Articles Posted in Brain Injury

On Tuesday, May 27, at 11 am EDT, National Public Radio talk show host Diane Rehm will interview Susan Connors, Brain Injury Association of America president/CEO, and Michael Mason, author of Head Cases, the compelling compilation of individual stories of brain injury and its aftermath. The Shigley Law Firm  represents plaintiffs in wrongful death and catastrophic…

As most parents of teens can attest, teenagers tend to have a solid belief in their own invulnerability.  Now the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey has published a web site  targeting teenagers  who currently are at highest risk for suffering from a brain injury. The site provides information and educational resources in hopes of…

Brain injury survivors can look great even when their mental functioning is scrambled. To make the reality graphically visible to jurors it is often necessary to use sophisticated medical illustrations and animations. Several samples of animations explaining brain injuries are available online, though of course for trial use we would have to pay them.  For…

People who have sustained a brain injury are often advised to keep a detailed calendar and lists to help them keep track of tasks in their lives.  I have seen the necessity and helpfulness of this strategy up close in my family. The traditional Day-Timer calendars have been helpful to people near and dear to…

A fascinating new book by Norman Doidge, The Brain That Changes Itself, poses hopeful and intriguing possibilities for brain injury victims — and for those of us who are merely stuck in the rut of middle age. The author gives numerous examples of patients with brain injury due to either trauma or illness whose brains…

An Emory Medical School doctor working with victims of traumatic brain injury at Grady Hospital in Atlanta has published a study suggesting that the female hormone progesterone can be a safe, effective treatment for brain injury.  Animal studies have indicated that giving progesterone soon after injury reduces brain swelling, prevents nerve death and improves functional…

Science magazine recently published a report on a young woman devastated by a car crash in England. For five months after the accident, tests showed no signs of awareness. Doctors declared her vegetative. Then, scientists put her in a Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) scanner, which tracks blood flow to different parts of the brain.…

The current issue of Forbes carries an interesting article on driver rehabilitation after a serious injury or illness. Many people with newfound disabilities, including neurological conditions, heart disease and stroke, are overcoming great obstacles to find ways to get back to driving on the highway.  For the impaired person, the ability to drive symbolizes independence…

German researchers announced today that they have isolated stem cells in adult mouse testicles that have properties similar to those of embryonic stem cells. When injected into early mouse embryos, the cells contributed to the growth of various mouse organs, including heart, brain, and lungs. If the method works in humans, it could provide an…

Two studies released on Februry 16th may show potential for development of stem cell therapies for brain injuries. A Johns Hopkins University study has provided the first comprehensive map of a part of the adult human brain containing astrocytes, cells known to produce growth factors critical to the regeneration of damaged neural tissue and that…