Bioengineers at Harvard have identified, for the very first time, the mechanism for diffuse axonal injury and explained why cerebral vasospasm is more common in blast-induced brain injuries than in brain injuries typically suffered by civilians. The research addresses two major aspects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) with significant implications for the medical treatment of soldiers wounded by explosions.
Years after a single traumatic brain injury (TBI), survivors still show changes in their brains. In a new study, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania suggest that Alzheimer’s disease-like neurodegeneration may be initiated or accelerated following a single traumatic brain injury, even in young adults. The study appears online in Brain Pathology.
Brain damage can cause significant changes in behavior, such as loss of cognitive skills, but also reveals much about how the nervous system deals with consciousness. New findings reported in the July 2011 issue of Elsevier’s Cortex demonstrate how the unconscious brain continues to process information even when the conscious brain is incapacitated.
Certain brain injuries can cause people to lose the ability to visually recognize objects — for example, confusing a harmonica for a cash register. Neuroscientists from Carnegie Mellon University and Princeton University examined the brain of a person with object agnosia, a deficit in the ability to recognize objects that does not include damage to the eyes or a general loss in intelligence, and have uncovered the neural mechanisms of object recognition. Included in this report is a video summary of the study results.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine bridged a spinal cord injury and biologically regenerated lost nerve connections to the diaphragm, restoring breathing in an adult rodent model of spinal cord injury. The work, which restored 80 to more than 100 percent of breathing function, will be published in the online issue of the journal Nature July 14. The scientists say that more testing is necessary, but are hopeful their technique will quickly be used in clinical trials. Included in this report is a video interview with the lead researcher who discusses this potentially groundbreaking technique for people with spinal cord injuries.
A history of psychiatric illness such as depression or anxiety before a traumatic brain injury (TBI), together with other risk factors, are strongly predictive of post-TBI psychiatric disorders according to an article published in Journal of Neurotrauma, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article is available free online; check the end of this report for a download link.
The American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN) and Association for Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) are proud to announce the newest addition to the respected AANN Clinical Practice Guideline series: Care of the Patient with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. The publication was supported by an educational grant from the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. Check the end of this report for a link to download this new publication.
New research has suggested that tranexamic acid has the potential to prevent people dying from head injuries. The CRASH-2 Intracranial Bleeding Study highlights the potential of the cheap, off-patent drug to help people suffering from brain trauma, also known as traumatic brain injury (TBI). The results are now published online in the BMJ.
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