Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

ScienceDaily (May 11, 2012) Even mild head injuries can cause significant abnormalities in brain function that last for several days, which may explain the neurological symptoms experienced by some individuals who have experienced a head injury associated with sports, accidents or combat, according to a study by Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers. These findings, published in the May issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, advance research in the field of traumatic brain injury (TBI), enabling researchers to better understand what brain structural or functional changes underlie posttraumatic disorders -- a question that until now has remained unclear. Previous research has shown that even a mild case of TBI can result in long-lasting neurological issues that include slowing of cognitive processes, confusion, chronic headache, posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. The VCU team, led by Kimberle M. Jacobs, Ph.D. , associate professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology , demonstrated for the first time, using sophisticated bioimaging and electrophysiological approaches, that mild injury can cause structural disruption of axons in the brain while also changing the way the neurons fire in areas where they have not been structurally altered. Axons are nerve fibers in the brain responsible for conducting … Continue reading →

(PR NewsChannel) / May 8, 2012 / WASHINGTON "Cognitive Rehabilitation Manual" by Dr. Jon W. Lindberg From wounded war veterans to retired NFL players, cognitive rehabilitation is a hot topic that remains poorly understood both in and out of medical circles. In Cognitive Rehabilitation Manual: Translating Evidence-Based Recommendations into Practice (ISBN 0615538878), Dr. Edmund C. Haskins summarizes the best evidence-based interventions for physicians, therapists and psychologists to use with patients who have suffered a brain injury. This groundbreaking volume makes dozens of cognitive rehabilitation research outcomes instantly available for the working clinician. The Cognitive Rehabilitation Manual provides step-by-step instructions for the recommended interventions, making it an essential tool for any rehabilitation professional. The work provides support for a wide range of rehabilitation practices and cognitive domains including attention, memory, language, visuospatial abilities, social communications skills and metacognitive functions. It is based on an earlier series of evidence-based reviews of scientific literature on cognitive rehabilitation, which originally appeared in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the official medical journal of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM). ACRM President, Tamara Bushnik, PhD, FACRM, says about the manual, This ground-breaking volume typifies ACRMs efforts to support the transfer of cutting-edge rehabilitation … Continue reading →

May 10 2012 Aeden Harriet is treated in hospital A BOY of nine hurt himself playing netball at school and doctors who checked him over found a brain tumour that could have killed him. Aedan Harriet is now set to fly to the US for treatment, and his family are convinced the chance accident saved his life. Grandad Robert Rhodes said: If he had not taken unwell that day, he may have carried on as normal. The doctors said the tumour would have carried on growing, maybe until his teens, and he could just have dropped down dead one day. Aedan was playing netball at St Marys Primary in Duntocher, near Glasgow, when he bumped into one of his pals and hurt his hip and knee. He also seemed confused after his fall and teachers asked Robert to come to the school. Robert and Aedans mum Linsey took him to Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow and tests revealed the tumour at the base of his brain. It had been there since he was born. Aedan had been suffering from headaches and a sore neck and had been getting tired easily, but no one suspected a brain tumour until he was tested … Continue reading →

The suicide of former pro football star Junior Seau is putting a new focus on trauma to the head. Researchers say a lot of advances are being made in recognizing and treating brain injury, but a lot of mysteries still remain. Up until a year ago Lisa Huey was part of medical team studying and treating brain and spinal cord injuries. She is now learning to walk and talk again after an illness cut off oxygen to her brain. But its kind of ironic uh? asked Huey. Her journey to recovery could become a path for others to follow. A strong support system keeps her focused. Its hard sometime but you take it as it comes one day at a time my mom has been really helpful with that, said Huey. Huey and her mother were among the featured guest at a symposium on recent advances in treatments for brain injury and stroke. New innovations in imagining technology are making it easier to understanding the physical damage caused by a brain injury, but understanding the emotional damage, thats not as clear cut. Injuries that happen during sporting events, as well as, those on a battlefield have increased awareness. According to … Continue reading →

CONCORD, N.H.A commission created to study post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury among New Hampshire veterans is distributing a new survey around the state, while also using new mapping tools to generate policy questions it hopes will lead to better treatment and services. The commission, which was created by the Legislature last year, has focused so far on collecting data about veterans from the agencies that serve them. But aside from statistics provided by the VA Medical Center in Manchester, there wasn't a lot of data to collect, said Jo Moncher, the commission's chairwoman and head of community based military programs for the state Department of Health and Human Services. And while those returning from deployment go through extensive screenings, they might not always be honest because they are so eager to just get home, she said. In hopes of getting better information from the veterans themselves, the group worked with the UNH Survey Center to develop an 11-question survey that will be distributed at conferences, agencies serving veterans and other locations around the state. It also is available online at http://www.nh-veteran.com. "Today is a beginning," Moncher said. "We are not here to answer the questions and solve the … Continue reading →

