Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness on the rise
Thanks to the men and women veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraqi wars, traumatic brain injury is gaining increased attention. Awareness has increased and so has the detection capabilities using new imaging and biomarker tests to diagnose TBI. Over the last decade researchers have increased their understanding of the physical effects of TBI and the technologies have improved to the point of helping communicate a clearer picture of the injury. In the past doctors would have to rely on an MRI or a CT scan, but those are not as adept at detecting neural damage associated with a TBI. Now there is diffusion tensor imaging, a type of MRI that could illuminate the individual axon pathways. Furthermore, tensor imaging has been found to be useful during recovery, showing doctors which parts of the brain were responding to rehabilitation. A chemical analysis, called a biomarker using proteins or enzymes, can show up in the blood with higher-than-normal or lower-than-normal amounts. Hospitals already use a biomarker test to diagnose heart attack victims and researchers are looking for a way to make diagnosing TBI as simple. There are a number of studies out there concentrating on the treatment of TBI including the neuroprotective abilities of the hormone progesterone and more currently cyclosporin, an immunosuppressant drug usually used in organ transplant patients. Both show promising results. Harvard researchers are currently conducting a clinical trial using citicoline, a type of stimulant that shows signs it might both protect and restore neurons. The Harvard team plans to publish preliminary results of the clinical trial soon.
