Business Wire | A New Development in Ground-Breaking Tools to Diagnose TBI

LEXINGTON, MA |   There is currently no way to identify individuals who are at the greatest risk for developing chronic symptoms related to the long-term effects of TBI.  That situation, however, may change.  How?

A new study identifies the correlation of tau accumulation in military personnel to those who experienced long-term neurological symptoms after a TBI. These findings will be used to identify patients who are most at risk.

National Institute of Nursing Research uses something called Quanterix’s Simoa Technology to identify the significance of key protein in long-term complications caused by Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

Quanterix headquarters, Lexington MA

To help identify biomarkers that could better pinpoint those at-risk, the researchers explored whether elevated levels of tau—a protein known to have a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease—are related to chronic neurological symptoms in military personnel who had experienced TBI.

Quanterix Corporation, a leader in high definition diagnostics, announced on August 3 that JAMA Neurology has published a new study in which its Simoa (single molecule array) technology was used to identify a protein previously linked to acute symptoms following a traumatic brain injury (TBI). 

The study, led by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), a component of the National Institutes of Health, was designed to determine whether levels of tau protein in the blood were correlated to long term effects of a TBI. 

The findings from the study will be used to provide a framework to identify patients who are most at risk for experiencing chronic symptoms related to a TBI.

As cited in the study, approximately one-third of all U.S. military personnel who serve in combat operations experience at least one TBI. Individuals with TBI are more likely to experience ongoing complications such as post-concussive disorder (PCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.  They are also more likely to develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)—progressive brain degeneration that leads to dementia following repetitive TBIs. 

Using Quanterix’s ultra-sensitive Simoa technology, researchers were able to accurately measure levels of tau in participants’ blood. Military participants who had elevated tau levels in their samples and had a history of TBI were compared with participants who had never suffered a TBI. Additionally, researchers found that participants with three or more deployment-related TBIs had significantly higher levels of tau compared with participants who had fewer TBIs. These results will be used in future studies to provide a therapeutic target for treating the causes of CTE and other neurodegenerative and psychological conditions that can result from these types of injury.

“When the brain experiences any kind of trauma, whether caused by a hit on the sidelines at a sporting event or someone impacted during combat while serving in the military, miniscule quantities of protein enter the blood stream. Our technology is the only one sensitive enough to measure these proteins in a way that no one thought possible,” said Kevin Hrusovsky, CEO and Executive Chairman, Quanterix. “This is one of the many studies in which Simoa is being used to further understand and quantify the long term effects of TBI and we are pleased to be working with NINR to continue our mission to understand what is going on in the human body and, in turn, improve the quality of care.”

The study sampled military personnel, with or without a history of TBI, who had been deployed for combat in Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and/or Operation Iraqi Freedom within the previous 18 months. The researchers examined participant medical records as well as responses to the Warrior Administered Retrospective Casualty Assessment Tool to determine if participants had been diagnosed with or treated for a TBI. 

To read the full study published in the August 3 issue of JAMA Neurology, please visit: http://archneur.jamanetwork.com/journal.aspx.

About Quanterix

Quanterix is a developer of ground-breaking tools in high definition diagnostics. Its Simoa platform uses single molecule measurements to access previously undetectable proteins. With this unprecedented sensitivity and full automation, Simoa offers significant benefits to both research and clinical testing applications. Quanterix was established in 2007 and is located in Lexington, Massachusetts. 

To learn more about Quanterix and Simoa, please visit: www.quanterix.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150803005072/en/

Join Brainline.org | 9 Things NOT to Say to Someone with a Brain Injury

Written by Marie Rowland, PhD, EmpowermentAlly
www.brainhealthconsulting.com

Click here: Download Dr. Marie Rowland's article:

Brain injury is confusing to people who don’t have one. It’s natural to want to say something, to voice an opinion or offer advice, even when we don’t understand.

And when you care for a loved one with a brain injury, it’s easy to get burnt out and say things out of frustration.

Here are a few things you might find yourself saying that are probably not helpful:

1. You seem fine to me.

The invisible signs of a brain injury — memory and concentration problems, fatigue, insomnia, chronic pain, depression, or anxiety — these are sometimes more difficult to live with than visible disabilities. Research shows that having just a scar on the head can help a person with a brain injury feel validated and better understood. Your loved one may look normal, but shrugging off the invisible signs of brain injury is belittling. Consider this: a memory problem can be much more disabling than a limp.

2. Maybe you’re just not trying hard enough (you’re lazy).

Lazy is not the same as apathy (lack of interest, motivation, or emotion). Apathy is a disorder and common after a brain injury. Apathy can often get in the way of rehabilitation and recovery, so it’s important to recognize and treat it. Certain prescription drugs have been shown to reduce apathy. Setting very specific goals might also help.