Robyn Williams: Do you remember a series of programs I did in 1976 on dyslexia? The therapist who achieved some quite remarkable results with her young patients did so by teaching them to dance. Then here was the comedian Terry Thomas, with whom I did something on TV in 1971. He was already stiff and awkward, showing signs of Parkinsons disease. Later, in a TV documentary, Jonathan Miller showed how Terry Thomas could barely walk through a doorway, but he could easily dance through it. Music, the magic ingredient - now a new book shows why it works. This is Professor Roger Rees in Adelaide: Roger Rees: The distinguished author and neurologist Oliver Sacks has been lobbying the US Congress for music therapy to be recognised as a necessary treatment for people recovering from trauma and for people experiencing mental health difficulties. In the UK a study is examining the psychological impact of being exposed to bird song including whether it helps us to relax, can assist our ability to complete tasks and even think creatively. Meanwhile in Australia the SBS documentary titled The Musical Brain illuminates how the brain uses music to shape human experience. Pioneering music therapy has … Continue reading →

Hoping to finally have a useful treatment to offer for serious head injuries, doctors at San Antonio Military Medical Center will begin today giving the hormone progesterone to many patients. SAMMC, one of the region's two Level 1 trauma centers, is taking part in a national federally funded study of progesterone in patients with moderate to severe brain injuries. For the last 30 years, there have been a lot of drug trials, and every one of them has failed. There's a lot of hope with this, said Col. Randall McCafferty, chief of neurosurgery at SAMMC. Progesterone is mostly known as a female reproductive hormone, but men's bodies also produce some. And in the brain, it works the same in men and women: reducing swelling, inflammation and cell death. Smaller studies have shown the treatment cuts the risk of death by half. Because many brain-injured patients are unable to give permission to take part in the study, under federal law, people can opt out in advance by calling 210-916-1827 or going online to http://www.protectiii.com. While the military is interested in a better treatment for head injuries, which are common on the battlefield, most San Antonio-area patients are likely to be civilians, … Continue reading →

NOKOMIS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rainbow BioSciences, LLC, the biotech subsidiary of Rainbow Coral Corp. (RBCC), today announced the collaboration of its latest target, Amarantus BioSciences, Inc. (OTCBB: AMBS.OB - News), with Brewer Sports International(BSI) to increase awareness about new medical therapies in development to effectively treat traumatic brain injuries, commonly referred to as concussions, occurring primarily as a result of football and other contact sports. The Coalition for Concussion Treatment campaign, known under its Twitter handle as #C4CT, has reached the critical milestone of 100 people signing a petition endorsing the movement and seeking to disseminate critical information about promising new therapies BSI will be identifying and raising awareness for over the next several months. Raising awareness of new advancement in developing treatments for TBI is critically important because it will allow the broader community to support drug developers efforts. Recent research on concussions suffered by athletes of all ages, including children, is rapidly changing the publics view of the impact these injuries have on players, including horrific side effects such as dementia and even suicide, as has been seen by the recent tragic deaths of certain current and former NFL and NHL players. The newly formed Coalition for Concussion Treatment … Continue reading →

Alex Cottier. Alex Cottier (21), of Arrowtown, was at the national rugby sevens tournament in Queenstown in January with his mates when he vomited and collapsed. He and his mother, Vanessa, want to know why the hospital "got it wrong", want a review of the hospital process and an assurance changes will be made. "I want them to acknowledge they stuffed up. I want them to learn from their mistakes," Mrs Cottier said yesterday. Mr Cottier's illness was caused not by the four standard beers he had drunk that afternoon but by a rare and potentially fatal brain bleed - an arteriovenous malformation. It took more than 40 minutes to get him to hospital in Frankton after medical staff at the tournament allegedly assumed he was very drunk. The mother and son say the medical process had been drawn out further by four hospital staff who also assumed his state was alcohol-related. "I lay in Queenstown Hospital with all of them thinking I was drunk, until about 3pm the next day." Only when hospital staff were approached by a nurse who had seen the incident the day before did they concede it was more than just a hangover, and he … Continue reading →

Former NFL star Junior Seaus death by apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound follows a pattern of suicides by other high-profile football players who suffered from long-term effects of repeated brain injury. That list of players includes Andre Waters of the Philadelphia Eagles and Terry Long of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And just last year, former Chicago Bears player Dave Duerson shot himself in the chest, but not before requesting that his brain be donated to science so that researchers could study the long-term effects caused by concussion and other repeated brain injuries. Seau also suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, rather than the head. The former Pro Bowler, who was 43, was found by his girlfriend at his home Wednesday. For Seau, there may have been recent warning signs that all was not well, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. In October 2010, Seaus car plunged 30 feet off a coastal road in Carlsbad. He reportedly told police that he had fallen asleep while driving. The accident occurred hours after he was released from jail after being arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. His 25-year-old girlfriend did not require medical treatment, and Seau was never charged in the incident. The news … Continue reading →