Ritalin as a possible treatment for TBI?

Traumatic brain injuries are all too common in today’s world, and they are most often caused by accidents involving cars, bicycles, pedestrians or motorcycles. In 2008, a study reported that 19% of returning United States military personal who had spent time in Afghanistan or Iraq may have sustained brain injuries while serving. Extensive research is currently being conducted on treatments for TBI, and recent studies on the effects of Ritalin on injuries to the brain’s frontal lobes have been promising.

TBI often results in damage to the brain’s frontal lobes. The frontal lobes can easily hit the inside of the skull when the front of the head suffers an impact. Since the brain is quite soft, approximately the same consistency as toothpaste, the frontal lobes can sustain significant injury even from a mild blow. When the point of impact is on the back of the head, the brain can bounce backwards and then forwards again, causing the frontal lobes to hit the front of the skull and often injuring the back of the brain, too.

Complicated brain functions like planning, judgment calls and decision making are the responsibilities of the frontal lobes. These functions are often referred to as “executive functions,” and when an individual’s frontal lobes are compromised by injury, he frequently has trouble making decisions and initiating activity. Emotions are also regulated and inhibited by the frontal lobes, so TBI survivors with damage to the frontal lobes can be impulsive, moody, short-tempered and poor at making decisions. This limited impulse-control and increased level of anxiety and frustration can make these individuals very vulnerable to problems with substance abuse.

TBI survivors with frontal lobe damage have some symptoms that overlap those of patients with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, including difficulty concentrating, trouble focusing and poor decision-making abilities. Popular treatments for ADHD include Ritalin and drugs similar to Ritalin that stimulate the frontal lobes of the brain. These drugs help those with ADHD control their impulsiveness and increase their abilities to plan and make careful decisions.

Because of similarities between the characteristics of ADHD and the symptoms seen in TBI survivors with frontal-lobe injuries, studies have been conducted to find out if medication used to treat ADHD can also help patients with TBI. These studies have found evidence that Ritalin can help some TBI survivors increase their levels of self-control and decrease their impulsiveness. Improvements in concentration and ability to focus have also been found in TBI survivors treated with Ritalin.

The University of Washington, which is one of the main centers for the treatment of TBI in the United States, is pioneering a study on the effects of Ritalin on short-term memory in TBI survivors. If this study supports previous research on the benefits of Ritalin for those with frontal lobe injuries, the medication could become a simple and cost-effective treatment that boosts the efficiency of traditional, rehabilitation-focused TBI treatment.

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