Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Brain damage or brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. A common category with the greatest number of injuries is traumatic brain injury (TBI) following physical trauma or head injury from an outside source, and the term acquired brain injury (ABI) is used in appropriate circles to differentiate brain injuries occurring after birth from injury due to a disorder or congenital malady.[1] In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating trauma-induced damage, while neurotoxicity typically refers to selective, chemically-induced neuron damage. Brain injuries often create impairment or disability that can vary greatly in severity. In cases of serious brain injuries, the likelihood of areas with permanent disability is great, including neurocognitive deficits, delusions (often, to be specific, monothematic delusions), speech or movement problems, and intellectual disability. There will also be personality changes. The most severe cases result in coma or even persistent vegetative state. Even a mild incident can have long-term effects or cause symptoms to appear years later.[citation needed] Mental fatigue is a common debilitating experience and may not be linked by the patient to the original (minor) incident. Narcolepsy and sleep … Continue reading →

When will he wake up? Will he die? Will he return to normal? What will he be like? Will he be able to walk? Talk? Recognize me? When? How long? We have been asked and have answered these questions many times. The cause for concern is very real after traumatic brain injury. After all, the brain is NOT like a bone that heals readily. Once brain tissue dies, it is gone forever. Thats why an injured patients loved ones deserve utmost sympathy, patience and understanding. Lucky are those who suffer mild concussions, are fully awake after a brief period, and are sent home after some observation. Lucky are those who wake up after surgery and start recognizing people instantly. But for many severely injured brains, the road to recovery is long and uncertain. No, it is not like the movies, where actors wake up from a coma and resume life like nothing happened. It takes weeks, months, even years for recovery to happen. This entry focuses on the first few days after severe brain injury the critical phase. After determining the extent of brain injury, many patients need immediate surgery to evacuate blood, clots, dead tissue and unwanted debris that … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 27-Oct-2014 Contact: Addavail Coslett ACoslett@MAFGRP.COM 212-843-8271 Neuropsychoanalysis Foundation Lives are drastically changed following brain injury from strokes, accidents, tumors, and other incidents. Because the brain has changed, the person's mind is necessarily also affected, changing the sense of self, relationships with others, ways of functioning in the world, and much more. The Neuropsychoanalysis Association (NPSA) and the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center are hosting this conference for researchers, clinical neurologists and neuropsychologists, neurosurgeons and psychotherapists. This conference brings together experienced professionals to discuss the services that are currently offered to patients with brain injury, and to point the way towards improved, expanded, and more integrated treatments that support patients to adapt and to develop new capacities. The program will include presentations from medical clinicians and researchers on the experience of neurosurgeons in treatment of brain injury, research on traumatic brain injury and care, advances in neuropsychological testing, and psychopharmacological treatment for patients. Additionally, psychotherapy clinicians will present on the experience of working with brain-injured patients using psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral therapy and holistic approaches. WHAT: The keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Philip E. Stieg, Director of the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center and Neurosurgeon-in-Chief … Continue reading →

By Eric Niiler October 27 at 11:46 AM Has our reliance on iPhones and other instant-info devices harmed our memories? Michael Kahana, a University of Pennsylvania psychology professor who studies memory, says maybe: We dont know what the long-lasting impact of this technology will be on our brains and our ability to recall. Kahana, 45, who has spent the past 20 years looking at how the brain creates memories, is leading an ambitious four-year Pentagon project to build a prosthetic memory device that can be implanted into human brains to help veterans with traumatic brain injuries. He spoke by telephone with The Post about what we can do to preserve or improve memory. Do you play any games or have any tricks to keep your own memory working? Practicing the use of your memory is helpful. The other thing which I find helpful is sleep, which I dont get enough of. As a general principle, skills that one continues to practice are skills that one will maintain in the face of age-related changes in cognition. [As for all those brain games available], I am not aware of any convincing data that mental exercises have a more general effect other than … Continue reading →

Scientists have uncovered a surprising way to reduce the brain damage caused by head injuries -- stopping the body's immune system from killing brain cells. The study, published in the open access journal Acta Neuropathologica Communications, showed that in experiments on mice, an immune-based treatment reduced the size of brain lesions. The authors suggest that if the findings apply to humans, this could help prevent brain damage from accidents, and protect players of contact sports like American football, rugby and boxing. To date, there are no effective treatments to prevent or reverse the damage sustained after brain injury. The researchers were testing the theory that blows to the head cause brain damage, in part, because of the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier, allowing the immune cells in the blood to come into contact with brain cells and destroy them. They hypothesized that mice missing a vital immune component would have less brain damage from trauma, and that a treatment which blocks a component of the immune system would prevent damage. The component they were working on was CD74, which plays a crucial part in the immune system's response to disease-causing agents. CD74 is broken into products that fit into the … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 19-Oct-2014 Contact: Alanna Orpen alanna.orpen@biomedcentral.com BioMed Central @biomedcentral Scientists have uncovered a surprising way to reduce the brain damage caused by head injuries - stopping the body's immune system from killing brain cells. The study, published in the open access journal Acta Neuropathologica Communications, showed that in experiments on mice, an immune-based treatment reduced the size of brain lesions. The authors suggest that if the findings apply to humans, this could help prevent brain damage from accidents, and protect players of contact sports like American football, rugby and boxing. To date, there are no effective treatments to prevent or reverse the damage sustained after brain injury. The researchers were testing the theory that blows to the head cause brain damage, in part, because of the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier, allowing the immune cells in the blood to come into contact with brain cells and destroy them. They hypothesized that mice missing a vital immune component would have less brain damage from trauma, and that a treatment which blocks a component of the immune system would prevent damage. The component they were working on was CD74, which plays a crucial part in the immune system's response to … Continue reading →

