Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Through research fueled by fines on speeding tickets and traffic violations, Rutgers University scientists have discovered how lithium a powerful drug long used to treat bipolar disorder can also help preserve brain function in patients who suffer traumatic brain injury. The findings, published Monday in the Scientific Reports section of the international journal Nature, are particularly important because most medications now used to treat brain injury focus on the symptoms and pain relief, not preventing further damage. Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is a major cause of death and disability, impacting some 1.7 million people each year, including more than 12,000 in New Jersey. Researchers discovered that the mood stabilizer lithium, approved decades ago to treat bipolar disorder and serious depression, also protected healthy brain cells from a toxic buildup of chemicals that often result from a violent blow to the head. An analog of the drug rapamycin, an immunosuppressant also used to treat pancreatic cancer, had similar effects, the scientists found. The work, led by Bonnie Firestein, a professor in Rutgers Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, was funded by a three-year grant from the New Jersey Commission on Brain Injury Research. Founded in 2004, the commission has provided … Continue reading →

Traumatic brain injuries may be helped with drug used to treat ... Science Daily Medications used to treat depression and cancer may prevent nerve cell damage and help those suffering with traumatic brain injury, according to a new study. and more » Continue reading here: Traumatic brain injuries may be helped with drug used to treat ... - Science Daily … Continue reading →

May 8, 2017 Cerebellum of CIVM postnatal rat brain atlas. Credit: Neurolex New research from the University of British Columbia confirms for the first time that even mild brain injury can result in impulse control problems in rats. The study, published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, also found that the impulsivity problems may be linked to levels of an inflammatory molecule in the brain, and suggest that targeting the molecule could be helpful for treatment. "Few studies have looked at whether traumatic brain injuries cause impulse control problems," said the study's lead author, Cole Vonder Haar, a former postdoctoral research fellow in the UBC department of psychology who is now an assistant professor at West Virginia University. "This is partly because people who experience a brain injury are sometimes risk-takers, making it difficult to know if impulsivity preceded the brain injury or was caused by it. But our study confirms for the first time that even a mild brain injury can cause impulse control problems." For the study, researchers gave rats with brain injuries a reward test to measure impulsivity. Rats that were unable to wait for the delivery of a large reward, and instead preferred an immediate, but small … Continue reading →

The 40-year-old, from Malpas in Cheshire, is in intensive care after she fell from her 14-year-old gelding Topwood Beau at the third fence of the cross-country course on Saturday. Mrs Gilruth's brother-in-law Andrew Gilruth told the Telegraph: "With any significant injury it's going to be about a week before anybody knows but she's heading in the right direction. "She was on one of the non-technical fences [when the accident occurred]. There's no indication that its not all recoverable the problem is we just don't know yet...you just have to wait and see how it progresses. "All the medical support was there, you couldn't ask for any more than that. The medical cover for Badminton is very rigorous you couldn't fault that. It's planned with meticulous detail and all the team know exactly what they're doing." Julian Seaman, from the Badminton Trials, saw the accident and said Mrs Gilruth fell having negotiated a fence after either the rider or the horse misjudge the distance. "To be honest it's a big challenge of a course but it was surprisingly early on that she had a hiccup like that but one a cross country course, every course is a challenge," he said. Continue … Continue reading →

OLYMPIA More than two dozen residents with severe mental disabilities at Washingtons Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island will stop being warehoused and start getting treatment that could help them. A settlement in a case against the center and the Department of Social and Health Services is expected to clear the way to develop new treatment programs for 27 current and any future residents who are sexual predators with mental disabilities that keep them participating in standard programs designed to treat the behavior that resulted in their commitment. The problems range from low IQ and learning disabilities to brain injuries, according to the lawsuit filed by Disability Rights Washington in February. The center has a five-step system that sexual predators may complete to qualify for less restrictive confinement or release, but the mental disabilities of the 27 residents in question keep them from taking part. The center has no alternative system. As a result, the residents are essentially stuck in place. It runs the gamut, said Rachael Seevers, staff attorney for Disability Rights Washington. A lot of them had been there for a very long time, essentially warehoused. Those residents are routinely punished for behavior such as failing to follow … Continue reading →

