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NeuroNotes is an informational web log that brings you the latest articles, news, events, and oddities relating to the brain and brain injury.
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Rolf B. Gainer, Ph.D., Diplomate ABDA, is the Chief Executive Office at Brookhaven Hospital and the Vice President of Rehabilitation Institutes of America. Dr. Gainer has been involved in the design and operation of treatment programs since 1977.
Penny Rott, MS, is a brain injury case manager for Neurologic Rehabilitation Institute at Brookhaven Hospital, providing resources and support for TBI victims and their families across the United States.
Aric Thorpe, MHR, is Brookhaven Hospital's Pastoral Liaison Representative. He conducts the quarterly Minister's Lifeline series and provides mental health information to pastors and clergy. |
Friday, July 18, 2008 12:30 PM
posted by Penny Rott, MS
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Susceptibility Predicted by Brain Activity
MedPage Today Crystal Phend reports that researchers conducting a study at the University of Cambridge found that individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and their unaffected first-degree relatives, had different brain activity when compared to those without a family history of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
The study involved 14 individual’s suffering from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, 12 of their relatives, and 15 people without a history of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Their brains were monitored while working on “a task designed to make them learn a task one way and then, after negative feedback, to learn the reverse, which should have activated the neural region that facilitates behavioral flexibility.” Phend reports that Samuel R. Chamberlain, PhD and colleagues found:
…that while working out solutions to these tasks, patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and their unaffected relatives had less activation than did controls bilaterally in regions including the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, the lateral prefrontal cortex, and the left parietal cortex.
While learning the reverse, the differences between obsessive- compulsive disorder patients and their relatives compared with controls became significant.
When grouped into clusters, the findings for obsessive-compulsive disorder patients and their relatives compared with controls, respectively, included:
• Underactivation in the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex and left lateral prefrontal cortex (P<0.001 for both)
• Reduced activity in the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex and right lateral prefrontal cortex (P<0.01 for patients and P<0.05 for relatives)
• Lower activation of the left parietal lobe (P<0.05 for both)
• Reduced activation in the right parietal lobe (P<0.01 for both)
Chamberlain SR, et al "Orbitofrontal dysfunction in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and their unaffected relatives" Science 2008; 321: 421-422.
Click here to read the full article in MedPage Today
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Thursday, July 17, 2008 2:35 PM
posted by Penny Rott, MS
Gender differences in Concussion Mending
According to ScienceDaily the 2008 American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes shows that females recover differently from males after sustaining a concussion, and even from others with a history of concussion. The authors studied concussion recovery patterns in 234 soccer players (61 percent female, 39 percent male) ages 8 to 24. The individual’s were tested on attention, memory, processing speed and reaction time, following a concussion. The results were then analyzed to determine “group differences in performance between male and female participants and those with a previous history of concussion.” According to the article the results found that females performed significantly worse than males on tests of reaction time and were more symptomatic. “Additionally, there was a trend, although not significant, towards females testing poorly regarding verbal memory and processing speed when compared to males.” Furthermore the individual’s who had a “history of concussion performed significantly worse on verbal memory testing after another concussion”. ScienceDaily reports: "There's a theory that males typically have a stronger neck and torso that can handle forces better," said Dr. Colvin. "But when we accounted for Body Mass Index in this study, we still found a difference between males and females. Therefore, there are differences in recovery between genders that cannot simply be attributed to size difference. More studies are needed to determine the reason for differences in recovery between males and females."
Click here to read the full article
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Friday, July 11, 2008 8:34 AM
posted by Rolf B. Gainer, Ph.D.
Concussion Effects Last Longer for Female Athletes
Recovery from concussion may take longer for a female athlete than their male counterpart. In a study from the University of Pittsburgh by Alexis Chiang Colvin, M.D., reported at the American Orthopaedic Society meeting in Orlando, female soccer players were noted to have lower neurocognitive scores and reported more symptoms than male peers after a concussion.
This is important for players and coaches in responding to concussion injuries among female athletes. Players with prior concussion histories had more problems with overall memory, reaction time and visual processing speed. Coaches need to be vigilant in noting athletes with prior concussive injuries and acting conservatively to remove them from play. For players without a history of concussion it is important to rapidly identify a potential concussion and make the important decision to have the individual further evaluated. Returning athletes with potential concussion to play can result in additional injuries and greater risk for long term neurocognitive problems.
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