Comment: “Don’t let fear of false hope kill overachievement in neuro-rehab”
By Dr Robert Masson, neurosurgeon and co-founder of medical AI company Expanded Existence.
There are several aspects to neurological rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury, severe brain illness, brain tumour management and spinal cord injury. They all are profoundly different and yet there is a core value which is common to all. The bottom line is optimism and hope for best possible scenario is critical to the best recovery.
How client-centred science uncovers the complexity of post-injury sleep
By Professor John A Groeger and Kate Bosak of Nottingham Trent University's Sleep Well Science project.
Sleep responds systematically to gradual biological changes that see us develop from being children into adolescents, from women who might give birth to no longer ovulating, and as we approach and hopefully enjoy old age. We conceptualise these changes in our capacity to have restorative sleep as the waxing, waning, and interplay of two pervasive influences - circadian fluctuation and the build-up and release of sleep pressure. Abrupt challenges to either process, such as losing a night’s sleep or intercontinental travel, immediately bring home the easy dependence we typically have on these continuous influences on our lives. For most of us, these challenges are either temporary, which allows us to re-adjust, or gradual, which allows a more easily paced adaptation of life’s demands, lifestyles and the sleep which enables recovery and change. This is not the case for those who encounter events which result in major trauma- which NICE defines as “an injury or combination of injuries that are life-threatening and could be life changing because it may result in long-term disability”. What we may not realise is that the profile of those living after major injury has changed very dramatically over the last couple of decades.
Stemming the tide – regenerative medicine’s growing influence in TBI approach
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of ongoing disability worldwide. It occurs when an external forces traumatically injure the brain, leading to structural damage, related functional changes, and neurological deficits.
The severity of TBI can range from mild, moderate, to severe, with symptoms ranging from headaches, dizziness, and confusion to seizures, paralysis, and coma. But let’s be clear, even a “mild” traumatic brain injury can be associated with disabling symptoms. Unfortunately, there has been no cure for TBI, and the available treatments focus on supportive care and symptom management. It was traditionally taught that there may be improvements for 12-18 months after brain injury through various types of retraining and therapy, through a process called “plasticity,” where under-used parts of the brain can take up duties of injured parts. However, recent advances in regenerative medicine have sparked excitement in the use of exosomes and stem cells as a potential assistive approach to address the lingering and previously considered permanent effects of TBI.
New challenges in prevention, clinical care, and research in TBI
Peter Schueler shares the findings of the International Traumatic Brain Injury Research (InTBIR) initiative.
Enter stage left – dramatherapy as a neuro-rehab intervention
Neuro Rehab Times meets dramatherapist Katy Weston, who uses drama to help traumatic brain injury survivors.
Neurologic music therapy in focus
Neurologic music therapy explained by Professor Michael H. Thaut, a Professor of [...]
Why families matter after acquired brain injury
By Dr Alyson Norman, associate professor at the University of [...]
Autism and neuroplasticity – view from the Gulf
Occupational therapist Iriene Johns provides a review of combined physical and [...]
Vagus nerve stimulation: the shortcut to fighting stress
By Vitalijus Majorovas, co-founder of vagus nerve stimulator Pulsetto. If [...]