Do beware of problems that mimic apathy. Depression, fatigue, and chronic pain are common after a brain injury, and can look like (or be combined with) apathy. Side effects of some prescription drugs can also look like apathy. Try to discover the root of the problem, so that you can help advocate for proper treatment.

3. You’re such a grump!

Irritability is one of the most common signs of a brain injury. Irritability could be the direct result of the brain injury, or a side effect of depression, anxiety, chronic pain, sleep disorders, or fatigue. Think of it as a biological grumpiness — it’s not as if your loved one can get some air and come back in a better mood. It can come and go without reason.

It’s hard to live with someone who is grumpy, moody, or angry all the time. Certain prescription drugs, supplements, changes in diet, or therapy that focuses on adjustment and coping skills can all help to reduce irritability.

4. How many times do I have to tell you?

It’s frustrating to repeat yourself over and over, but almost everyone who has a brain injury will experience some memory problems. Instead of pointing out a deficit, try finding a solution. Make the task easier. Create a routine. Install a memo board in the kitchen. Also, remember that language isn’t always verbal. “I’ve already told you this” comes through loud and clear just by facial expression.

5. Do you have any idea how much I do for you?

Your loved one probably knows how much you do, and feels incredibly guilty about it. It’s also possible that your loved one has no clue, and may never understand. This can be due to problems with awareness, memory, or apathy — all of which can be a direct result of a brain injury. You do need to unload your burden on someone, just let that someone be a good friend or a counselor.

6. Your problem is all the medications you take.

Prescription drugs can cause all kinds of side effects such as sluggishness, insomnia, memory problems, mania, sexual dysfunction, or weight gain — just to name a few. Someone with a brain injury is especially sensitive to these effects. But, if you blame everything on the effects of drugs, two things could happen. One, you might be encouraging your loved one to stop taking an important drug prematurely. Two, you might be overlooking a genuine sign of brain injury.

It’s a good idea to regularly review prescription drugs with a doctor. Don’t be afraid to ask about alternatives that might reduce side effects. At some point in recovery, it might very well be the right time to taper off a drug. But, you won’t know this without regular follow-up.

7. Let me do that for you.

Independence and control are two of the most important things lost after a brain injury. Yes, it may be easier to do things for your loved one. Yes, it may be less frustrating. But, encouraging your loved one to do things on their own will help promote self-esteem, confidence, and quality of living. It can also help the brain recover faster.

Do make sure that the task isn’t one that might put your loved one at genuine risk — such as driving too soon or managing medication when there are significant memory problems.

8. Try to think positively.

That’s easier said than done for many people, and even harder for someone with a brain injury. Repetitive negative thinking is called rumination, and it can be common after a brain injury. Rumination is usually related to depression or anxiety, and so treating those problems may help break the negative thinking cycle.

Furthermore, if you tell someone to stop thinking about a certain negative thought, that thought will just be pushed further towards the front of the mind (literally, to the prefrontal cortex). Instead, find a task that is especially enjoyable for your loved one. It will help to distract from negative thinking, and release chemicals that promote more positive thoughts.

9. You’re lucky to be alive.

This sounds like positive thinking, looking on the bright side of things. But be careful. A person with a brain injury is six times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than someone without a brain injury. Some may not feel very lucky to be alive. Instead of calling it “luck,” talk about how strong, persistent, or heroic the person is for getting through their ordeal. Tell them that they’re awesome.

Emotional Regulation | Changing Emotions by Acting Opposite to the Current Emotion

TBI Advocate's Note:  What follows is an excerpt from a splendid website entitled "How Psychology Tests Brain Injury." 

Please visit this valuable site by click here.  Offer your support. 

Having studied psychology, the Dutch author Feri Kovács has specialized in neuropsychology and rehabilitation.  This field studies the relationship between brain and behavior — more specifically, brain injury and its consequences and how to cope with it.

By FERI KOVÁCS
Clinical neuropsychologist in Holland         

NETHERLANDS |  Emotions are not only essential in life, they give the flavor to your life as well. Without them, life would be dull but also your information processing would be making much more mistakes.

Feri Kovács

Feelings closely work together with your cognitive (information processing) system to handle yourself, your world and others. Brain injury can change all this.

The most common complaint of family members is that their partner is changed, in his or her emotional reactions.

Meaning: less emotionally stable.

If someone was quite in balance, after the brain injury there can be sudden outbursts of aggression or anxiety.


               

Brain injury affects your emotions and increases stress

Mood changes tend to come more frequently and much more intense than they used to be. Control over such outbursts seems to be reduced. It is as if someone has more stress than before and can not handle it effectively anymore.

Four basic emotions and control

Science dictates that there are six basic emotions:

1. anger, 
2. fear, 
3. sadness, 
4. joy, 
5. disgust and 
6. surprise. 

