Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Brain Injury Prevention in Team Sports in Canada TORONTO, April 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - ThinkFirst Pensez d'Abord Canada hosts a free lecture and workshop with keynote speaker Matt Dunigan. "ThinkFirst Canada is honored to have Matt Dunigan speaking up for child and youth health in team sport. Canada can and must do a better job at protecting our greatest resource, our children, by reducing the burden of head and brain injuries like concussion" said Rebecca Nesdale-Tucker, Executive Director and CEO, ThinkFirst-Pensez d'Abord Canada. Matt Dunigan is a sports concussion survivor and is emerging as an active injury prevention advocate, encouraging the need for concussion awareness. "The more we can educate ourselves in all aspects relating to concussions, including recognition, awareness, prevention and the proper protocols for back to play the better all sport will be. Parents, coaches, officials and society in general must take action in becoming more involved in dealing with concussions in sport" said Dunigan "Coaches and parents must be educated so they can appropriately intervene and protect the kids from themselves. The kids' innately are under tremendous pressures to produce and win in today's sporting world and often times can and will be their own worst enemy, … Continue reading →

-Studies in rabbits hold promise for people Newswise A team of scientists from Johns Hopkins and elsewhere have developed nano-devices that successfully cross the brain-blood barrier and deliver a drug that tames brain-damaging inflammation in rabbits with cerebral palsy. A report on the experiments, conducted at Wayne State University in collaboration with the Perinatology Research Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, before the lead and senior investigators moved to Johns Hopkins, is published in the April 18 issue of Science Translational Medicine. For the study, researchers used tiny, manmade molecules laced with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), an anti-inflammatory drug used as antidote in acetaminophen poisoning. The researchers precision-targeted brain cells gone awry to halt brain injury. In doing so they improved the animals neurologic function and motor skills. The new approach holds therapeutic potential for a wide variety of neurologic disorders in humans that stem from neuro-inflammation, including Alzheimers disease, stroke, autism and multiple sclerosis, the investigators say. The scientists caution that the findings are a long way from human application, but that the simplicity and versatility of the drug-delivery system make it an ideal candidate for translation into clinical use. In crossing the blood-brain barrier and … Continue reading →

Public release date: 23-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Ekaterina Pesheva epeshev1@jhmi.edu 410-502-9433 Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions A team of scientists from Johns Hopkins and elsewhere have developed nano-devices that successfully cross the brain-blood barrier and deliver a drug that tames brain-damaging inflammation in rabbits with cerebral palsy. A report on the experiments, conducted at Wayne State University in collaboration with the Perinatology Research Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, before the lead and senior investigators moved to Johns Hopkins, is published in the April 18 issue of Science Translational Medicine. For the study, researchers used tiny, manmade molecules laced with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), an anti-inflammatory drug used as antidote in acetaminophen poisoning. The researchers precision-targeted brain cells gone awry to halt brain injury. In doing so they improved the animals' neurologic function and motor skills. The new approach holds therapeutic potential for a wide variety of neurologic disorders in humans that stem from neuro-inflammation, including Alzheimer's disease, stroke, autism and multiple sclerosis, the investigators say. The scientists caution that the findings are a long way from human application, but that the simplicity and versatility of the drug-delivery system make it an ideal candidate … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Apr. 22, 2012) With more than 1.7 million people sustaining a traumatic brain injury each year, the need to identify processes to limit inflammation and subsequent damage is critical. Approximately 275,000 people are hospitalized annually with traumatic brain injury, leaving 85,000 with long-term disabilities and taking the lives of more than 50,000. More than 5 million people live with disabilities caused by traumatic brain injuries, often the result of car accidents and falls. Direct and indirect costs exceed $75 billion. Dr. Joshua Gatson, Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, investigates biomarkers and novel therapies for traumatic brain injury. His previous work has shown that estrone, one of the three naturally occurring estrogen hormones in the body, has shown some promise in reducing inflammation and cell death in the brain. His latest study is the first to demonstrate estrone provides those anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capabilities after traumatic brain injury. It is likewise the first to reveal the cellular pathways that are involved. His findings were presented April 22, 2012 during Experimental Biology 2012 in San Diego, CA. The study, conducted in male rats, compared 0.5 mg of estrone to a placebo, both … Continue reading →

By: Kristin Ellis/Fort Belvoir Community Hospital Public Affairs | Published: April 19, 2012 Updated: April 19, 2012 - 9:25 AM According to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, an estimated 1.7 million people suffer a traumatic brain injury each year, 30,000 of whom are servicemembers. The month of March recognized and raised awareness about brain injuries to include the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. TBI is a disruption of function in the brain caused by an external force. The severity can range from mild, also known as concussion, to severe involving an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia. Blasts are a leading cause of TBI for active-duty military personnel in war zones, while falls account for 35 percent of TBI cases in the civilian world, according to DVBIC. "Many people do not realize that they sustained a brain injury," said Dr. Heechin Chae, chief of the Traumatic Brain Injury Department. "It is an invisible injury. The CDC and the military reports that many cases go undiagnosed. Brain Injury Awareness month or other related events helps these people get the appropriate help as well as prevent brain injury." As of February, the TBI Clinic here has treated 228 cases using a … Continue reading →

