October 12, 2009

Documentary Chronicles the Lives of Patients Recovering from Brain Injuries

Pathways, a new film by Brandon and Tiffany Verzal, records the trials and tribulations of several patients in their struggle to recover from traumatic brain injuries. The 75-minute documentary sheds light on the extensive and grueling rehabilitation process. It focuses on the lives of four patients of varying ages, including their two year-old daughter, Alexis, who suffered a severe brain injury at a daycare. Her injury is consistent with shaken baby syndrome and authorities believe that Alexis may have been thrown by her day care provider, who begins trial next month.

The film premiers this week and is set to hit the film festival circuit.

Click the following link to the article in the Lincoln Journal Star for more information on Alexis, her family, their struggle to recover from traumatic brain injury, and this enlightening new documentary.

June 2, 2009

Deep Brain Stimulation Tested for Treating Traumatic Brain Injuries

At Weill-Cornell Medical Center, a research team tested deep brain stimulation on a man who was minimally conscious for six years due to a brain injury. Prior to the stimulation, his brain damage caused him to not be able to chew and he rarely communicated by using his thumb to set off a device. Doctors performed stimulation on the area of his brain that controls the body’s sleeping and waking. After the treatment, he could chew and swallow, speak in short sentences and move his limbs. Researchers cautioned that in cases of severe brain damage, patients probably would not respond to deep brain stimulation. The FDA has approved deep brain stimulation studies on twelve more people with brain injuries. Read the full story on this advancement in brain injury treatment by following the link

May 5, 2009

Brain Injury Victims Involved in Hyperbaric Study

One result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is a growing number of American troops suffering traumatic brain injury. A new treatment that could supply high doses of oxygen to the brain to speed up the growth of brain tissue is underway. Hyperbaric chambers have been used to help patients recover from such conditions as the bends. Now, doctors are testing to see if these medical devices may help in the treatment of traumatic brain injuries. Currently, soldiers suffering from traumatic brain injury at Brooks City Base in Texas are participating in the study. Doctors are hopeful for positive results, but caution that the treatment will take place in conjunction with other brain injury treatments such as therapy and drugs. Read more about the use of hyperbarics for brain injuries.

April 15, 2009

Treating Sleep Disorders of the Brain Injured Proves to Be Difficult

A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine notes the treatment of sleep disorders in patients suffering from a traumatic brain injury is not effectively alleviating the symptoms complained of. This new study shows that patients with brain injuries, although sleeping better, still experience mood swings, daytime sleepiness, and lowered cognitive performance. Researchers claim some of the brain injury test patients may have had serious sleep disorders prior to suffering a traumatic brain injury. To read more about this brain injury study, please click here.

February 6, 2009

Cognitive Rehabilitation May Help Reduce the effects of Traumatic Brain Injury

Researchers from the Universities of South Alabama and North Carolina at Charlotte claim an analysis of data compiled from studies with those who have suffered from a brain injury shows that cognitive rehabilitation may work to strengthen the mind much the same way physical therapy can improve the body after injury. Traumatic Brain Injuries can decrease memory, cognitive ability, and analytical skills. To find an Illinois Lawyer experienced in litigating brain injury cases, contact Levin & Perconti. To read more about this new brain injury study, please click here.

January 14, 2009

More research is needed on epilepsy and traumatic brain injury

Epilepsy is a neurological disease typified by recurring seizures and abnormal brain activity. 1 out of 100 people are affected by epilepsy, and it causes about 50,000 deaths per year. The seizures caused by epilepsy can cause traumatic brain injury, having effects such as developmental delays, depression, and even death. US soldiers in Iraq who suffer from traumatic brain injuries are at a great risk for developing epilepsy. Based on the severity of the condition and it’s prevalence in society, much more research is needed on the subject. For more information, click here.

January 5, 2009

New Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury in U.S. Soldiers

A new treatment that is geared specifically for U.S. soldiers from the Iraq war has been developed for those with traumatic brain injury. The brain injury treatment will treat diver’s bends, which occurs when a diver is exposed to pressures that begin to increase without proper precautions. The brain injury treatment is known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). Scientists believe that when applied to a traumatic brain injury victim, HBOT may be able to relieve the pressures of an explosive blast-induced brain injury, which has become very common in the Iraq war. Victims of the brain injury may find hope in the new treatment, which can be physically, mentally and financially devastating. To read the full story, click here.

December 18, 2008

Brain tumor found in 3 day-old baby

A pediatric neurosurgeon recently removed a tiny foot and other partially formed body parts in a newborn’s brain tumor. The baby was 3 days old and otherwise healthy. This type of brain injury is rare – doctors were unsure what caused it and opined it was a type of congenital brain tumor.

For the full article.

December 1, 2008

Brain injury victim about to undergo experimental procedure

Soon, a four-year old girl from New Zealand will undergo experimental treatment for her brain injury. The four-year old was born six weeks early with a birth injury and struggles to talk, walk properly, and chew her food without choking. More than fifty other children with brain injuries have been treated with this procedure. She will receive infusions of her own umbilical cord blood, which her parents stored at birth.

For the full article.

November 26, 2008

New Scanning Methods to Detect Brain Trauma

Three new imaging modalities can help physicians diagnose mild brain damage that is typically invisible to standard CT and MRI scans. Scientists hypothesize that mild head trauma damages the brain’s white matter that is invisible to CT scans and MRIs. One of the most promising techniques for detecting this type of brain injury is a diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) that track water molecules in the brain’s white matter. Additionally, there is a second variation of the MRI which is known as the MRSI which can analyze the spectral frequencies of chemicals in the body. This new technique can measure chemical concentrations across the whole brain and can see widespread metabolic changes, even in those with the mildest brain injuries. The third test uses magnetoencephalography (MEG) which measures the magnetic fields produced by the electrical activity of nerve cells. This pinpoints the source of abnormal brain activity. These three new technologies may revolutionize the way doctors can find brain injuries. To read the full story, click here.

September 14, 2008

Boy given dose of painkillers for lethal brain injury

A young guy with a life-threatening brain injury was given a children’s pain killer and told that he could go home from the hospital in half an hour. Just hours after that medical malpractice, he needed six holes drilled in his skull to keep him alive. Doctors failed to spot the life-threatening brain injury. Later, another doctor saw him and gave him a scan that showed fluid on the brain.

For the full article.

September 12, 2008

Amino acids may aid in recovery after brain injury

A recent study indicates that brain injury victims in a vegetative state may recover faster with amino acids. The authors of the study indicate that amino acids may improve the recovery from a vegetative or minimally conscious state in patients suffering from brain injury.

For the study.