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Archive for June, 2011

DTI Scans Diagnose Hidden Brain Injuries

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

DTI, sometimes called DT-MRI, is short for Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging. This innovative diagnostic technique is a variation on the standard MRI that is used to create images of internal organs through magnetic images. The DTI isolates water movement within the brain, which allows doctors to isolate regions that are not functioning properly. Traditional MRI scans cannot highlight these abnormalities, because they do not have the capability of tracking water molecules in the same way.

Injuries Still Visible After a Year

Researchers with the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis[1] worked with the U.S. Military to determine the effectiveness of DTI scans on veterans who had suffered head injuries in Iraq or Afghanistan. The study proved that the DTI scans were able to isolate abnormal areas in the brain up to a year following the brain injury. (more…)

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Brain Injuries Linked to Later Violence

Sunday, June 26th, 2011

$fractal mushroom$ Recent studies indicate that there is a link between violent behavior and brain injuries. Although it is not easy to eliminate other factors that could cause the aggressive behavior, the studies showed that common underlying problems like drug abuse or a history of violence were not prevalent in enough cases to create a pattern. Brain injuries, on the other hand, seemed to present a much clearer commonality between many of the people who had behaved violently.

Injuries Cause Cognitive and Emotional Problems

Doctors have been aware that brain injuries can create long-term emotional and physical problems for patients. People who have suffered a brain injury may experience memory loss, depression, impulsive behavior and trouble with reasoning. Researchers are now finding that aggression and violent behavior are additional side effects of severe brain injuries.

The results of the study pointed to brain injury as a common indicator for violent behavior after the researchers adjusted their findings based on gender, race and other factors that might have caused a shift in the results. Recent brain injuries were the only constant among the study participants who exhibited violent behavior.[1]

Prison Study Expanded to General Public

One study looked at a prison population to determine what might cause some prisoners to behave more violently than others. (more…)

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New TBI Medication Turning Heads

Friday, June 24th, 2011

Doctors and researchers alike express enthusiasm for the potential of Oxycyte, a trau ma tic brain injury (TBI) medication. The drug is still in its test phase but is showing impressive results thus far. Research suggests that the medicine, developed by Oxygen Biotherapeutics, will be a groundbreaking drug for treating patients with TBI.

Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. The military’s interest in Oxycyte is helping to fuel the medicine’s clinical development. Researchers hope these studies will lead to faster approval of the drug so that more patients may benefit.

History of Oxycyte
Oxycyte is a new type of artificial blood. The idea of synthetic blood is more than 100 years old. The interest in blood substitutes began in the late-1800s and escalated during the onset of AIDS in the 1980s. A viable substitute for blood has the potential to help overcome the problem of tainted or insufficient blood supplies.

How Oxycyte Works
The most common cause of brain injury is suffocation of brain cells, and Oxycyte can deliver the needed oxygen 50 times more efficiently than human blood.[1] (more…)

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Blast Injuries are a Unique Form of TBI

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

Mild traumatic brain injuries from explosions are common wounds for today’s active U.S. soldiers, affecting an estimated 320,000[1] military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most brain injuries sustained by soldiers are classified as mild traumatic brain injuries, also known as concussions.

Concerns over Persistent Injuries

Col. Geoffrey Ling, a neurologist in the U.S. Army, led the research that concludes there is “a high likelihood that there are some unique features to blast injury.”[2] Blast injuries differ from traditional TBI in that the symptoms last for months rather than just a few weeks. This is particularly alarming since current mild TBI guidelines put troops back on the battlefield weeks after injury. If these soldiers suffer second brain injuries before healing, the results can be permanently disabling or even fatal.

DTI Scans Reveal Ongoing Damage

The evidence of lasting injury appeared in advanced imaging studies on 63 wounded troops. (more…)

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Military Uses Mobile Apps to Help Brain Injured Soldiers and Their Families

Friday, June 17th, 2011

Smartphones can do much more than make calls. They can actually help brain injured soldiers recover. Through upgrades and mobile applications, smartphones help soldiers and their families cope with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the many complications that commonly arise.

Getting Resources in the Hands of Soldiers

Robert Ciulla is a clinical psychology at The National Center for Telehealth and Technology at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Wash. He explained that smart phone applications are useful for getting the best treatment information and resources in the hands of soldiers. “We want our military community to be able to access behavioral health resources quickly and readily,” said Ciulla. “So the availability of smartphones now offers a kind of hip-pocket access to resources. It’s kind of an ideal opportunity and solution to get those kinds of resources into the right hands.”[1]

Mood Tracker

Nicknamed T2, the center authored the popular mental health application Mood Tracker. (more…)

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