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.

 

 

Michael Mason is author of the book Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath, and is a Brain Injury Projects Manager at the Neurologic Rehabilitation Institute.

Penny Rott, MS, is a brain injury case manager for the Neurologic Rehabilitation Institute at Brookhaven Hospital..

August 29, 2007, 1:54 pm

Senator Tim Johnson Back After Brain Injury

Last December, US Senator Tim Johnson suffered a brain hemorrhage that sent political pundits postulating about the future of the senate. Today, he has returned to South Dakota–no small triumph after eight months of rehabilitation. The New York Times wrote:

His face and speech clearly showed the effects of the trauma, but in assuring supporters that he would return to the Senate as early as next week, he displayed a sense of humor.

“Hard work is something in which I take great pride, so let me say this tonight going forward: I am back,” he said to loud applause. “Of course, I believe I have an unfair edge over most of my colleagues right now. My mind works faster than my mouth does. Washington would probably be a better place if more people took a moment to think before they spoke.”

Mr. Johnson’s right side was paralyzed when he was stricken last December. Brought out in a wheelchair on Tuesday, he waved his left arm to the crowd, then rose to his feet. He did not move his right arm.

Johnson still faces significant hurdles. Lets hope his story turns out to be an inspiration for the many injured who don't have the same resources, and let's hope the Senator himself turns into a powerful advocate for brain injury survivors in the U.S.

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August 27, 2007, 9:20 am

Handheld Concussion Scanner in Works

Researchers at NYU have created a handheld device that can detect damage done by a concussion:

BrainScope is made up of an adhesive strip that contains six electrodes that are connected to a small computer. When a head injury occurs in an individual, a medical first responder places the electrode strip on the injured patient's forehead. BrainScope then collects a sample EEG and computes a large number of QEEGs that are compared to a databank of normal scores. Almost immediately, the BrainScope's color display indicates whether any functions deviate from the norm.

Although the device is still in an experimental phase, this could have an overwhelming impact on sports–and hopefully a positive impact on prevention.

Read more about BrainScope here.

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August 20, 2007, 11:53 am

New Study Released on Vision Restoration Therapy

Vision problems are among the most common side-effects of brain injury, and probably one of the most under-reported. Recently, researchers are making unprecedented strides in neuro-optometry:

"Columbia University Medical Center researchers have demonstrated, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), that brain activity was increased in stroke and traumatic brain injury survivors who underwent Vision Restoration Therapy (VRT).

Researchers, led by Randolph S. Marshall, M.D., M.S., associate professor of clinical neurology and acting director, Division of Stroke and Critical Care at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, examined the fMRIs of six patients aged 35-77 with vision loss on the same side of both eyes (homonymous hemianopia) caused by stroke or traumatic brain injury. The fMRI data showed increased activity in visual processing areas of the brain as patients learned to detect stimuli in the borderzone between the seeing and non-seeing fields. This enhanced activity was identified one month after beginning treatment and suggests that the brain is responding accordingly."

Click here to learn more.

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August 8, 2007, 9:54 am

WWE Wrestler Turns into TBI Advocate

They slam each other into poles, drop-kick their rivals in the face, and get tossed around the ring like rag dolls. It's no surprise to anyone that professional wrestlers are susceptible to brain injury, but now one wrestler, Chris Nowinski, aka WWE wrestler Chris Harvard, is speaking up.

"The sky would change colors, or I would see stars, and get really dizzy, and I would just collect myself on the field or in the ring, and continue going, because that's what I thought I was supposed to do," he told CNN in a telephone interview. "I didn't realize that it was a serious brain injury."

Nowinski, along with some neurologists, has formed the Sports Legacy Institute, which studies the effects of sports-related head injuries. Nowinski claims that concussions aren't being diagnosed, and even if they are, they aren't being treated like they should be–and that leaves opportunity for the likelihood of the dreaded post-concussion syndrome, which can be just as debilitating as a severe head injury.

Click here to read more about Nowinski's TBI advocacy work.

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August 2, 2007, 10:11 am

More Advances in Minimally Conscious States

The media is all-abuzz about the possibility of a "pacemaker" for the brain–and appropriately so.

For six years, a tube-fed minimally conscious man hasn't been able to evidence much independence, but after a new implant that stimulates brain activity, he's doing things that nobody could've expected. According to the patient's mother, the responses are nothing short of a miracle:

"But now, she says, her 38-year-old son can eat, drink from a cup, laugh, watch a movie, and say, "I love you, Mommy."

While this is an exciting day for those affected by minimally conscious states, it's important to note that there are a lot of questions that surround the procedure–including how it actually works.

For more information on the implanted electrodes procedure, click here.

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