MOUNT OLIVE TWP. - Daniella Rellas brother was nearly killed by a drunk driver and she said he has made amazing progress because of treatment pioneered by neuroscientist Philip DeFina. But Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center fired the Chester resident last November and he has been removed from consideration for a seat on the N.J. Commission for Brain Injury Research. Joseph Domalewski said he feels absolutely blessed that DeFina became involved in the treatment of his son after the Wayne youth was struck by a baseball and fell into a coma. But for unclear reasons, DeFina was discharged in 2005 as a consultant by the Matheny School and Hospital in Peapack-Gladstone. DeFinas work has taken on a particularly critical importance with the return of many veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury suffered during fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. His research has been considered so vital that he and his associates received a $6.4 million research grant from the U.S. Department of Defense in September 2009. DeFina formed his International Brain Research Foundation in 2005 and recently relocated the office to Flanders. He has been involved in brain research since the late 1980s and has developed a controversial protocol for treatment of … Continue reading →

Posted by Steven GurstenMarch 27, 2012 3:15 PM As lawyers for injury victims, we get an up-close look at how the lives of traumatic brain injury survivors are dramatically impacted by their injuries. As you might know, March is Brain Injury Awareness month. In order to raise money bring more awareness to the issues related to TBI, the lawyers at Michigan Auto Law are donating $1 to the Michigan Brain Injury Association for every Like the firm's page receives on Facebook. Please help us reach our goal of $10,000 by liking our Facebook page. In addition to raising money, we've also been pretty busy publishing information on brain injuries at our blog: And it's not too late to help spread the word! Here's what you can do: Survivors of traumatic brain injuries need our support. Treatment, therapy, rehabilitation, and care for loved ones that have survived a brain injury can pile up quickly. But spreading important information about brain injuries and raising money for organizations that are doing good work are some easy ways we can all help families dealing with these difficult issues. Read the original here: Brain Injury Awareness Month Campaign … Continue reading →

Memory Faith McAdams wishes people would see her as a person first, then as a traumatic brain injury survivor. Too often, it's the other wayaround. "You always want to be one of the 'normies,' " the 43-year-old Ventura woman said, referring to those without braininjury. When asked about the irony of her name, Memory said it's just a coincidence, that it was just one of those 1960snames. The slang like "normies," the slights, the triumphs and the struggles were all part of the third annual Ventura County Brain Injury Center Conference held Saturday at the Ventura County Office of Education inCamarillo. The conference had a keynote speaker and workshops on three simultaneous tracks for brain injury survivors, caregivers and professionals in the field seeking to get furthercredentials. "The thrust of this conference is real practical knowledge," explained Joan Moore, executive director of the Brain Injury Center of Ventura County in Camarillo. "Once a person sustains a brain injury ... they get the acute and subacute rehabilitation, but when they come home, the services stop but they haven't gottenanybetter." During the workshop, roughly 150 attendees learned practical tips for survivors, caregivers and health professionals. Subjects included everything from communication to nutrition … Continue reading →

09:35 GMT, March 23, 2012 WASHINGTON | The U.S. Defense Department exhibited its latest technology and practices in the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injuries at the 11th annual Brain Injury Awareness Day Fair here Mar. 21. The event at the House of Representatives Rayburn Building, which was jam-packed with information seekers, was sponsored by the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force in support of Traumatic Brain Injury Month. The fair featured nearly 60 federal agency and private-sector exhibitors, including the military services. Defense agencies at the fair included the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, and its components, the National Intrepid Center of Excellence and the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. Public awareness of traumatic brain injury overall has dramatically increased, said Joshua Stueve, the Intrepid Centers public affairs officer, who hosted his organizations exhibit. The big turnout from congressional and military staffers and the public was evidence of that awareness, he added. Numerous DOD products proved popular with visitors. One such item was the Deployment Mental Health Assessments Pocket Guide, a compact, yet comprehensive, booklet that outlines how to assess service members for TBI, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, suicidal tendencies and other … Continue reading →

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales has been identified as the soldier accused of killing 16 civilians in Afghanistan. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Editor's note: Dr. Charles Raison, CNNhealth's mental health expert, is an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He has not personally examined the suspect in the Afghanistan mass shootings, Robert Bales, but has used news accounts as the basis for his views. (CNN) -- Q: Sgt. Robert Bales has been accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians. He served three tours in Iraq before this and his lawyer says he may have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or a traumatic brain injury. What's the link between violence and those disorders? A: Psychiatrists understand some types of aberrant behavior pretty well and can do things to help resolve it. But, unfortunately, in other instances -- and often the most interesting ones -- we can only mumble generalities that require no special expertise and that offer no hope for a diagnosis or treatment. Take the case of U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Bales, accused of massacring 16 Afghan men, women and children while they slept unprotected in their village. The first thing a psychiatrist would want to know is … Continue reading →