Government Grant to Fund Brain Imaging Advancements in TBIGovernment Grant to Fund Brain Imaging Advancements in TBIGovernment Grant to Fund Brain Imaging Advancements in TBIGovernment Grant to Fund Brain Imaging Advancements in TBIGovernment Grant to Fun
St. Louis University researchers are beginning a study that’s focus is to improve treatment of brain injuries for civilians and combat veterans funded in large part by a $5.3 million grant from the Department of Defense. They will be using advanced imaging technology to create better maps of the brain in an effort to develop therapies that target areas of the brain that retain function, but are unable to communicate with the rest of the brain. Researchers will examine 200 people with brain injuries and use a control group of people with uninjured brains. The study participants will undergo three types of imaging tests, as well as neuro-cognitive testing. The resultant data will be a compilation of how a patient's brain is working. SLU researchers have access to three types of imaging equipment a 3 Tesla MRI, 64 Slice PET/CT and MEG (magnetoencephalography) The MEG is an unusual and vital imaging technique that is used in only a handful of facilities. After a traumatic brain injury some regions of the brain continue to function, but if the neural pathways are destroyed the brain in unable to communicate with the rest of the body. As little as 10 years ago, scientists believed that a TBI caused irreversible damage, but have since learned that the brain can remarkably rewire itself. Researchers hope the compiled data will assist in quantifying levels of injury, diagnosing injuries faster without advanced imaging equipment and determine which patients will benefit the most from rehabilitation.
