September 26, 2007, 11:26 am

Deep Brain Stimulation Offers Hope for MCS

A 38-year old man in a minimally conscious state (MCS) from a closed head injury experienced improvement following deep brain stimulation of the midline and adjacent thalamic nuclei. The individual was six years post injury and was inconsistently responsive. His MRI showed right frontal encephalomalacia and a right thalamic infarct. A functional PET scan showed preservation of his language areas. A titration of deep brain stimulation (DBS) was followed leading up to 12 hours per day. The individual maintained longer periods of eye contact, regained some functional use of objects and produced intelligible speech. He swallowed food and drank from a cup for the first time since his injury. Neuropsychological tests showed improvement when the DBS device was "on" and a decline when the device was "off".

This study was carefully designed to replace the arousing and cohering effects on the cortex of the thalamic reticular neurons. As our understanding of brain functions continues to enhance, studies of this kind can become more targeted. This individual was not in Persistent Vegetative State (PVS) and he had intact language areas. Other individuals with Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) may not be capable of transmitting signals to the cortex due to the damaged neural tracts and may not benefit from this approach. Studies of this type, while not generalizable to all severe brain injuries and disorders of consciousness continue to offer us hope for improvement.

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September 12, 2007, 1:17 pm

Motorcyclists Give Me Nightmares

Last week, I was at a conference in St. Louis, sitting in a circle among several state head injury administrators, when the topic of helmet laws came up. Several of them commented that the helmet law had been repealed in their state, and the room filled with groans and smirks. Everyone in brain injury knows that a lack of helmet law means certain death for a large number of people, and a lifetime of severe disability for an even larger number.

In my job, I've had my share of evaluations involving motorcyclists, and they are never easy to sit through. It's tough to encounter a person who could have easily avoided a serious TBI by simply donning a hundred dollar helmet. Many of them are burdened by tens of thousands of dollars in hospital bills, and their futures will never involve a motorcycle ride again. Just how important is it to ride around without a helmet?

Now recent reports have surfaced about the increase of motorcycle fatalities–and that means some people may finally be willing to listen. It's time to rally once more with your local Brain Injury Association and beg them to begin a helmet initiative.

Click here to read more about the findings.

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September 7, 2007, 3:29 pm

Brookhaven's Seminar: Cognitive-communicative skills after traumatic brain injury

On Wednesday, September 5th, Dr. Lori Davis of the University of Tulsa spoke at Brookhaven Hospital on the subject of cognitive and communication issues after traumatic brain injury. Dr. Davis, a speech pathologist, addressed the relationship between speech and language problems and cognitive deficits caused by injury to the brain. Her presentation provided both rehab and mental health professionals with a unique understanding of the communicative problems caused by cognitive deficits in patients immediately after brain injury and throughout the patient’s lifetime.

Click here for the pdf of the presentation (50.6 KB)

Join Us:
Professionals are invited to join us the first Wednesday of each month at Brookhaven for more thought provoking talks. Click here to view upcoming topics and speakers as well as to register online.

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, 2:10 pm

Dr. Lori Davis of the University of Tulsa spoke at the Brookhaven Seminar series on Wednesday, September 5, 2007 on Cognitive and Communication Issues After Traumatic Brain Injury. Dr. Davis, a speech pathologist, addressed the relationship between speech and language problems and the cognitive deficits caused by injury to the brain.Her presentation provided both rehab and mental health professionals with a unique understanding of the problems caused by cognitive deficits in the recovery from injury and throughout a person’s lifetime.

Click here for a

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, 1:38 pm

Sports and Concussions Redux

The murders committed by professional wrestler Randy Benoit and his subsequent suicide may be related to the multiple concussions Benoit experienced over the course of his wrestling career. Dr. Robert Cantu, a neurosurgeon from Concord, Massachusetts and member of Sports Legacy Institute, has conducted tests on sample tissues from Mr. Benoit’s brain. While Dr. Cantu did not connect Mr. Benoit’s concussions with the murders and suicide, he did identify that the level of brain damage experienced by Mr. Benoit could cause depression and irrational behavior. Dr. Cantu did find that the type of damage sustained by Mr. Benoit was consistent with the injuries seen in the several pro football players with multiple concussive injuries who committed suicide over recent years. Dr. Cantu referred to “abnormal protein deposits” which he thought were unrelated to the steroid use attributed to Mr. Benoit. A diary kept by Mr. Benoit prior to his suicide was regarded by Mr. Benoit’s father as “written by someone who was extremely disturbed at the time”. Friends of Mr. Benoit report changes in behavior prior to the murder of his wife and son and his suicide. Pro wrestlers are “at risk” for concussion due to the nature of the moves and falls in their sport.

We continue to see evidence linking concussive, supposedly mild brain injury to potentially lethal behaviors. Sports figures, returning soldiers and school age athletes are in the high risk groups. The burden remains with coaches, parents and medical professionals to recognize the warning signs and assist the person suspected of experiencing a concussion in getting specialized assessment and help.

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, 6:52 am

Inspiring Thoughts from Neuroscientists

Sharpbrains.com has compiled a list of great quotes from 11 respected neuroscientists, each of them teeming with promise for better brain health in the future. Here's an excerpt:

“Exercising our brains systematically is as important as exercising our bodies. In my experience, “Use it or lose it” should really be “Use it and get more of it”.- Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg, neuropsychologist, clinical professor of neurology at New York University School of Medicine, and disciple of the great neuropsychologist Alexander Luria.

Click here to read more.

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