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Traumatic Brain Injury Healing Tips

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How to Prevent Neurons from Dying after Brain Injury

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Electrical stimulation of the brain by applying current to the eye may help retinal nerve cells to survive injury. While these neurons may not be restored to full function, they are prevented from dying. But to achieve survival, their interconnections, the dendritic tree, needs to disconnect rapidly for the protective action to unfold. In a study published in Scientific Reports, researchers from Magdeburg University (Germany) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong report that for rats and mice, repetitive transorbital alternating current stimulation (rtACS) may help preserve visual neurons from cell death after injury.

Because the tissue at the back of the eye, the retina, is part of the brain, researchers can directly observe how brain cells react in the living animal. The researchers repeatedly monitored neurons in both rat and mouse retinas after an optic nerve injury and measured neuronal death after this lesion. Surprisingly, a neuroprotective treatment with electrical alternating current stimulation increased cellular survival in the eye´s retina, but it also induced a fast and complete stripping-off of the neuron’s dendritic tree. The dendrites are like a tree receiving many thousands of signals from other neurons. This enables them to process visual information and then transmit the signals along the optic nerve towards the brain. By retracting its dendrites, the cell withdraws itself from this intercellular communication network and becomes silent — which helps its survival.

The test animals were divided into groups and subjected to both real and sham treatments. For the rats, optic nerve crush (ONC) was used to induce an injury in some of the animals to mimic glaucoma. Some animals and not others (sham) were treated with rtACS, resulting in three test groups: ONC/rtACS, ONC/Sham, and Sham/Sham. Using in vivo confocal neuroimaging (ICON) and measurements of Visual Evoked Potentials (VEP), the researchers could determine whether a neuron had survived and whether it was still functioning. The ONC and the first rtACS stimulation were done on day zero. ICON was performed on day 4, followed by rtACS or sham stimulation. On day 7 post ONC another ICON was performed.

For the mice, a confocal laser ophthalmoscope was used to image the dendritic structures of the retina for three groups of subjects, ONC/rtACS, ONC/Sham and Sham/rtACS. The mice received rtACS on days 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 after ONC and images were taken on days 3, 7 and 14.

According to lead author Petra Henrich-Noack, PhD, Institute of Medical Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany, “With our experiments, we have detected so far unknown ‘silent survivor cells’ in the brain and it will be exciting to find out whether they later die or can be reactivated.” Surprisingly, neurons in the retina of animals that survived better when treated with rtACS lost their dendritic tree completely within the first 3 days after the lesion. The authors suggest that this early structural isolation might protect the neurons from the “toxic” excitation that is known to appear soon after brain damage.

 

 

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Materials provided by Institute for Medical Psychology, Otto-v.-Guericke University Magdeburg. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Petra Henrich-Noack, Elena G. Sergeeva, Torben Eber, Qing You, Nadine Voigt, Jürgen Köhler, Sebastian Wagner, Stefanie Lazik, Christian Mawrin, Guihua Xu, Sayantan Biswas, Bernhard A. Sabel, Christopher Kai-Shun Leung. Electrical brain stimulation induces dendritic stripping but improves survival of silent neurons after optic nerve damage. Scientific Reports, 2017; 7 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00487-z

 

 

New Test to Quickly Identify Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

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A new test using peripheral vision reaction time could lead to earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment of mild traumatic brain injury, often referred to as a concussion. Identify Brain Injury

A new test using peripheral vision reaction time could lead to earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment of mild traumatic brain injury, often referred to as a concussion, according to Peter J. Bergold, PhD, professor of physiology and pharmacology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and corresponding author of a study newly published online by the Journal of Neurotrauma.

While most patients with mild traumatic brain injury or concussion fully recover, a significant number do not, and earlier diagnosis could lead to better management of patients at risk for developing persistent symptoms, according to Dr. Bergold and his co-authors.

Lingering symptoms may include loss of concentration and/or memory, confusion, anxiety, headaches, irritability, noise and light sensitivity, dizziness, and fatigue.

“Mild traumatic brain injury is currently diagnosed with subjective clinical assessments,” says Dr. Bergold. “The potential utility of the peripheral vision reaction test is clear because it is an objective, inexpensive, and rapid test that identifies mild traumatic brain injury patients who have a more severe underlying injury.”

Dr. Bergold’s co-authors include colleagues from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; The University of Texas at Dallas; Washington University; the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; and SUNY Downstate.

The article published by the Journal of Neurotrauma is titled “Measurement of Peripheral Vision Reaction Time Identifies White Matter Disruption in Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.”

