Articles tagged with Brain Injuries
Researchers discovered a protein called glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) that can predict brain injury and death in children on ECMO. High levels of GFAP were found to be associated with an increased risk of brain bleeding, swelling, stroke, and death.
The study identified eight categories of PTSD-related characteristics and factors, including exposure to traumatic stressors and mental health history. The work group's findings aim to improve the integration of knowledge regarding PTSD and TBI, ultimately benefiting trauma survivors.
New brain machine technologies show promise in restoring vision, controlling prosthetics with thoughts, and regaining limb function after injury. An artificial retina may restore vision more effectively than existing prosthetics.
The KINARM Assessment Station is an objective tool for assessing brain function, capturing subtle deficits not measured by traditional tests. Clinical researchers need this tool to develop better therapies for treating brain injury or disease.
A new consensus on TBI and PTSD establishes common language, measurement, treatment, and potential outcomes, promoting greater consistency and collaboration among researchers. The set of papers provides recommendations for clinical research on TBI and psychological health, aiming to advance the field.
A new study reveals young offenders have a significantly higher rate of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) than expected in society. TBI was also linked to greater violence in offending and mental health problems. Researchers emphasize the need for brain injury assessment in offender management.
A recent study by Dr. Michael Cusimano found that existing headgear and mouth guards are ineffective in preventing concussions in rugby players, but educational injury prevention programs and rule changes can significantly reduce injuries.
Researchers have found that brain damage continues to develop and evolve after traumatic brain injury, offering a potential target for treatments. The study, published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine, provides new insights into progressive changes in brain structure and function after injury.
Microglia, immune cells long thought to be dormant, are found to constantly interact with synapses, creating and eliminating them. This discovery challenges current views of the brain and its functions.
Researchers discovered that microglia cells are constantly active and create and eliminate synapses, contributing to learning and memory. Microglia appear to be involved in creating or changing the extracellular space around synapses, affecting brain signaling.
A new study using positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) found that traumatic brain injuries lead to widespread decreases in brain functioning, particularly in the hippocampus. The research suggests a time window during which intervention could mitigate long-term neurological consequences.
The American Academy of Neurology calls for athletes suspected of having a concussion to be removed from play until evaluation by a trained physician. This recommendation aims to prevent catastrophic results and promote high-quality, safe care for athletes in contact sports.
The grants will advance research on retinitis pigmentosa, Huntington's disease and traumatic brain injury. The selected projects are expected to result in candidate drugs or cell therapies, which can be developed for clinical trials.
A National Stroke Association survey reveals that 53% of stroke survivors suffer from pseudobulbar affect (PBA), a condition causing involuntary laughter or crying. PBA symptoms interfere with daily activities and relationships, but few are aware of the condition.
A team of biomedical engineers has received a $6.25 million grant to study the effects of blast waves on brain neural circuitry. The goal is to define safety corridors for blast loading and develop helmets and armor to mitigate the blast threat.
Hospitalizations for ATV injuries among US youth increased by 150% over a nine-year period, with significant increases seen in the South and Midwest. The study found that females ages 15 to 17 experienced the sharpest rise in ATV hospitalizations, despite males having the highest rate.
Researchers at Purdue University discovered cognitive impairment in high school football players who didn't show classic symptoms of concussions. The study used advanced brain imaging and sensor data to identify four players with significant brain deficits, challenging the notion that concussion-free players are unaffected.
A randomized controlled trial found no significant difference in 6-month neurologic outcome among patients with severe traumatic brain injury who received hypertonic fluids versus normal saline. The study involved 114 patients and found no improvement in survival or disability.
A nationwide study found that serious hockey injuries among children aged 9 to 14 increased by 163 percent between 1990 and 2006. The study also found significant increases in injury rates among teens and females, with nearly one in four ice hockey injuries being to the face or mouth.
The Journal will provide a strong multidisciplinary forum to advance the understanding of therapeutic hypothermia. Novel findings from translational preclinical investigations as well as clinical studies and trials will be featured in original articles.
A new study found a 70% increase in basketball-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) among children and adolescents between 1997 and 2007. The study, conducted by Nationwide Children's Hospital, also revealed that TBIs doubled for boys and tripled for girls during this time.
