Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Denver, CO (PRWEB) March 12, 2015 CereScan Corp. is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership agreement with Excel Diagnostics & Nuclear Oncology Center (Excel) in Houston, Texas. This collaborative effort will expand CereScans sophisticated brain diagnostics products and Excels state of the art neuroimaging capabilities to adults and children who are suffering from invisible brain issues. This partnership creates a powerful combination of cutting edge technologies focused on identifying specific brain-related problems such as chronic traumatic brain injury, concussions, Alzheimers disease, and attention deficit disorder. The State of Texas and the southwest region of the country now have easy access to the capabilities that these two companies can deliver to medical professionals focused on finding solutions for patients with chronic brain disorders. CereScan is the nations leader in providing statistically measured brain diagnostics based on a new generation of imaging software and SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) neuroimaging technologies. Since 2009, patients from all over the country and throughout the world have consulted Denver-based CereScan and its leading physicians concerning chronic neurological and psychiatric issues. By partnering with Excel and their extensive experience in nuclear imaging, this Houston center will now offer unmatched functional brain imaging capabilities in the … Continue reading →

Recovered: with his mother, Paula. Photo: James Brickwood Spirits were high in the NSW town of Bathurst as old foes Dubbo Senior College and Orange High rolled into town in June last year to take on the locals for the Astley Cup. Dating back to 1923, and the oldest annual tri-school sporting competition in the state, few events on the Cup's schedule had been more eagerly anticipated than Bathurst High's rugby league clash against Dubbo, and eyes were on the school's talented 16-year-old, Tyler Horton. A keen golfer, and with a fearsome reputation for smacking the seamers around the region's cricket fields, Tyler had used his speed and skill on the rugby pitch over the previous eight seasons to stake a strong claim on the five-eighth position of Bathurst's rugby league team, despite being one of the smallest players on the field. Tyler Horton playing rugby league before his injury. Photo: ZENIO LAPKA After an uneventful first half, the ball landed in Tyler's hands and he took off. As a sharp-eyed Dubbo player pounced, the left side of Tyler's head connected with his much larger rival's shoulder, whipping his neck back from the impact. Shaking off the tackle, Tyler moved … Continue reading →

A Denver sheriff's deputy walks through the Denver jail in 2014. (RJ Sangosti, Denver Post file) WATCH: The latest news updates on DPTV with Molly Hughes They were punched in the head in fistfights or shot, knocked around as children, beaten by spouses or struck by cars. Almost every inmate in the downtown Denver jail's high-risk unit has a traumatic brain injury, so many that what began as a one-time university service learning project has grown into a new therapy program spreading to jails along the Front Range. Neurological researchers from the University of Denver expected to find an above-average prevalence of brain trauma at the Downtown Detention Center. But the results were high enough to shock them. Nearly every inmate screened 96 percent had a traumatic brain injury. That's significantly higher than national statistics showing from 67 percent to 80 percent of inmates in jails and prisons have a traumatic brain injury, and far higher than the estimated 6 percent to 8.5 percent of the general population. The results of the Denver screenings were higher in part because researchers screened inmates kept in a high-risk unit of the jail, the unit for people who are considered a risk to … Continue reading →

Throughout the year, we designate specific months to remind us of varying topics that are important to our well-being and/or culture. Often times we forget or overlook the significance of these awareness months due to their repetitious nature. March is intended to remind us of the serious impact of Traumatic Brain Injuries, or TBI, throughout our population. You may ask yourself, Why is this important to me? The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, also known as CDC, reports that approximately 2.5 million emergency room visits, hospitalizations, or deaths were associated with a singular TBI or a combination of a TBI and additional sources of injury. Traumatic Brain Injuries in itself are responsible for an estimated 50,000 deaths per year. The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, or DVBIC, tracks the total number of Service members throughout the Department of Defense whom have been diagnosed with a TBI. Since 2000, over 313,000 Service members have been diagnosed with a TBI. These statistical numbers reflect the relevance of TBI. But why should we be concerned about a TBI? Traumatic Brain Injury-associated costs within the United States are estimated at a staggering $56 billion annually. The DoD spends an estimated $1.1 billion … Continue reading →

DETROIT - Medicine should reconsider how it treats stroke and other neurological disorders, focusing on the intrinsic abilities of the brain and nervous system to heal themselves rather than the "modest" benefits of clot-busting drugs and other neuroprotective treatments. Michael Chopp, Ph,D., internationally renowned stroke researcher and scientific director of the Neuroscience Institute at Henry Ford Hospital, and Zhenggang Zhang,M.D., Ph.D., senior scientist at Henry Ford's Department of Neurology, make their case for the change in treatment strategy in an editorial published online in Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy. The co-authors argue that pharmacologically enhancing the brain's own restorative abilities could benefit not only stroke patients, but those suffering other neurological damage or disease including traumatic brain injury (TBI), multiple sclerosis (MS) and peripheral neuropathy - nerve damage that afflicts the elderly, chemotherapy patients and especially diabetics. Central to their proposal is a new pharmacological agent developed by Dr. Chopp and his colleagues, a synthetic version of a peptide that occurs naturally in humans and other mammals called Thymosin beta-4. "Pioneering animal studies at Henry Ford have shown Thymosin beta-4 is highly effective for the treatment of neurological diseases in part by increasing the formation of protective myelin around nerve … Continue reading →