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKZnMC5vzhU[/embedyt]

Story Source:

Materials provided by SUNY Downstate Medical Center. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

  1. Kyle B. Womack, Christopher Paliotta, Jeremy F. Strain, Johnson S. Ho, Yosef Skolnick, William W. Lytton, L. Christine Turtzo, Roderick McColl, Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, Peter J. Bergold. Measurement of Peripheral Vision Reaction Time Identifies White Matter Disruption in Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Journal of Neurotrauma, 2017; DOI:10.1089/neu.2016.4670

SUNY Downstate Medical Center. “New test may quickly identify mild traumatic brain injury with underlying brain damage.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170216120538.htm>.

 

What is a Diffuse Axonal Injury? (DAI)

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“As tissue slides over tissue, a shearing injury occurs. This causes the lesions that are responsible for unconsciousness, as well as the vegetative state that occurs after a severe head injury. A diffuse axonal injury also causes brain cells to die, which cause swelling in the brain.”
DAI is characterized by axonal separation, in which the axon is torn at the site of stretch and the part distal to the tear degrades. While it was once thought that the main cause of axonal separation was tearing due to mechanical forces during the trauma, it is now understood that axons are not typically torn upon impact; rather, secondary biochemical cascades, which occur in response to the primary injury (which occurs as the result of mechanical forces at the moment of trauma) and take place hours to days after the initial injury, are largely responsible for the damage to axons.
Though the processes involved in secondary brain injury are still poorly understood, it is now accepted that stretching of axons during injury causes physical disruption to and proteolytic degradation of the cytoskeleton.[1] It also opens sodium channels in the axolemma, which causes voltage-gated calcium channels to open and Ca2+ to flow into the cell. The intracellular presence of Ca2+ unleashes several different pathways, including activating phospholipases and proteolytic enzymes, damaging mitochondria and the cytoskeleton, and activating secondary messengers, which can lead to separation of the axon and death of the cell.

Tips on How To Recover from a TBI

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Recovering from a Brain Injury could be a long and grueling process, especially if you do not have the information to better assist you to heal.  In this post, we go over how to help accelerate the healing of your brain.

Recover – Get a lot of rest around evening time, and rest amid the day.
Maintain a strategic distance from exercises that are physically requesting (e.g., substantial housecleaning, weightlifting/working-out) or require a considerable measure of fixation (e.g., adjusting your checkbook). They can exacerbate your manifestations and moderate your recuperation.

Stay away from exercises, for example, contact or recreational games, that could prompt to another blackout (it is best to maintain a strategic distance from fast entertainment mecca rides that can exacerbate your side effects or even cause a blackout).
At the point when your medicinal services proficient says you are alright, come back to your typical exercises bit by bit, not at the same time.
Since your capacity to respond might be slower after a blackout, ask your social insurance proficient when you can securely drive an auto, ride a bicycle, or work overwhelming gear.
Converse with your medicinal services proficient about when you can come back to work. Get some information about how you can help your boss comprehend what has transpired.
Consider chatting with your boss about coming back to work step by step and about changing your work exercises or timetable until you recoup (e.g., work half-days).
Take just those medications that your medicinal services proficient has endorsed.
Try not to drink mixed refreshments until your social insurance proficient says you are all around ok. Liquor and different medications may moderate your recuperation and put you at danger of further damage.
Record the things that might be harder than regular for you to recollect.
In case you’re effectively occupied, attempt to do one thing at any given moment. For instance, don’t attempt to sit in front of the TV while settling supper.
Counsel with relatives or dear companions when settling on essential choices.
Try not to disregard your fundamental needs, for example, eating great and getting enough rest.
Maintain a strategic distance from supported PC utilize, including PC/computer games ahead of schedule in the recuperation procedure.
A few people report that flying in planes aggravates their side effects soon after a blackout.

Positive Thoughts, Positive Results

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– “Through my own experience dealing with a TBI, I found it beneficial to think positive, not only to me; but the world around me.” -Ryan

