Traumatic Brain Injury News and Research

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Traumatic brain injury (TBI), a form of acquired brain injury, occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. TBI can result when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue. Symptoms of a TBI can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of the damage to the brain. A person with a mild TBI may remain conscious or may experience a loss of consciousness for a few seconds or minutes. Other symptoms of mild TBI include headache, confusion, lightheadedness, dizziness, blurred vision or tired eyes, ringing in the ears, bad taste in the mouth, fatigue or lethargy, a change in sleep patterns, behavioral or mood changes, and trouble with memory, concentration, attention, or thinking. A person with a moderate or severe TBI may show these same symptoms, but may also have a headache that gets worse or does not go away, repeated vomiting or nausea, convulsions or seizures, an inability to awaken from sleep, dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes, slurred speech, weakness or numbness in the extremities, loss of coordination, and increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation.

Researchers present new studies on cognition and reasoning at CNS conference in San Francisco

Even rats can imagine: A new study finds that rats have the ability to link cause and effect such that they can expect, or imagine, something happening even if it isn't.

30 Mar 2015

Immunotherapy reverses memory problems in animal model of Alzheimer's disease

A new study from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has revealed that a single dose of an immunotherapy reverses memory problems in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease. The article appears in the March 25 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

26 Mar 2015

Researchers identify possible blood biomarkers for concussion

By looking at the molecular aftermath of concussion in an unusual way, a team of researchers at Brown University and the Lifespan health system has developed a candidate panel of blood biomarkers that can accurately signal mild traumatic brain injury within hours using standard, widely available lab arrays.

26 Mar 2015

Serious head injuries may contribute to faster brain ageing, new study reveals

People who have suffered serious head injuries show changes in brain structure resembling those seen in older people, according to a new study.

25 Mar 2015

Mesenchymal stem cell transplantation reduces opioid tolerance, opioid-induced pain

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation reduced opioid tolerance and opioid-induced hyperalgesia caused by daily morphine injections in rats, according to new research.

25 Mar 2015

A new approach to TBI therapy

Innovative angles of attack in research that focus on how the human brain protects and repairs itself will help develop treatments for one of the most common, costly, deadly and scientifically frustrating medical conditions worldwide: traumatic brain injury.

24 Mar 2015

Deuterium-containing sigma-1 agonist demonstrates anti-seizure, anti-inflammatory effects in TBI model

Research results published in the Journal of Neurotrauma and conducted by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) as part of a collaboration with Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. showed that a novel deuterium-containing sigma-1 agonist invented at Concert, called C-10068, demonstrated anti-seizure and anti-inflammatory effects in a preclinical model of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

24 Mar 2015

New study pinpoints major increase in subdural hematoma surgery by 2030

By 2030, chronic subdural hemorrhage (SDH) will be the most common adult brain condition requiring neurosurgical intervention in the U.S., according to a new study conducted by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center.

23 Mar 2015

RNA molecule can be manipulated to generate more neurons from neural stem cells

A research team at UC San Francisco has discovered an RNA molecule called Pnky that can be manipulated to increase the production of neurons from neural stem cells.

20 Mar 2015

New MRI technique from NIST may help diagnose TBI in U.S. veterans

More than 300,000 U.S. veterans have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in recent years, a legacy of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. But these numbers don't tell the whole story. While severe TBI can be obvious, milder cases involving symptoms such as memory loss or inability to concentrate are difficult to confirm and treat.

20 Mar 2015

AbbVie signs exclusive worldwide license agreement with C2N for Alzheimer's disease therapies

AbbVie today announced that it has entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with C2N Diagnostics, a privately held protein diagnostic and therapeutic discovery company, to develop and commercialize a portfolio of anti-tau antibodies for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease and other neurological disorders.

19 Mar 2015

New tool assesses performance of everyday activities in people with TBI

A recent article by Kessler Foundation researchers describes Actual Reality; as a new tool for assessing performance of activities of everyday life (ADL) in people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The article, "Actual Reality: Using the Internet to assess everyday functioning after traumatic brain injury," was epublished on February 19 in Brain Injury.

19 Mar 2015

Glucocorticoid therapies promote functional recovery of blood-brain barrier after blast injury

Barclay Morrison III, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering, has led the first study to determine underlying biological mechanisms that promote functional recovery of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) after blast injury. The research demonstrates that treatment with the glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, after primary blast injury promotes rapid recovery of an in vitro model of the BBB, a highly restrictive semi-permeable barrier whose primary function is to maintain the brain's microenvironment and protect it from potentially toxic substances.

12 Mar 2015

Early symptoms of post-traumatic stress strongly predict later disability in military personnel

Evaluating military personnel with blast-related mild traumatic brain injuries, researchers have found that early symptoms of post-traumatic stress, such as anxiety, emotional numbness, flashbacks and irritability, are the strongest predictors of later disability.

5 Mar 2015

Henry Ford researchers propose new treatment strategy for stroke, other neurological disorders

Medicine should reconsider how it treats stroke and other neurological disorders, focusing on the intrinsic abilities of the brain and nervous system to heal themselves rather than the "modest" benefits of clot-busting drugs and other neuroprotective treatments.

3 Mar 2015

Neuroprotective compounds can limit damage to the brain during ischemic stroke

In the 1990s, neuroscientists identified a class of drugs that showed promise in the area of stroke. NMDA receptor antagonists could limit damage to the brain in animal models of stroke. But one problem complicated testing the drugs in a clinical setting: the side effects included disorientation and hallucinations.

28 Feb 2015

New technology could help researchers advance blood biomarker capabilities for TBI

New technology being introduced at NYU Langone Medical Center could help researchers advance blood biomarker capabilities that show changes in low concentrations of specific proteins present following a neurological injury.

28 Feb 2015

Articles discuss use of ICF in clinical practice, research related to neurorehabilitation

Use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) has increased significantly over the last decade. The current issue of NeuroRehabilitation features a series of insightful articles that provide examples of how the ICF can be successfully implemented in clinical practice and research related to neurorehabilitation, ultimately benefiting patient care.

27 Feb 2015

Preliminary NIBIB-funded study may improve prediction of mild traumatic brain injury

A preliminary study conducted by researchers funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering may improve our prediction of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Every year more than 40 million people worldwide suffer from mTBI. 3.8 million concussions occur in the US each year during sports and recreation alone.

26 Feb 2015

Investigators define prevalence, associated factors for vasospasm in children with brain injuries

Vasospasm, or severe narrowing of blood vessels, is a dangerous complication observed in children with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. In a paper recently published in Critical Care Medicine, investigators at Nationwide Children's Hospital have further defined the prevalence, associated factors and time course for vasospasm in children with these brain injuries.

25 Feb 2015