Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

DETROIT - Innovative angles of attack in research that focus on how the human brain protects and repairs itself will help develop treatments for one of the most common, costly, deadly and scientifically frustrating medical conditions worldwide: traumatic brain injury. In an extensive opinion piece recently published online on Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs, Henry Ford Hospital researcher Ye Xiong, M.D., Ph.D., makes the case for pioneering work underway in Detroit and elsewhere seeking to understand and repair brain function at the molecular level. "To date, all attempts at treating traumatic brain injury with experimental drugs have failed once testing moved from animal studies to clinical trials in humans," Dr. Xiong explains. "Although this is disappointing, we believe innovations now at the preclinical stage hold great promise for a deeper understanding of traumatic brain injury and how to treat it." Also known as TBI, traumatic brain injury most commonly results from a sudden, violent blow to the head, in some cases driving broken bone into the brain, or from a bullet or other object piercing the skull and entering the brain. This trauma sets off a complex "cascade" of reactions in the brain that can impair thinking and reasoning, behavior … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- An initiative from the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) is raising awareness about traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnosed in nondeployed settings. A Head for the Future relaunched today with a new website and resources. Since 2000, more than 320,000 service members have been diagnosed with TBI. According to Defense Department data, the vast majority of TBIs were diagnosed in noncombat settings. Concussions a mild form of brain injury are the most common form of TBI in the military. Common causes of TBIs include motor vehicle collisions, falls and sports-related incidents. "Raising awareness about the signs and symptoms of brain injury, educating service members about ways to be safe during daily activities and encouraging them to seek help will preserve the health of our military force," Army Col. Sidney Hinds II, M.D., DVBIC's national director. A Head for the Future is a multi-year initiative to promote awareness, prevention of and recovery from traumatic brain injury, including concussion. Today's relaunch of the website at dvbic.dcoe.mil/aheadforthefuture expands the variety of resources available to service members, veterans and their families as well as line leaders, health care providers and caregivers about TBI diagnosis, treatment and recovery. … Continue reading →

CBS Pittsburgh (con't) Affordable Care Act Updates: CBSPittsburgh.com/ACA Health News & Information: CBSPittsburgh.com/Health PITTSBURGH (KDKA) Treating brain tumors can be difficult, especially if theyre rare or are in a particularly complicated part of the brain. Now, a combination of technologies is helping to map out a better treatment. Auto parts store owner Jeffrey Kowalski was dizzy and staggering. His heart checked out. So, he went for a brain scan next. An unexpected finding drastically changed his life. The doctors saw a tumor, deep in the brain, the size of a golf ball. I was scared. I didnt want to die, he said. Surgery to remove it was complicated because of its location. It was in the ventricle, a fluid filled space in the central part of the brain. With deeper-seated tumors, it becomes an issue of getting to the tumor safely without injuring important brain structures, Forbes Regional Hospital Neurosurgeon Dr. Eugene Bonati said. More here: New Technology Helping To Treat Brain Tumors … Continue reading →

Lexington, MA (March 23, 2015) - Research results published in the Journal of Neurotrauma and conducted by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) as part of a collaboration with Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. showed that a novel deuterium-containing sigma-1 agonist invented at Concert, called C-10068, demonstrated anti-seizure and anti-inflammatory effects in a preclinical model of traumatic brain injury (TBI). C-10068, a novel metabolically-stabilized morphinan derivative, is based on a compound first identified at WRAIR in the 1990s as possessing anticonvulsant properties. In the current study C-10068 demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in frequency and duration of seizures following TBI in a preclinical model developed at the WRAIR. C-10068 affects multiple neurochemical pathways, including sigma-1 receptors which have a widespread modulatory role in the central nervous system (CNS).1 The C-10068 study was conducted under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) granted to Concert in collaboration with the WRAIR. "We are highly encouraged by the results with C-10068 in this study. The compound previously demonstrated anti-seizure activity in multiple non-TBI animal models, and our preclinical testing with C-10068 similarly showed significant seizure protection in our unique model of refractory, TBI-induced brain seizure activity," said Dr. Frank Tortella, whose team conducted … Continue reading →

Friends and family are coming together to support a Georgia Tech student injured during a freak accident at his fraternity. Family says Clark Jacobs, 20, fell out of his bed at his fraternity while he slept and suffered a severe head injury. We thought he had the flu or meningitis because he did not look like someone who had a brain injury at first. He was completely cognizant, conversational, said his father, Ron Jacobs. His father said that at first Clark Jacobs didnt realize hed fallen out of the bed. He just climbed back into bed while sleeping, Ron Jacobs said. His condition quickly worsened after the Jan. 10 fall. We treated him (at home) for less than a day and decided to take him to the hospital because with stiff neck, we were afraid it might be meningitis. They did a CT scan and we realized he had fractured skull, said Mariellen Jacobs, his mother."He ended up having a fractured skull and a blood clot. Unfortunately it led to a bleed in his brain and (doctors) had to do emergency surgery to save his life. Right now, Clark Jacobs is still unable to talk or walk and is recovering … Continue reading →

