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.

Soldier’s Traumatic Brain Injuries May Be Treated With Hyperbaric Chambers

For members of the military, some war wounds can go unnoticed. Even though many of these injuries can be overlooked or misdiagnosed it’s important to realize that some could be more dangerous than they first appear.  A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a severe condition and affects over 100,000 troops each year. A TBI can cause irreversible harm to the physical and cognitive functions of the brain and even change how a person thinks and behaves. Many times a TBI is accompanied by years of treatment and care from facilities like CareMeridian Las Vegas nursing home that could effect decades of an individual’s life. This is why the Department of Defense is looking into hyperbaric chambers as a treatment to fight this devastating condition.

There have been small, yet inconclusive, studies that have shown that hyperbaric chambers, which are chambers that allow people to breathe 100% oxygen at an atmosphere of 1.35, could be beneficial for people who suffer from TBI. More studies need to be done, which is the reasoning behind the Department of Defense starting up a new clinical trial with servicemen who suffer from the injury. These new trials will hopefully give a definite answer to if hyperbaric chambers can reduce and even eliminate the symptoms of TBI.

Researchers are hoping to find that the pressure within the chamber will cause oxygen in the blood to break down, which will allow more oxygen flow throughout the body. This will result in the repairing of damaged tissue that will hopefully help to cut down, and possibly even eliminate, symptoms like memory loss. This treatment is just in the trial stages, but if hyperbaric chambers do serve as a way to treat TBI, then not only will service men and women benefit, but so will the millions of others who suffer from TBI every day.

Vegetative TBI Victims Show Signs of Communication/Awareness

Traumatic brain injuries can be a damaging and sometimes irreversible impairment to a victim and their families, but now scientists have found hope even in the most dire of TBI situations. Scientists have found that there’s flickers of communication in vegetative brains that originally seemed to have no consciousness at all. This not only pushes the limits of evaluation of TBI victims but also changes the way that they can be treated and cared for.

This was found by doctors asking TBI patients to visualize specific scenes which sparked brain activity that was not very different from healthy brain subjects. Patients who were originally thought to be vegetative for years now show promise of not only having some resemblance of consciousness but that in time could have full communication reestablished. This is not only hopeful from a scientific standpoint, but also gives a glimmer of hope to the victim and their families where hope may have been lost.

The testing showed that most patients answered yes or no when asked questions about their lives and after a few questions their brain activity matched the correct answer. Yet, while families hope that this can be the determining factor in keeping their vegetative loved ones alive or not, doctors are hesitant to have these tests make that crucial decision. However, the fact that communication is being established with TBI victims that were once believed to be vegetative is not only a hopeful sign for victims and their families but it’s also a medical breakthrough that will spawn a whole new approach to determining the long term care for a victim.

Haiti: TBI Injuries

As most of you are well aware, Haiti was recently hit very hard with an earthquake over 7.0 magnitude.  The earthquake was followed by nearly a dozen aftershocks of magnitude greater than 5.0.  The damage quickly resulted in a mass number of fatalities.  A majority of the injuries suffered in Haiti were traumatic brain injuries. When the buildings collapsed, the concrete walls fell and injures or killed a lot of Haitian natives.  Since roads are blocked and the airport is bottle-necked, it has been very difficult to get medical supplies in to Haiti for all of the injured patients that are fighting for their lives.

Currently, the largest number of injuries to survivors are bone fractures and breaks as a result of the crushing pressure of the concrete blocks that fell.  Traumatic brain injuries are definitely a problem since they are not able to be treated immediately. Haiti needs an influx of traumatic brain injury treatment equipment as soon as possible.  At the very least, they need medical tape and casts.  If the injured patients in Haiti cannot at least get to a point where they can walk, then they will not have any means of survival.

There are no TBI rehabilitation facilities like, CareMeridian, in Haiti.  Likewise, there are no firms like The Farber Law Group which has more than 30 years experience representing brain injury patients and their families after traumatic accidents which can give them any legal advice.  In this particular case, the people of Haiti suffered a natural disaster and basically have to start over.  There is a long, tough road that lies ahead for them and at this point they are just trying to survive.  Hopefully other countries will continue to help the people of Haiti after they are out of the spotlight.

Spinal Cord Injuries

A sudden impact on the spinal column can alter the lifestyle of an individual substantially. Without even severing the spinal cord, someone could be rendered incapable of walking or breathing without aid for the rest of their life. Due to the unique nature of each spinal cord injury, each patient suffering from these injuries needs special, individualized care.

Many people in the United States suffer from long-term effects caused by a spinal cord injury. According to a recent blog entry from The Mayro Law Firm in Phoenix, Arizona:

“Over ten thousand people in the United States suffer spinal cord injuries annually, with over 200,000 people already living their lives every day suffering the consequences of a spinal cord injury. Motor vehicle accidents are a major cause of spinal cord injuries, with falls and injuries related to sports activities following close behind as factors in this catastrophic injury. Emergency medical treatment and aggressive rehabilitation has come a long way in recent years to minimize the damage and restore functional abilities in some cases.”

The famous musician, Phil Collins, recently announced that he could no longer play the drums due to a spinal cord injury. He had been battling his pain caused by his injury for years, but it wasn’t until recently that he had to quit completely. The Injury Lawyer Directory, an online resource for information on personal injury, posted a blog entry on September 15^th, 2009 which states:

“In recent years, Collins has been taping his drum sticks to his hands in order to make it through a set. However, even this solution continues to cause him pain, and after serious deliberation, he has decided to put his health first, forcing him to set down his drum sticks once and for all.”

CareMeridian MentorABI Network

CareMeridian is part of the Mentor ABI network.  Mentor ABI is a select group of local providers who specialize in post-acute rehabilitation for people with acquired brain injury and other neurological challenges as well as spinal cord injury.

“MENTOR ABI is part of The MENTOR Network, a national network of local human services providers offering an array of quality, community-based services to adults and children with developmental disabilities, acquired brain injury and other catastrophic injuries and illnesses, to youth with emotional, behavioral and medically complex challenges as well as their families.  Being part of The MENTOR Network affords our participants the expertise and resources of an organization on the cutting-edge of care.” – Excerpt from the Mentor ABI website.

The Mentor ABI network consists of locations that span from the West Coast all the way to the East Coast.  Visit CareMeridian on the Mentor ABI website by following the link for CareMeridian.