Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Muhammad Ali's memorial service reading by Ambassador Shabazz. Jackelyn Jorgensen, WHAS 6:40 PM. EDT June 10, 2016 Ambassador Shabazz (Photo: Jorgensen, Jackelyn) LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) During the memorial service for Muhammad Ali at the KFC Yum! Center, Ambassador Shabazz delivered a powerful speech and prose reading. Shabazz is the ambassador-at-large for Belize and the daughter of the late human rights activist Malcolm X. Alis friendship with Malcolm X led to his conversion to Islam. She offered her condolences to the family, calling them each by name and honoring them. Just know that when you are the decedent of, in the presence of someone whose life was filled with principle, that the seed is in you, so you have to cultivate that responsibly as well,"Shabazz said. She spoke of how meaningful it was to her to be able to share the moment with Alis family and how meaningful Ali has been in her own life. While he and I had a treasured relationship, the genesis of this love was through the love of my father. Muhammad Ali was the last of a fraternity of amazing men bequeathed to me directly by my dad, Shabazz said. She went on to say that … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON, May 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --An article published in Experimental Biology and Medicine (Volume 242, Issue 10, May, 2017) identifies a new treatment that may protect the brain from irreversible damage caused by cardiac arrest. The study, led by Dr. Robert Mallet, Professor of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases at University of North Texas Health Science Center, showed that administration of pyruvate, an energy fuel and antioxidant, preserved brain function during cardiac arrest in a swine model. The brain consumes enormous amounts of metabolic energy, and is utterly dependent on its blood supply to deliver energy-yielding fuels and oxygen. Consequently, interruptions in the brain's blood supply can cause devastating effects. The depletion of energy stores and accumulation of toxic metabolites damages brain cells and can cause permanent impairment of brain function. Methylglyoxal, a by-product of sugar metabolism, irreversibly damages proteins by a process termed glycation and accumulates in the brain when the oxygen supply is compromised. Glyoxalase, a special enzyme that decomposes methylglyoxal and prevents its accumulation, is also vulnerable to glycation. Thus, preventing the inactivation of glyoxalase could improve clinical outcomes for patients experiencing interruptions in the brain's blood supply. Pyruvate is a natural metabolite, and has been shown to … Continue reading →

A federal district court in Louisiana has ruled that a professional arena football player could not assert intentional tort claims against the league stemming from concussions he allegedly had received but, rather, was limited to pursuing a workers compensation claim. The Case Lorenzo Breland alleged in the lawsuit he filed against Arena Football One, L.L.C. (AFO), which owns Arena Football League One, LLC (AFLO), and Louisiana Arena Football, L.L.C. (LAF), which owns the New Orleans Voodoo franchise, that he sustained a concussion in 2011 while employed as a professional arena football player for the Tulsa Talons, part of the AFO league. According to Mr. Breland, after the team doctor diagnosed him, the team encouraged him to return and he started the following game. Subsequently, Mr. Breland asserted, he played for the New Orleans Voodoo and sustained a severe blow to the head during a game on April 11, 2014, which caused a second concussion. Mr. Breland claimed that, after the 2014 concussion, he received inadequate medical attention and care and was pressured to return to playing football before he was fully rehabilitated. He alleged that, after complaining to the coach about his continued health problems, he was sent to a … Continue reading →

Our bodys cannabinoid receptor system may play a part in protecting our nervous system following trauma, Israeli researchers believe. A team at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has found that rats and mice subjected to traumatic brain injury (TBI) showed significantly better recovery when treated with cannabinoid compounds, possibly opening the way for clinical trials in the near future. Cannabinoids are chemical compounds, either derived from cannabis or manufactured, that act on specific cannabinoid receptors in our bodys cells. The most well-known is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, marijuanas main psychoactive compound. The endocannabinoid system, our bodys natural cannabinoid receptors, is found in the brain and most organs of the body, and is believed to be a part of the neuroprotective mechanism in mammals, said Prof. Esther Shohami of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. When an external event like stroke or trauma occurs, the body responds by producing these molecules that should protect the brain, Shohami said. In previous studies, the researchers looked at the endocannabinoid 2-AG in mice following a traumatic brain injury. 2-AG is produced by the body naturally, but in relatively low amounts that are not enough to effectively protect the brain. The researchers noticed that 2-AG levels were … Continue reading →

Waking The Brain After experiencing a severe brain injury, people can slip into a coma. Some of these people begin to show signs of intermittent awareness, but are still not able to communicate. This state is called minimal consciousness, and it can leave friends and loved ones of those who are trapped in it feeling helpless and heartbroken. tCDS stimulates neurons with low-level electricity. In this study, recently published in Brain Injury, the tCDS treatment was applied to the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain involved in high-level cognitive functions including consciousness. The prefrontal cortex is also connected to other important hubs in the brain, allowing it to send electrical signals outward. Waves of electrical activity moving outward from the prefrontal cortex into other areas of the brain is the hallmark of consciousness.This studys success in prompting some of these patterns with stimulation suggests that scientists may be able to help people with consciousness disorders to awaken partially. Further, the development of a device to facilitate communication between people with consciousness disorders and others may be possible. Approximately 315,000 Americans suffer from disorders of consciousness. Of those, about 280,000 are minimally conscious. Disorders of consciousness are most often caused … Continue reading →