A new study suggests that excessive drinking is associated with poor brain health due to obesity. Researchers found that high body mass index (BMI) was linked to lower brain metabolite levels and poorer brain function in individuals with alcohol dependence.
Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston advocate for reclassifying traumatic brain injury as a chronic disease to ensure proper care and funding for research. The study highlights the long-term effects of brain trauma on cognitive function, physiological processes, and quality of life.
Researchers at Boston University and VA have discovered a new disease, CTEM, that mimics ALS in athletes with repeated head trauma. The disease is characterized by abnormal tau protein deposits and TDP-43 pathology, which are also found in sporadic ALS cases.
A Cochrane Systematic Review found that music therapy, specifically rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS), can improve walking speed and arm movements in stroke patients. RAS therapy was shown to be more effective than standard movement therapy, with an average improvement of 14 metres per minute.
University of Denver neuropsychologist Kim Gorgens states that most concussions deliver a significant force of 95g to the human body upon impact. This is significantly lower than the average football player's g-force, which reaches 103g during gameplay. The event also featured other notable speakers discussing pressing global issues.
A study published in Neurology found that brain injuries disrupt sleep regulation, resulting in lower melatonin levels and decreased sleep efficiency. The study suggests that taking supplemental melatonin may improve sleep in people with brain injuries.
A recent study found that nearly half of patients with traumatic brain injury experience major depression within the first year after hospitalization. The study, published in JAMA, also identified predictors of major depressive disorder and the relationship between MDD and quality-of-life outcomes.
Researchers at Northwestern University led by Theresa Pape are testing if familiar voices can facilitate brain repair and improve coma recovery. The study found that subjects responded more to family voices compared to non-familiar ones, with activated brain areas appearing on MRI scans.
Researchers at Stanford University and Brown University are developing new technologies to understand brain function and encourage recovery from injury. The project aims to create implantable devices that can sense brain signals and deliver optogenetic light pulses to neural tissue.
The NFL is supporting the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy's (CSTE) research on long-term effects of head trauma in athletes. The $1 million gift will fund clinical research to develop early detection methods and prevent treatment for CTE, a degenerative brain disease associated with dementia.
Researchers developed a two-step screening strategy to identify small molecules that bind to TrkB but not other related proteins. These compounds have shown promising therapeutic potential in treating neurodegenerative conditions by activating TrkB signaling and preventing neuronal degeneration.
A new study published in Brain Injury found that traumatic brain injury can cause olfactory loss in patients, with frontal lesions more likely to result in impaired sense of smell. The study recruited 49 people with TBI and found that 55% had an impaired sense of smell.
Researchers link differences in brain network harm to impairment in stroke patients, offering a new predictive tool for clinicians. This approach, known as resting-state functional connectivity, may help determine treatment and assess its effects.
A special issue of NeuroRehabilitation presents a comprehensive review of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HI-BI), including neuropathophysiology, neuroimaging assessment, and management strategies. The issue highlights the challenges of treating HI-BI patients and provides insights into current research.
A randomized, double-blind Phase III clinical trial will enroll approximately 1,140 people to test the safety and efficacy of progesterone in treating traumatic brain injuries. The trial aims to reduce mortality and long-term disability, building on promising laboratory testing and previous clinical trial results.
Researchers have found distinct changes in white matter and protein markers of brain pathology after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), which can induce problems with sodium channels on neurons
A study by researchers at the University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Institute supports the use of Keppra as an alternative to Dilantin for preventing seizures in patients after a brain injury. Patients treated with Keppra had fewer side effects and better long-term outcomes compared to those receiving Dilantin.
Head injuries are a common cause of hospital admissions and death in skiing and snowboarding, with 120,000 people in North America affected annually. Helmets can reduce the risk by up to 60%, according to research. Doctors recommend integrating helmets into ski culture through public awareness campaigns and role modeling.
Researchers developed a simple and inexpensive device to measure reaction time, which showed slower reaction times after concussions. The test was found to be effective in determining readiness to return to play for Division I college athletes.