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 21, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Assemblyman Ken Cooley (District 8) will address over 1,200 participants at the Walk for Brain Injury at the West Steps of the State Capitol on Sunday, March 22nd. March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and Assemblyman Cooley is slated to introduce a Resolution on the Assembly Floor next Thursday, designating March of each year as Brain Injury Awareness, Treatment, and Prevention Month in the State of California. The resolution encourages officials and the citizens of California to observe the month with appropriate activities and programs to raise awareness about the symptoms of, treatments for, and ways of preventing brain injuries. "I'm excited to participate in this event to help raise awareness of this critical issue, especially childhood brain injuries," said Assemblyman Cooley. "The Brain Injury Association of California was an essential partner in passing my Assembly Bill 2127 last year, which limits full-contact high school football practices to reduce adolescent brain trauma." More than 2.5 million people in the United States sustain traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in the U.S. each year, with over 250,000 of those injuries people residing in California. At least 5.3 million Americans live with TBI-related disabilities at a cost of … Continue reading →

FORT SILL, Okla._March is Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month, and local doctors hope to get the word out. Doctors want the public to know about the consequences of concussions and other brain injuries. They are making it their mission to help people know what to look for when it comes to these types of injuries. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that there are between 1.6 million and 1.8 million concussions suffered each year, but often times go ignored. In some cases, symptoms can worsen and even lead to death. "The analogy I use is that it's almost like control+alt+delete on a computer, where a lot of systems turn off and turn back on in a certain order," said Fort Sill neuropsychologist Dr. Jason Albano. Dr. Albano says suffering a concussion can often times lead to confusion and unexplained symptoms, such as dizziness. If left untreated, it can make future diagnosis and treatment more difficult. "One of the key parts of brain injury awareness, also kind of what I do, is try to do is get the importance of early identification. That really is one of the most critical factors when it comes to helping somebody work through a concussion … Continue reading →

What is an Anoxic Brain Injury what do I do if I have one? Indianapolis injury attorney Tom Doehrman of Doehrman Buba explains how medical negligence during childbirth can cause baby brain injuries and cerebral palsy. TRANSCRIPT: When a person's... By: Doehrman Buba … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise (New York, NY) -- By 2030, chronic subdural hemorrhage (SDH) will be the most common adult brain condition requiring neurosurgical intervention in the U.S., according to a new study conducted by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center. And hospitals and neurosurgeons may be under-manned to handle the projected onslaught of patients. The researchers are publishing their findings March 20 online in the Journal of Neurosurgery. Subdural hemorrhage also known as subdural hematoma is bleeding on the surface of the brain, usually caused by trauma to the head. It is more common in the elderly because of increased brain atrophy, greater use of anti-coagulant medications and thinning of the delicate vessels stretching between the surface of the brain and its coverings. As a consequence, even minor head injuries can result in bleeding on the surface of the brain that can accumulate over time and lead to serious complications. The causative trauma can be so minor that, in fact, many people with SDHs have no history or recollection of a head or brain trauma incident. SDHs are also more common in military veterans and in people with a history of alcohol abuse. While clinicians … Continue reading →

Bobbi Kristina Browns closest relatives will gather this week to make a final decision regarding medical treatment for Whitney Houstons brain-dead daughter, a source close to the family exclusively tells RadarOnline.com. While the final decision will be left to her father Bobby Brown, her grandmother Cissy Houston has returned to Atlanta from her New Jersey home for the family meeting, the source revealed. Brown, 22, was placed in a medically-induced coma after she was rushed to a suburban Atlanta hospital on January 31. She was soon moved to the intensive care unit at Atlantas Emory University Hospital, where she has remained for more than six weeks. PHOTOS: Drugs, Deaths & Secret Arrests: Bobbi Kristinas 50 Most Shocking Moments, From Her Birth To Hospital Bedside Dr. Michael DeGeorgia, a neurologist who treats similar cases at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, tells Radar that six weeks is an unusually long time for a brain injury patient to be kept sedated in an ICU. Browns doctors are not obligated to continue treating a patient if they dont think they can help them, but they usually let the family make the final decision. Patients families can decide if they want to push … Continue reading →