Researchers from Missouri University of Science and Technology are working with physicians and clinicians from Phelps County Regional Medical Center on medical research that could lead to new treatments for cancer and traumatic brain injury, a new way to predict potential problems at childbirth, and a method to attract and capture poisonous brown recluse spiders. The research is funded throu Researchers from Missouri University of Science and Technology are working with physicians and clinicians from Phelps County Regional Medical Center on medical research that could lead to new treatments for cancer and traumatic brain injury, a new way to predict potential problems at childbirth, and a method to attract and capture poisonous brown recluse spiders. The research is funded through the Ozark Biomedical Initiative, a partnership between PCRMC and Missouri S&T that provides seed money to support biomedical research. The OBI is an outcome of a partnership between the university and medical center that was formalized in July 2015. Through the OBI, Missouri S&T and PCRMC each contribute $25,000 annually to fund joint research proposals that involve researchers from both entities. That funding provides seed money for research and testing that can support future proposals to major funding agencies like … Continue reading →

Naomi Whidden Thanks in part to the efforts of a U.S. congressman, Marines and sailors aboard Camp Lejeune will be eligible to participate in a medical study involving hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. Congressman Walter B. Jones has succeeded in advocating for their inclusion in the study that focuses on the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The non-invasive procedure exposes the body to 100-percent oxygen at high pressure . Patients enters a clear chamber for a period of time while the pressure and oxygen levels increase to fill the blood with enough oxygen to repair tissues and restore normal body function, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine website. The study is conducted by Dr. Paul Harch, the Department of Internal Medicine director at Louisiana State University School of Medicine and a clinical professor. In a 2012 study, Harch found blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are diagnoses of particular concern in the United States because of the volume of affected servicemen and women from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to Jason Lowry with Congressman Jones office, the study will be open to all active duty Marines and sailors … Continue reading →

For the National Football League, concussions are a real problem. The league knows it. The league is just not happy talking about it. A 2016 congressional report concluded the NFL tried to improperly influence the National Institutes of Health when the NIH was conducting a study about the connection between Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), commonly known as a concussion, and the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is the disease that doctors believe contributed to the death of several former professional football players, among them San Diego native Junior Seau. Former players have tried relentlessly to try and figure out how to combat the symptoms of CTE and now thanks to a treatment being done in San Diego they might have a ray of hope. First, a bit of background. Doctors believe 30 percent to 40 percent of people who sustain a concussion will experience some level of post-concussion syndrome. Post-concussion syndrome can cause neurological problems such as migraines, headaches and dizzy spells. It also comes with cognitive problems like memory changes, difficulty in planning or focusing and behavioral problems such as depression, mood disorders and sleep issues. The multitude of symptoms makes TBI extremely difficult to treat. One … Continue reading →

Kelly said Marcus chose to donate the money to CU Anschutz due to a relationship Kelly had established with the Marcus Foundation when Kelly was at Walter Reed. "Their team from the Marcus Foundation came to visit the [Walter Reed clinic] ... and started thinking, 'This model fits for veteran care'," Kelly said in an interview. Kelly said while the Walter Reed medical center focused on active duty veterans, Marcus's interest had been more in treating veterans. "They'd already been helping in other clinics, and were willing to make a commitment if things were done right," Kelly said. "They found out I'd returned to CU Anschutz, so they contacted me in followup and said, 'let's get together to see if this works.'" Kelly said since CU Anschutz already had the technology and operations on-campus, so it was a natural fit. Meanwhile, CU Anschutz also said today that it will partner with The Cohen Veterans Network to build a team of staff members dedicated solely to treating mental health issues among veterans and their families. The Cohen Veterans Network will provide CU Anschutz with $9.8 million to build that team, and the veterans and their families will be able to obtain … Continue reading →

11 May 2017 Alzheimers researchers are pursuing treatments beyond amyloid and tau, and at the 13th International Conference on Alzheimers and Parkinsons Diseases, held March 29 to April 2 in Vienna, they shared news on drugs in Phase 1 and 2 trials that target inflammation, epigenetics, and regeneration. The candidates include two small molecules that soothe microglia and suppress inflammatory signaling, an attempt to tweak epigenetic regulation by way of lysine-specific demethylase, and the neurosteroidallopregnanolone. Two Strategies to Calm Inflammation Growing genetic and animal evidence pegs the immune system as a central influencer in both hastening and ameliorating Alzheimers progression. Because of this, many groups are looking at ways to tamp down harmful inflammatory signaling. Researchers led by D. Martin Watterson of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, designed and synthesized compounds that specifically suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines, and turned up two related small molecules, MW151 and MW189. Both act on microglia to selectively turn down pro-inflammatory cytokines without affecting anti-inflammatory signaling, said Linda Van Eldik of the University of Kentucky, Lexington, who collaborates with Watterson to develop these candidates asdrugs. The small molecule MW151 turns down harmful inflammatory signaling and is being developed in pill form for Alzheimers disease. … Continue reading →