UPDATED: Sat., May 6, 2017, 10:50 p.m. The administration building at the Special Commitment Center at McNeil Island, Sept. 21, 2006. (Joe Barrentine / The Spokesman-Review) OLYMPIA More than two dozen residents with severe mental disabilities at Washingtons Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island will stop being warehoused and start getting treatment that could help them. A settlement in a case against the center and the Department of Social and Health Services is expected to clear the way to develop new treatment programs for 27 current and any future residents who are sexual predators with mental disabilities that keep them participating in standard programs designed to treat the behavior that resulted in their commitment. The problems range from low IQ and learning disabilities to brain injuries, according to the lawsuit filed by Disability Rights Washington in February. The center has a five-step system that sexual predators may complete to qualify for less restrictive confinement or release, but the mental disabilities of the 27 residents in question keep them from taking part. The center has no alternative system. As a result, the residents are essentially stuck in place. It runs the gamut, said Rachael Seevers, staff attorney for Disability Rights Washington. … Continue reading →

By Nick Coffman 05.03.2017#Expert Analysis Email Share Tweet I used to think the brain was the most wonderful organ in my body. Then I realized who was telling me this. Emo Philips The complexity of the structure and operation of a human brain is almost unfathomable. Our brains are the headquarters of the human experience: storing, sorting and reorganizing memories and even experiences that occurred before or outside of our cognitive memory; determining how we react to circumstances internally and externally; and controlling not just our functions, but our feelings, perceptions and understanding of life. A change in the brain changes the very essence of a persons identity. or Log In Filed Under: Expert Analysis, Featured, Safety & Prevention Tagged With: Alternate PTSD treatments, brain, CTE, Headline, Injury, PTSD, suicide, TBI, Veterans If you liked this article, tell someone about it Nick Coffman spent five years in the Marine Corps as a network operator, having served in Iraq with RCT-8 (8th Marine Regiment) and later with MARFORCOM. He left active duty in 2012 to pursue a career in IT project management, and in 2015 he completed his masters degree in that field. In his spare time he enjoys hunting, fishing, … Continue reading →

I have received several questions this month regarding brain injury. Rita B. from Marlboro asks What is the difference between a traumatic brain injury and an acquired brain injury? Josh W. from Matawan asks What are the leading causes of traumatic brain injury? Bonnie F. from Jackson asks Is a concussion considered to be a traumatic brain injury? Mark P. from Jackson asks How does a traumatic brain injury affect the brain and the body? Rich K. from Monroe asks What are some long-term effects of traumatic brain injury and are there ways to offset them? Mike R. from Englishtown asks Are the personality changes and behavioral issues permanent after a traumatic brain injury? William G. from Colts Neck asks Is there a standard process to treat a patient that has a traumatic brain injury? These questions have really highlighted the need for education, especially in our area, in the realm of traumatic brain injury. I will try my best to answer all of your questions, but I would also like to invite you all (and anyone else in the community) to come to Allaire Rehab & Nursing on May 16 at 6 p.m. for a Brain Injury Basics workshop. … Continue reading →

A former investment adviser from Roslyn Heights is taking his talents to South Beach. Jonathan Gilbert, CEO of Scythian Biosciences Inc., a biotech firm, has secured $16 million in funding for a promising trial at the University of Miami considering the potential impact of a cannabis-based compound to treat concussions and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The cannabinoid compound at the center of the trials, cannabidiol (CBD), is believed to contain neuroprotective properties that could, in theory, reduce inflammation in the brain caused by head trauma. Adding to the intrigue, the drug would not contain Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which creates the psychoactive effect in the brain when using marijuana. Researchers at the University of Miami hope the trial could produce a first-of-its-kind pharmaceutical answer to concussions, which has recently been the focus of millions of dollars in research, largely in response to the impact concussions have had on current and former NFL players. For Gilbert, a career investment adviser who worked for a Connecticut-based hedge fund, its incredibly exciting transitioning to biotech, focusing his efforts on a potentially game-changing drug, something that has thus far remained elusive to concussion patients. I cant sleep at night thinking about what I can be accomplishing … Continue reading →

May 1, 2017 10:51 AM By Dr. BrianMcDonough (credit: CBS) KYWs Medical Reports Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross PHILADELPHIA (CBS) Circadian rhythms dominate our lives. The most classic example is the sleep wake process in our body. Just think about the impact that traveling different time zones can have on our circadian rhythm and our overall health. Well, now there is a report in the journal Neurology which looks at circadian-related variations in body temperatures. Researchers found these can be linked to arousal in people in vegetative or minimally conscious state. This is important information because it suggests a possible role for circadian rhythm manipulation in the treatment of severe brain injury. The theory is that the presence or absence of circadian rhythms, as well as variations in them, could help us learn more about the state of the patient as well as the potential for recovery. Scientists are looking at how they can normalize circadian rhythms with the hopes it can help with treatment. Dr. Brian McDonough has been medical editor at KYW Newsradio for more than a quarter-century (since 1987)! Brian McDonough has been honored as Family Physician of the Year by the Delaware Academy of Family Physicians, … Continue reading →