RICHMOND, Va. The acupuncturist in his glow-in-the-dark yellow Crocs gently leaned over the burly and bearded Army Special Operations officer, who was stretched across a bed in the "zen den" of the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center. The air was sweet with eucalyptus and peppermint aromatherapy. The lighting was warm, fluttering with the golden hue of battery-operated candles. A funky Indian elephant batik hung on the wall. The retired lieutenant colonel, who had been injured in a combat plane crash, inhaled and exhaled as the doctor pressed needles into his knees. Like hundreds of veterans from across the country who have come to this VA hospital for treatment of chronic pain, panic attacks, traumatic injuries and other ailments, he said he was so fed up with taking heavy-duty painkillers that he was willing to try anything. The alternative-therapy programs mark a dramatic departure in the treatment offered to troops who are returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and seeking relief from pain. Among the options: Equine therapy. Alpha Stimulation. Qigong. Guided Imagery. Life coaching. Yoga and Pilates. Hypnosis. Aqua therapy. Botox. The Richmond, Virginia hospital and three other pilot programs offering these therapies are part of an … Continue reading →

Vienna, VA (PRWEB) October 16, 2014 The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) continues to voice concern about the proposed settlement between former players and the National Football league (NFL) over concussion-related injuries (case 2:12-md-02323-AB). On September 30, BIAA filed a second motion in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania asking the court to grant the organization amicus curiae status in the case. BIAA also filed an affidavit, written by Brent Masel, M.D., National Medical Director of BIAA, and Greg OShanick, M.D., National Medical Director Emeritus. The affidavit outlines the organizations serious concerns about the flaws and limitations of the settlement as it is currently written. The affidavit states that the settlement excludes numerous physical and behavioral consequences of brain injury from the list of qualifying diagnoses for treatment and compensation. A concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), results in a wide range of neurological, physical, cognitive, and neuropsychological impairments. These impairments can appear immediately or many years after injury, requiring specialized treatment on an ongoing or intermittent basis. The neurologic consequences of mTBI include issues with balance, depth perception, vision, eye-hand coordination, loss of sense of smell and taste, and posttraumatic headache. It … Continue reading →

Families of patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) may expect them to return to normal quickly -- after all, it's "just a concussion." But mild TBI can have a lasting impact on families as well as patients, according to a review in the November issue of American Journal of Nursing. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. "With the increasing numbers of people with mild TBI in the community, it's crucial for nurses to make this a part of assessment for early recognition and intervention," comments Maureen Shawn Kennedy, MA, RN, Editor-in-Chief of American Journal of Nursing. "Nurses may often be the first health professionals who, hearing the complaints of the patient or family member, might recognize that they're having difficulty adjusting to the family impact of head injury." Mild TBI Affects Families, Not Just Patients The article by Kyong S. Hyatt, PhD, RN, FNP, of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center discusses the ways mild TBI can affect patients and families. Important causes of mild TBI include sports injuries, motor vehicle accidents, and falls. In addition, many veterans are dealing with TBI sustained while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Yet … Continue reading →

The Defense Departments traumatic brain injury center of excellence is a finalist for the 7th Annual Major Jonathan Letterman Award for Medical Excellence. The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, a component of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, is nominated for its leadership in care, research, and education efforts that have improved traumatic brain injury patient outcomes. "We are extremely honored to be nominated for the Major Jonathan Letterman Award for Medical Excellence, said Col. (Dr.) Sidney R. Hinds, II, DVBICs national director. In the realm of traumatic brain injury, DVBIC strives to live up to many of the principles for which Major Letterman and this award stand: early identification, early treatment and focusing on the best outcomes. The latter is a function of the first two. We are humble to be included with the caliber of the other, deserving nominees." Annually the National Museum of Civil War Medicine presents the Letterman Award to one individual and one organization that has led innovative efforts in improving outcomes for patients with catastrophic injuries or developing new medical technologies to assist Armed Forces members or severely wounded civilians. This years respective awardees will be selected … Continue reading →