadine improved the rate of … Continue reading →

A drug used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease also speeds recovery from severe traumatic brain injuries, a new study has found. Amantadine helps boost brain levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to arousal. And for patients who are in a vegetative state following a brain injury, the drug can help -- possibly by improving responsiveness during rehabilitation. "There are clear benefits to getting patients from point A to point B faster and relieving some of those initial deficits more quickly," said study author Joseph Giacino, director of rehabilitation neuropsychology at Boston's Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. "If you talk to a patient's family, you'll know what it means for them to be able to communicate sooner." Giacino and colleagues followed 184 patients with "disorders of consciousness" following traumatic brain injuries sustained up to 16 weeks previously. Eighty-seven patients received amantadine for four weeks during their inpatient rehabilitation, while the rest received a placebo. Four weeks is typical for acute inpatient rehabilitation in the U.S. "Over the four-week course of treatment, the amantadine group clearly outpaced the placebo group in terms of their rate of improvement," said Giacino. The study was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. When … Continue reading →

NEW YORK (AP) -- Researchers are reporting the first treatment to speed recovery from severe brain injuries caused by falls and car crashes: a cheap flu medicine whose side benefits were discovered by accident decades ago. Severely injured patients who were given amantadine got better faster than those who received a dummy medicine. After four weeks, more people in the flu drug group could give reliable yes-and-no answers, follow commands or use a spoon or hairbrush things that few of them could do at the start. Far fewer patients who got amantadine remained in a vegetative state, 17 percent versus 32 percent. "This drug moved the needle in terms of speeding patient recovery, and that's not been shown before," said neuropsychologist Joseph Giacino of Boston's Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, co-leader of the study. He added: "It really does provide hope for a population that is viewed in many places as hopeless." Many doctors began using amantadine for brain injuries years ago, but until now there's never been a big study to show that it works. The results of the federally funded study appear in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. A neurologist who wasn't involved in the research called it an … Continue reading →