There may be no different choice around it, sorry…
you will enjoy negativity in your lifestyles–maybe on a day by day incidence.
There may be some of those days in which you want you stayed inside, laid on the mattress and played tag with the snooze button. There can be those days in which the people, locations, matters and events in your existence come collectively to shape one massive large mass of ‘suck’. As they are saying, things happen. For us in the ‘healing process’, the technique of navigating the bad that takes place to us can be an thrilling experience.
I am now not saying that the mere sliver of negativity will compel you to hurry without delay to the liquor store, corner tavern or your supplier, but in case you let the terrible things simmer and stew inside the crockpot of the soul chances are going to be almost exact that we are able to smell what we are cookin’ and it’ll not indicate properly for us.
The negative events that we encounter in our day-to-day doings are one of the most not unusual snares that we can fall into in regards to relapse. It’s sincerely crucial to stand what stresses, angers, and frustrates us head-on, but ‘cooking’ inside the juices of adversity and permitting it to run insurrection is ‘no bueno‘. How can we maintain the finger off the cause at the same time as shifting forward and keeping our sanity intact?
Understand the power of superb wondering in healing.
We ‘suppose’ a lot
have you ever ever thought approximately how many thoughts you’ve got in a single day?
Consistent with some estimates, we as people average between 40,000 to 60,000 different thoughts an afternoon. Isn’t that remarkable??  That may be a ton of information that passes thru our gray rely, and it’s miles a secure bet that a honest percent of those mind are the ones that motive us grief and problem to various tiers. Paying payments, elevated workload or college work, family issues, tickets, remembering to take the kids to soccer practice/dance class/lacrosse…the listing can go on and on…
It’s no wonder why there are days when we lay down and experience like we have been hit with the aid of a truck. Bad electricity drains us and breaks us down, and if we permit ourselves to stay stuck within the doom and gloom the manner we view ourselves, others and the world round us starts to bitter. While we live in Debbie Downer mode, we are extra prone to feeling prolonged periods of depression and anxiety because we stay caught in emotions of anger, frustration and hopelessness–and that is horrific in we’re looking to maintain our sobriety.
While we stay stuck in negativity, we’re at greater danger for growing high blood pressure, elevated times of infections, cardiovascular ailment and digestive problems. Moreover, research has shown that continual pressure and negativity can genuinely lower our lifespan with the aid of shortening our telomeres (the “end caps” of our DNA strands, which play a massive role in getting older).
It’s miles truly essential that we include advantageous wondering in recuperation if you want to stay on the level. As with the whole lot that we do in recuperation, staying wonderful in sobriety takes realize how.
Embracing Positivity In recovery
whilst you are careworn with the grind of existence and are weighed down via the negative, you’ll be amazed to analyze that some of the things that we agonize and dread in reality flip out for the pleasant. How many instances has that happened to you?  Our pals at Happify daily proportion the following:
85 percent of the stuff we fear about end up having a tremendous or neutral final results.
Inside the occasion that what we fear about becomes reality, eighty percent of humans say they treated the outcome higher than they thought they could.
In our recuperation, it is important to maintain this in mind. We regularly pay attention around the tables of 12-step meetings the phrase this too shall pass, and at the same time as this pronouncing is properly-worn (and dare we say cliche) it’s miles absolutely the fact. Whether or not we believe it or no longer, we have an enormous power in reserve and we can persevere and pull via matters regardless of what the chances.
Easy recommendations to growth Positivity in your recovery
when we talk of positivity in recuperation, you already possess a number of the tools you want. When you have are in a drug remedy application or have already efficiently finished a treatment program, you had been taught the simple but essential life skills needed to keep your recuperation game on point at the same time as efficaciously navigating the molehills and mountains of daily existence.
You can additionally have picked up some of those abilities on your homegroup, via operating along with your sponsor or through a member of the family or pal. The subsequent are easy ways that you may incorporate and enhance tremendous questioning for your healing.
Meditate
One manner to increase your tremendous questioning in recuperation is through the usage of meditation. Meditation is a powerful device which you have at your disposal, and if you may carve out 15 mins an afternoon you may advantage first-rate advantage. Whether it is simple aware meditation practices or greater formal meditation practices, focusing on your breathing is enjoyable and allows you attention on the here and now and the way you can impact the present. Whilst you exercise meditation frequently, any mind of the past or future fall to the sides and you can place your energies on what you may do right now to be happier.
Take duty in your existence
you know this, but you on my own are liable for your life, and also you on my own have the power to convert your life. This simple truth can be difficult to border in our minds due to the fact we often pinned the blame on others when we had been lively in our dependancy. As stated in advance, we’ve limitless electricity that resides inside us and while the chips are down we may be amazed at how we are able to pull through. Now could be the time to position the capabilities and realize how to proper use.
Stick with the Winners
if you need to come to be greater nice, you want fantastic role models. Another one of the commonplace announcing heard in 12-Step meetings is stay with the winners and the that means is simple. You want to dangle with folks that meet adversity of their existence with energy and fortitude. Whether or not is it your peers in restoration, circle of relatives participants, friends or whomever, discover the ones people in your lifestyles who recognise how to deal with negativity in a wholesome, constructive and sensible way and soak their know-how in like a sponge.
Be of provider to a person
in order to tug out of a tailspin, it is good to get out of your self and be of carrier to someone else. Volunteer your time at a drop-in middle, senior citizen home, or nearby sanatorium. Be a mentor or a sponsor to someone who’s new in recovery.
Smile
To generate positive mind for your healing, every now and then you simply ought to faux it that allows you to make it. You can not sense like it or up to it, however the easy act of placing a grin in your face may additionally help you get out of the doldrums. It’s miles often said that it takes extra muscle tissue and strength to frown than it’s far to grin. Simply the simple act of a grin could make you feel lighter. Provide it a attempt.