Traumatic Brain Injury News and Research RSS Feed - Traumatic Brain Injury News and Research

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.
Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques improve memory

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques improve memory

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques aimed at mental and neurological conditions include transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression, and transcranial direct current (electrical) stimulation, shown to improve memory. [More]
Spontaneous brain activity in amygdala higher among combat veterans with PTSD

Spontaneous brain activity in amygdala higher among combat veterans with PTSD

Chronic trauma can inflict lasting damage to brain regions associated with fear and anxiety. Previous imaging studies of people with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, have shown that these brain regions can over-or under-react in response to stressful tasks, such as recalling a traumatic event or reacting to a photo of a threatening face. [More]

Fall-induced traumatic brain injury is major cause of disability and death among older adults, says research

"Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of hospitalization, disability, and death-worldwide, and among older adults, falling is the most common cause of TBI," writes Niina Korhonen, B.M., of the Injury and Osteoporosis Research Center, Tampere, Finland, and colleagues in a Research Letter. [More]
TBI in older adults presents special diagnostic, management and treatment challenges

TBI in older adults presents special diagnostic, management and treatment challenges

Each year more than 1.7 million people in the United States sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The incidence of TBI in older adults poses special diagnostic, management and treatment challenges, say experts in a special collection of papers on TBI in the elderly in NeuroRehabilitation: An Interdisciplinary Journal. [More]
CHMP recommends approval of NUEDEXTA for treatment of pseudobulbar affect

CHMP recommends approval of NUEDEXTA for treatment of pseudobulbar affect

Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion for NUEDEXTA (dextromethorphan hydrobromide and quinidine sulfate), recommending NUEDEXTA be approved for the treatment of pseudobulbar affect, irrespective of neurologic cause. [More]
Neuralstem gets approval from FDA for dosing cohort patients in NSI-189 Phase Ib in MDD treatment

Neuralstem gets approval from FDA for dosing cohort patients in NSI-189 Phase Ib in MDD treatment

Neuralstem, Inc. announced that it has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin dosing the third and final cohort of patients in its ongoing Phase Ib to test the safety of NSI-189 in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). [More]

Research reveals that molecular madness goes on in the brain after blast exposure

A multicenter study led by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine shows that mild traumatic brain injury after blast exposure produces inflammation, oxidative stress and gene activation patterns akin to disorders of memory processing such as Alzheimer's disease. [More]
Astrocytes more effective in promoting recovery after brain injury

Astrocytes more effective in promoting recovery after brain injury

The production of a certain kind of brain cell that had been considered an impediment to healing may actually be needed to staunch bleeding and promote repair after a stroke or head trauma, researchers at Duke Medicine report. [More]

MOPHSF, UW Medicine Division of Pain Medicine team up to improve care for veterans

The Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation and the UW Medicine Division of Pain Medicine are joining forces to assist veterans with treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, and acute and chronic pain. [More]

Researchers develop sensor system to assess how blasts impact human body

Improvised explosive devices are becoming a global problem for the U.S. armed forces. To prevent injuries to soldiers and provide better care to those who are injured, the U.S. military is striving to better understand how blasts impact the human body. [More]
NIH-funded study to develop measure of quality of life specific to caregivers of persons with TBI

NIH-funded study to develop measure of quality of life specific to caregivers of persons with TBI

Kessler Foundation is one four sites participating in "Quality of Life in Caregivers of Traumatic Brain Injury: The Development of the TBI-CareQOL", a multi-site 5-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Nursing Research (1R01NR013658-01). [More]

Family members of trauma patients can benefit by being present during critical moments of care

A critically injured person is wheeled into the emergency room. Family members rush to the patient's side. Soon, doctors and nurses begin emergency resuscitation efforts, inserting breathing tubes, pumping in blood and other fluids. [More]
New study finds newspapers are paying more attention to the long-term impact of concussions

New study finds newspapers are paying more attention to the long-term impact of concussions

Newspapers are paying more attention to the severity and long-term impact of concussions and other traumatic brain injuries in ice hockey than they did 25 years ago, a new study has found. [More]
Study: p38α MAPK protein functions as important switch to drive inflammatory responses in brain

Study: p38α MAPK protein functions as important switch to drive inflammatory responses in brain

Even a mild injury to the brain can have long lasting consequences, including increased risk of cognitive impairment later in life. While it is not yet known how brain injury increases risk for dementia, there are indications that chronic, long-lasting, inflammation in the brain may be important. [More]

TBI can increase depression, personality impulsivity, PTSD in PNES patients

A new study by a Rhode Island Hospital researcher has found that traumatic brain injury (TBI) can significantly increase the odds of having major depression, personality impulsivity and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). [More]

Review: Impact of TBI on sexuality and importance of rehabilitation strategies

Each year more than three million Americans are living with traumatic brain injury (TBI), a condition that is associated with physical, cognitive, and emotional problems that often affect their sexuality, and subsequently their marital stability, identity, and self-esteem. [More]

Studies, search for genetic risk factors needed to predict individual's risk for traumatic brain injury

One of the most controversial topics in neurology today is the prevalence of serious permanent brain damage after traumatic brain injury. Long-term studies and a search for genetic risk factors are required in order to predict an individual's risk for serious permanent brain damage, according to a review article published by Sam Gandy, MD, PhD, from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in a special issue of Nature Reviews Neurology dedicated to TBI. [More]

Obama rolls out $100M initiative to study the brain

President Obama revealed a $100 million plan Tuesday to study and better understand the human brain in part to attempt to find better treatments for Alzheimer's and other diseases. [More]

First Edition: April 3, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about how the latest round of payment rates for private Medicare plans led to stock market gains for insurers. [More]
UAB School of Nursing raising bar on service for veterans

UAB School of Nursing raising bar on service for veterans

Partnering with Birmingham's VA Medical Center and with colleagues across a wide range of health care professions, the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing is raising the bar on service for veterans and their families. [More]