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.

Scientists successfully test anti-alcoholism drug in animal models

Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have successfully tested in animals a drug that, they say, may one day help block the withdrawal symptoms and cravings that incessantly coax people with alcoholism to drink.

4 May 2018

New study reveals potential for better diagnosis and treatment of TBI patients

Patients who've suffered from traumatic brain injuries have changes in tiny blood vessels in their brains that researchers believe are linked to a range of cognitive symptoms, according to new findings presented at the 2018 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting.

30 Apr 2018

Researchers develop new technique for measuring blood flow in the brain

Biomedical engineers at the University of California, Davis, have developed a new technique for measuring blood flow in the human brain, which could be used in patients with stroke or traumatic brain injury, for example.

27 Apr 2018

Rehabilitation technique for stroke appears beneficial for multiple sclerosis patients

A rehabilitation technique originally developed for stroke has now been shown to also be effective for improving function for people with multiple sclerosis, a neurodegenerative disease.

24 Apr 2018

Clinical trial to examine stem cell therapy for treatment, prevention of complications after traumatic injury

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston has received funding through a public/private partnership for the first-ever clinical trial investigating a stem cell therapy for early treatment and prevention of complications after severe traumatic injury.

23 Apr 2018

Researchers discover blood biomarkers that may help detect, confirm mild traumatic brain injury

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, Georgetown University and the University of Rochester have found that specific small molecules in blood plasma may be useful in determining whether someone has sustained a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), commonly known as a concussion.

20 Apr 2018

Concussion recovery and symptom severity found to vary between men and women

A new study comparing male and female athletes examined whether there are clear sex-related differences in post-concussion symptom severity and length of recovery. In addition to a finding of significant differences between the male and female college varsity athletes, differences among the women depending on hormonal contraceptive use were reported in the study published in Journal of Neurotrauma, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

20 Apr 2018

People diagnosed with traumatic brain injury may have increased risk of Parkinson's disease, shows study

People who have been diagnosed with a mild concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury, may have a 56 percent increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a study published in the April 18, 2018, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

19 Apr 2018

Novel interactive diagram shows many facets of mild traumatic brain injury

A Portland State University research team studying concussion has published an interactive diagram showing the many facets of mild traumatic brain injury - from sleep problems to mood disorders to the increased danger of dementia - and how they connect with and affect each other.

17 Apr 2018

Receptor that detects heat of red chili pepper may help protect the brain after TBI

A receptor on our immune cells that can detect both the heat of a red chili pepper and the extreme physical heat of a pizza oven may help protect the brain following a traumatic brain injury, scientists say.

13 Apr 2018

People with TBI have increased risk of developing dementia

Sustaining a traumatic brain injury is associated with an increased risk of developing both dementia and Alzheimer's disease, according to a nationwide study of 2.8 million people over 36 years, published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

12 Apr 2018

The brain fights neurodegenerative diseases by shifting resources

The brain continues to put up a fight even as neurodegenerative diseases like dementia damage certain areas and functions. In fact, recent findings in a Baycrest-University of Arizona study suggest that one method the brain uses to counter these diseases is the reassigning of tasks to different regions.

11 Apr 2018

Traumatic brain injury associated with higher risk of dementia

The risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's, was significantly higher in people who had experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI) than with people who had no history of TBI, according to one of the largest studies to date on that association.

11 Apr 2018

UA scientist receives grant to study how traumatic brain injury changes brain communication

A scientist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix has received a $1.65 million grant to find out how a traumatic brain injury changes communication in the brain.

28 Mar 2018

Neuroscientists investigate brain mechanisms of altruistic behavior

There are two war veterans, both with penetrating traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by a gunshot. One of them tends to donate his own money to societal entities he believes in, and the other one punishes institutions that don't represent him.

26 Mar 2018

Music therapy helps treat combat-related psychological injuries in military personnel

A new paper published in Music Therapy Perspectives examines the importance of music therapy in military healthcare.

20 Mar 2018

Study finds common presence of nightmares among U.S. military personnel

A new study shows that a high percentage of military personnel with sleep disturbances met criteria for nightmare disorder, but few of them reported nightmares as a reason for sleep evaluation. Those with nightmare disorder had an increased risk of other sleep and mental health disorders.

15 Mar 2018

Study reports evidence of 'systemic bias' in alcohol screening after TBI

"Has this patient been drinking?" It's a critical question for neurosurgical nurses and other professionals when evaluating patients with traumatic brain injury. But some groups of TBI patients are less likely to be screened for alcohol use, including women and younger patients, reports a study in the March issue of the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, official journal of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses.

13 Mar 2018

Study seeks to examine whether gut bacteria cause brain dysfunction in sepsis patients

Surviving a critical illness is no small feat, but it's only half the battle for many patients. Serious complications can still result after an illness appears to have cleared.

8 Mar 2018

Review highlights lack of evidence-based guidelines for managing TBI in geriatric patients

When older adults suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI), they may benefit from aggressive treatment and rehabilitation, but the lack of evidence-based, geriatric-specific TBI guidelines presents barriers to optimal care.