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. Officer Aaron Pearson will get rehabilitation for his brain injury outside the state. According to a news statement, Pearson was moved from Mercy Hospital in Springfield to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia, Thursday. During the overnight hours on Jan. 26, Person was shot in the head while responding to a report of suspicious activity. The man accused of shooting Pearson has since been arrested. The Springfield Police Department announced Wednesday Pearson was moved out of the Intensive Care Unit and was walking with the aid of a walker. The private, not-for-profit hospital specializes in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury or brain injury. While at the hospital, Pearson will undergo a rehabilitation program with a full team of medical and rehabilitation specialists. The Springfield Police Department issued the following statement Thursday evening: As the Shepherd Center announced earlier today, Officer Aaron Pearson was transferred today from Mercy Hospital Springfield to their facility for rehabilitation. With the familys wishes in mind, we planned to announce his departure from Springfield once Aaron and his family were settled in. Aaron will now remain in Atlanta indefinitely as he continues on his path to recovery. We … Continue reading →

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Thursday we reported that injured Springfield police officer Aaron Pearson was transferred from a Springfield hospital to a facility in Atlanta for rehabilitation of his brain injury. Now the Springfield police department is sharing video taken of the transfer from the hospital to a plane, and the support his fellow officers gave. (see below) In a YouTube video, the department notes; "As the Shepherd Center announced earlier today, Officer Aaron Pearson was transferred today from Mercy Hospital Springfield to their facility for rehabilitation. Aaron will now remain in Atlanta indefinitely as he continues on his path to recovery." The Shepherd Center is a private, not-for-profit hospital specializes in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury or brain injury. Dozens of fellow officers, police department personnel, friends and family turned out at the hospital and at the Springfield-Branson Airport to see Pearson off, the video reflects. The ambulance had a police escort to the airport. The Springfield Police Department also announced Wednesday Pearson was moved out of the Intensive Care Unit and was walking with the aid of a walker. During the overnight hours on Jan. 26, Person was shot in the head while … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise SILVER SPRING, MD, March 9, 2015 If Department of Defense expansion of military programs and resources for diagnoses and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) continues, incidence rates for both diseases in the post-war period will be much higher than in the pre-war period, according to a newly released health surveillance report. Higher incidence rates of diagnoses of PTSD and TBI were found in service members during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq because of the risks associated with service in those war zones, and also because of overall enhanced efforts to detect and diagnose cases, according to the report in the February issue of the Medical Surveillance Monthly Report published by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC). Service members are at risk of TBI and PTSD even when the U.S. is not at war, said Navy Captain Kevin Russell, director of the AFHSC. Yes, the risk of those conditions rises greatly during war. However, enhanced efforts by the Department of Defense to detect, diagnose, and treat produced dramatic results even among service members without exposures to war zones. Continuation of those efforts in the post-war … Continue reading →

For most patients, hearing a diagnosis of a brain tumor feels insurmountable and frightening. A groundbreaking procedure, which uses the Monteris Medical NeuroBlate System and can be precisely controlled to kill abnormal tissue while doing as little harm as possible to surrounding healthy tissue, is a new option for those brain tumors previously considered inoperable. Kettering Health Network, the only health network in central and southern Ohio to offer the minimally invasive brain surgery, started using the game-changing procedure in December of 2014. Using the NeuroBlate system does not require a large opening in the skull that exposes the brain, which reduces the risk of traumatic injury and cuts down on recovery time. "NeoroBlate has the potential to revolutionize brain tumor treatment," said Dr. Porcelli, one of three Kettering Health Network doctors performing the procedure. "It gives us options for patients who have very few or no options left and allows us to give them hope." Recovery following traditional craniotomy varies based on a patient's medical condition and age. With NeuroBlate, recovery times are often cut in half. Patient Benefits NeuroBlate offers hope to brain tumor patients who have either been given limited or no treatment options. This therapy has … Continue reading →

........................................................................................................................................................................................ An imaging technique that measures blood flow in the brain could give doctors the first objective tool for treating athletes with concussions, Albuquerque researchers found in a new study. The study of college football players found that certain parts of the brain received reduced blood flow in the days and weeks after a concussion injury, measurable by magnetic resonance imaging. The findings suggest that MRI could help take some of the guesswork out of diagnosing and treating concussions, said Timothy Meier, a researcher at the Mind Research Network in Albuquerque. Meier co-authored the study published online this week in JAMA Neurology. The Mind Research Network is owned by Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute in Albuquerque. Right now, all clinical management of concussions is based pretty much entirely on clinical judgment, he said. Doctors can use tests that measure factors such as balance, memory and cognitive skills to decide how long an athlete should remain off the field, he said. Otherwise, doctor rely on athletes themselves to report problems such as headaches, depression and dizziness. By and large, it just depends on a general clinical exam, plus self-reporting by the athletes, Meier said. So theres really a need to … Continue reading →