Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Congressional negotiators agreed Monday to extend a government program that funds assisted-living homes for veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries, including dozens of troops wounded by roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan. The accord, tucked into a larger bill to address health-care and management scandals at the Department of Veterans Affairs, constitutes a last-minute move to prevent the eviction of dozens of brain-damaged veterans from private rehabilitation facilities around the country. Veterans who are receiving treatment for traumatic brain injury can have a greater peace of mind knowing that the program will be extended, Rep. Bill Cassidy (R., La.), one of the sponsors of the extension, said in a written announcement. The $17 billion compromise bill must still win passage in the full House and Senate and secure President Barack Obamas approval. With Congress in a partisan stall and legal authority for the program due to end in October, the VA had begun discharging veterans from the care facilities. The VA already warned 53 veterans that theyd have to find alternative housing by Sept. 15, creating a wave of unease among patients and their families. The VA had left in limbo the fates of 50 other veterans, from the Iraq … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 23-Jul-2014 Contact: Meng Zhao eic@nrren.org 86-138-049-98773 Neural Regeneration Research Traumatic brain injury can cause post-traumatic neurodegenerations with an increase in reactive oxygen species and reactive oxygen species-mediated lipid peroxidation. Melatonin, a non-enzymatic antioxidant and neuroprotective agent, has been shown to counteract oxidative stress-induced pathophysiologic conditions like cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, neuronal excitotoxicity and chronic inflammation. Therefore, the research team at the Neuroscience Research Center, University of Suleyman Demire, led by Prof. Mustafa Nazrolu, aimed to evaluate whether there would be a protective effect of melatonin on oxidative stress and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant levels in traumatic brain injury rats. Their study released in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 9, No. 11, 2014) have revealed that the cerebral cortex -carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, reduced glutathione, and erythrocyte reduced glutathione levels, and plasma vitamin C level were decreased by traumatic brain injury whereas they were increased following melatonin treatment. In conclusion, melatonin seems to have protective effects on traumatic brain injury-induced cerebral cortex and blood toxicity by inhibiting free radical formation and supporting antioxidant vitamin redox system. ### Article: "Melatonin reduces traumatic brain injury-induced oxidative stress in the cerebral cortex and blood of rats" by Nilgn enol1, Mustafa Nazrolu2 … Continue reading →

Background Hospital-acquired pneumonia is common after traumatic brain injury, and might be partly a result of traumatic brain injury-induced adrenal insufficiency. We tested the efficacy of low-dose hydrocortisone with fludrocortisone for the prevention of hospital-acquired pneumonia. From Sept 1, 2010, to Nov 29, 2012, we enrolled 336 patients (168 assigned to each group). Eight patients withdrew consent. At day 28, 74 of 165 patients (45%) in the steroid group and 87 of 163 (53%) in the placebo group had developed one or more episodes of hospital-acquired pneumonia (hazard ratio [HR] 075; 95% CI 055103, p=007). In intention-to-treat analysis, we recorded 86 episodes of hospital-acquired pneumonia in the steroid group versus 110 in the placebo group (median 0, IQR 01 vs median 1, IQR 01 cases per patient, p=007). In modified intention-to-treat analyses, the HR for hospital-acquired pneumonia with steroids versus placebo was 080 (95% CI 056114, p=022) in patients with adrenal insufficiency, and, in an exploratory preplanned analysis, 048 (023101; p=005) in patients with normal adrenal function. We recorded no adverse events related to treatment. Low-dose hydrocortisone with fludrocortisone did not improve the outcome of patients with traumatic brain injury. However, the study was underpowered because the proportion of patients … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 24-Jul-2014 Contact: Tracy Wheeler wheelet2@ccf.org 216-444-4235 Cleveland Clinic July 17, 2014, Cleveland: Could the body's own immune system play a role in memory impairment and cognitive dysfunction associated with conditions like chronic epilepsy, Alzheimer's dementia and concussions? Cleveland Clinic researchers believe so, based on a study published online by PLOS ONE. The study focuses on the role of a protein known as S100B, which serves as a biomarker for brain damage. Normally, S100B is found only in the brain and spinal column. However, following a brain injury, it can leak through the blood-brain barrier into the blood. Once S100B enters the bloodstream, it is identified as an intruder by the immune system, which releases antibodies to attack the protein. "Our results show an unexpected role for S100B in the regulation of a neuro-immune response, connecting the function of the brain to the immune system," said Damir Janigro, Ph.D., senior author and molecular medicine researcher at Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute. "Uptake of S100B was prominent in cells that are known to be involved in regulating immune responses. Repeated increases of S100B whether due to epileptic seizures, Alzheimer's disease, or repeated hits to the head in sporting events … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 23-Jul-2014 Contact: Tom Vasich tmvasich@uci.edu 949-824-6455 University of California - Irvine Irvine, Calif., July 23, 2014 A therapy combining salmon fibrin injections into the spinal cord and injections of a gene inhibitor into the brain restored voluntary motor function impaired by spinal cord injury, scientists at UC Irvine's Reeve-Irvine Research Center have found. In a study on rodents, Gail Lewandowski and Oswald Steward achieved this breakthrough by turning back the developmental clock in a molecular pathway critical to the formation of corticospinal tract nerve connections and providing a scaffold so that neuronal axons at the injury site could grow and link up again. Results appear in the July 23 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The work expands on previous research at UCI. In 2010, Steward helped discover that axons flourish after the deletion of an enzyme called PTEN, which controls a molecular pathway regulating cell growth. PTEN activity is low during early development, allowing cell proliferation. PTEN subsequently turns on, inhibiting this pathway and precluding any ability to regenerate. Two years later, a UCI team found that salmon fibrin injected into rats with spinal cord injury filled cavities at the injury site, giving axons a framework … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 22-Jul-2014 Contact: Laura Ambro ambrol@ccf.org 216-636-5876 Cleveland Clinic July 22, 2014, Cleveland: A type of immune cell widely believed to exacerbate chronic adult brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis (MS), can actually protect the brain from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and may slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, according to Cleveland Clinic research published today in the online journal Nature Communications. The research team, led by Bruce Trapp, PhD, Chair of the Department of Neurosciences at Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute, found that microglia can help synchronize brain firing, which protects the brain from TBI and may help alleviate chronic neurological diseases. They provided the most detailed study and visual evidence of the mechanisms involved in that protection. "Our findings suggest the innate immune system helps protect the brain after injury or during chronic disease, and this role should be further studied," Dr. Trapp said. "We could potentially harness the protective role of microglia to improve prognosis for patients with TBI and delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease, MS, and stroke. The methods we developed will help us further understand mechanisms of neuroprotection." Microglias are primary responders to the brain after injury or during … Continue reading →