A new study introduces the CATCH rule to guide physicians in determining whether a child with minor head trauma should receive a CT scan. The 7-simple findings from history and physical exam have the potential to standardize CT scans and reduce unnecessary radiation exposure, while also minimizing healthcare costs.
A study analyzing 12 studies found helmets significantly protect against head injuries, reducing the risk by 35%. The use of helmets also prevented between 2-5 head injuries among users.
A recent study by Université Laval found that TBI victims may experience persistent motor deficits despite regaining normal walking speed. The research suggests that even in simple situations, the affected individuals show decreased speed and response times when faced with obstacles or sensory distractions.
A study published in Pediatrics found that children diagnosed with concussions spent fewer days in hospital and returned to school sooner than those with head injuries not labeled as concussions. Children with concussion diagnoses were also more likely to return to school sooner after discharge.
A new clinical trial at UC Davis aims to test a neuroprotective drug called allopregnanolone on patients with severe traumatic brain injuries. The goal is to reduce brain damage, post-traumatic epileptic seizures, and improve patients' quality of life.
Researchers suggest progesterone as a viable treatment option for traumatic brain injuries due to its ability to protect damaged cells and reduce swelling. The hormone has been shown to improve behavioral outcomes and protect neurons after injury.
The NFL grant will support research on new materials to repair injured knees, with a focus on meniscal repair. Professor Kyriacos Athanasiou's laboratory at UC Davis is also working on tissue engineering of knee cartilage.
Researchers found that feeding amino acids to brain-injured mice restored cognitive abilities and improved learning capacity. The study suggests that dietary intervention could restore a proper balance of neurochemicals in the injured part of the brain.
A new national study found that over half of US cheerleading injuries are caused by stunts, with nearly all concussions occurring during stunt performance. The majority of injuries also occurred during practice.
Five early stage companies at NJIT's Enterprise Development Center received significant funding to advance their technologies, including a drug to stop bleeding during brain injuries and a mattress to prevent bedsores. The grants will support training initiatives and strengthen the companies' paths to success.
A recent study found that head injuries can amplify the psychological impact of torture on survivors, with structural brain changes and more severe depression symptoms reported in those who experienced both. The research suggests that physical effects may help explain why standard therapies often don't work for torture survivors.
Research by Wake Forest University School of Medicine suggests that blocking the NMDA receptor in immature rats leads to profound brain injury and disruption of auditory function. This raises concerns about the potential impact of general anesthetics on children's cognitive development.
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center found that a tailored approach to physical therapy can restore a wider variety of functions in rats with spinal cord injuries. After four weeks of training on a robotic device, trained animals had shorter stride lengths and improved walking performance compared to non-trained animals.
DynaDx has released the Multimodal Pressure-Flow technique, which incorporates NASA's Hilbert-Huang Transform technology to analyze cerebral autoregulation. This allows for fast and reliable results in diagnosing conditions such as traumatic brain injury and hypertension.
Researchers are optimizing progesterone for treating traumatic brain injuries by combining it with vitamin D and developing more water-soluble analogues. These compounds showed equivalent ability to reduce brain swelling in animal models, suggesting potential for improved treatment outcomes.
Research highlights the importance of including vestibular rehabilitation in treatment plans for blast-induced traumatic brain injury patients experiencing balance and motion symptoms. Physical therapists call for development of screening and assessment measures to inform treatment strategies and reduce disability.
A recent study published in Archives of Surgery found that individuals with ethanol in their bloodstreams are less likely to die following a moderate to severe head injury. The study analyzed data from 38,019 patients and found a significant decrease in mortality rates among those with alcohol in their bloodstreams.
A national study of over 42,000 children with head trauma found that one in five over 2 and nearly one-quarter under 2 did not need CT scans due to low-risk brain injury. The study provides guidelines for doctors to safely reduce CT use in these patients, aiming to minimize radiation exposure risk.
Researchers found that wntP-1 gene expression occurs at all wound sites, triggering regeneration polarity in planaria. Blocking the gene results in heads regrowing instead of tails.
A Clemson University bioengineer has developed an injectable biomaterial gel that promotes the growth of neural stem cells at the site of a traumatic brain injury, structurally repairing damaged brain tissue. The procedure shows promise for treating head injuries caused by car accidents, falls, and gunshot wounds.