Heres a storywith a slight Cyborg ring to it:Animplantable brain device that can potentially restore the memory of patients with traumatic brain injury, Alzheimers disease, epilepsy and relatedconditions is being developed at the governments Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The technology sits at the nexus of human, neuron-based memory and digital, computer chip-based memory: The device is implanted intotheentorhinal cortex and hippocampus the portions of the brain associated with memory. It then uses real-time recording and closed-loop stimulation of neural tissues to bridge gaps in the injured brain and restore a persons ability to create new memories and access old ones. The labs goal is to build an implantable prototype that can begin clinical testing by 2017; Medtronic and the University of California, Los Angeles are collaborating on the research and design. The program just receivedup to $2.5 million fromDARPAs Restoring Active Memory program. Its actually part of President Obamas BRAIN Initiative that last year tasked researchers to really delve deep into the inner workings of the noggin. DARPAs aptly named RAM program actually focuses most on traumatic brain injury, which has been diagnosed in some 270,000 servicemen since 2000. Currently, there is no effective treatment for memory loss resulting from … Continue reading →

FAMILY members of Toowoomba man Joel Shepherd are ecstatic with the results of his first round of reverse stroke therapy. Mr Shepherd, 26, is in the US with his mother Coralie Graham and siblings to undergo perispinal Etanercept treatment. It is hoped the drug will reduce swelling on a brain injury he incurred as a three-year-old boy. Community members have rallied around the family, helping to raise money for the expensive treatment. WHAT'S ONLINE TODAY: Hospital staff pay tribute to doctor lost in MH17 disaster Residents shocked that three-hour parking existed for 14 years Mother issues desperate plea for daughter come home Rapist acquitted of knife-point rape in van Mr Shepherd's sister Susan Graham-Ryan yesterday had good news. Link: Reverse stroke treatment has family crying tears of joy … Continue reading →

BULLHEAD CITY There is a movement under way to treat returning military veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) instead of drugs. Were losing a soldier an hour to suicide, said Janet Franco, who hosts a Las Vegas-based radio program dedicated to helping veterans with those afflictions. Whats happening when they get back (from active duty) is the high amounts of pharmaceutical drugs that are administered to our soldiers. The side effects are causing more damage than good when it comes to depression and suicidal thoughts, Franco said. She had a son with a head injury and he tried two or three times to kill himself over the years, so Im very familiar with what these families go through, she said. To say that we are in a state of emergency is an understatement, Franco said. The Mayo Clinic website, mayoclinic.org, describes the process known as HBOT: Your bodys tissues need an adequate supply of oxygen to function. When tissue is injured, it requires even more oxygen to survive. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases the amount of oxygen your blood can carry. An increase in blood oxygen temporarily restores normal levels of … Continue reading →

LIVERMORE -- Deep inside Lawrence Livermore Laboratory's Center for Bioengineering, scientist Sat Pannu and his research team are hard at work crafting spaghetti noodle-sized devices with a mundane appearance but an audacious goal: To rewire damaged human brains. Fitted with dozens of tiny microelectrodes, each of these brain implants is intended to monitor the electrical activity of brains devastated by physical injury or mental illness -- and provide the precise stimuli to help minds compensate for what they've lost. It sounds fanciful, like something out of Hollywood. But building on technology more than a decade in the making, center director Pannu and his associates envision a time, not too many years away, when advanced, so-called deep-brain stimulation implants combat the ravages of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, even chronic pain or addiction. "This technology allows us to interface with the brain using hundreds, if not thousands, of electrodes," Pannu said. "If you had these devices implanted in the brain, you could record (neural activity) and see how therapies are working in real time." Pannu's $5.6 million project -- which is in the early stages of animal testing -- is part of an array of brain research underway at Lawrence … Continue reading →