Actually, one scientist Ekman made this divisions after studying facial expressions all over the world. I and especially some philosophers disagree with this list and I believe that there are only 4 basic emotions.  The rest is just a derivative of these four.

The four fundamental basic ones are:

1. anger, 
2. fear, 
3. sadness and
4. last but not least joy. 

As you can see, nature has provided us and most higher animals with 75% negative feelings. Joy is clearly in the minority.  I always can speculate quite simply why this is so.  I always tell my patients how they can imagine that in the jungle a group of lions can survive if joy would be the most important emotion.

Ever seen only happy lions around? Just laughing? When seeing a deer or a gazelle, they would just laugh? Can you imagine how long such lions would survive out there?

Evolution is also the reason that fear is the most predominant emotion in most higher animals, and also in man.  Sadness is a special case and it only exists in higher animals, not in reptiles. Ever seen a crocodile grieving or sad (as far as we can tell)?

Although feelings are very useful and even necessary for survival, we as human beings have one fundamental task: to control them and not getting overwhelmed by them.

Read the rest of this essay.  Please click here.  Don't forget to check the rest of the site.

© Copyright  F. Kovács. All rights reserved. No reproduction of any kind without express permission.

Brain Injury Association | No Two Brain Injuries Are the Same

"Since anyone can sustain a brain injury at any time, it is important for everyone to have access to comprehensive rehabilitation and ongoing disease management. Doing so eases medical complications, permanent disability, family dysfunction, job loss, homelessness, impoverishment, medical indigence, suicide and involvement with the criminal or juvenile justice system. Access to early, comprehensive treatment for brain injury also alleviates the burden of long term care that is transferred to tax payers at the federal state and local levels."

Dr. Brent Masel, National Medical Director

for the Brain Injury Association of America

On Mental Relaxation | "Hit the Reset Button in Your Brain"

Matthieu Bourel / New York Times

NEW YORK CITY:  It's summer in New York City.  It's the first week of August. Taking summer breaks isn't just restorative. It's become a ritual.

So it makes sense to look back at Daniel J. Levitin's opinion essay in the Sunday Review section of the New York Times.  It was published on August 9, 2014. Exactly a year ago.

Daniel J. Levitin is the director of the Laboratory for Music, Cognition and Expertise at McGill University and the author of The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload.

To read the entire essay, please click here: Daniel Leviton's NYT Essay.

What follows is only a excerpt from an intelligent essay. Read it. Then go over to the New York Times. What Levitin wrote is worth sharing.

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES
THIS month, many Americans will take time off from work to go on vacation, catch up on household projects and simply be with family and friends. And many of us will feel guilty for doing so. We will worry about all of the emails piling up at work, and in many cases continue to compulsively check email during our precious time off.

But beware the false break. Make sure you have a real one. The summer vacation is more than a quaint tradition. Along with family time, mealtime and weekends, it is an important way that we can make the most of our beautiful brains.

Every day we’re assaulted with facts, pseudofacts, news feeds and jibber-jabber, coming from all directions. According to a 2011 study, on a typical day, we take in the equivalent of about 174 newspapers’ worth of information, five times as much as we did in 1986. As the world’s 21,274 television stations produce some 85,000 hours of original programming every day (by 2003 figures), we watch an average of five hours of television per day. For every hour of YouTube video you watch, there are 5,999 hours of new video just posted!

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, there’s a reason: The processing capacity of the conscious mind is limited. This is a result of how the brain’s attentional system evolved. Our brains have two dominant modes of attention: the task-positive network and the task-negative network (they’re called networks because they comprise distributed networks of neurons, like electrical circuits within the brain). The task-positive network is active when you’re actively engaged in a task, focused on it, and undistracted; neuroscientists have taken to calling it the central executive. The task-negative network is active when your mind is wandering; this is the daydreaming mode. These two attentional networks operate like a seesaw in the brain: when one is active the other is not.

To read the entire essay, please click here:  Daniel Leviton's NYT Essay.

Understanding TBI | Bridge Advocacy Project

An Advocacy Project
By 2014–2015 Class of Bridge Program at Mount Sinai Hospital Rehab Center

NEW YORK CITY — Participants of the 2014–2015 Bridge Program at Mount Sinai Hospital's Rehabilitation Center were given the task of creating and producing an Advocacy Project that would raise the public's awareness of TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury).

Since these participants are affected by TBI, they put their heads together to come up with a board presentation that would be featured on the Rehab Center's hallway, which is located at 5 East 102nd Street in East Harlem.  This TBI Advocacy Project began in November 2014 and was completed in May 2015. It involved heavy research.

All of these Bridge participants are outpatients and affected TBI.  They entitled the board project as "Understanding TBI."  Keep revisiting this blog to see posts that feature sections of the project. Ultimately, you will see the entire TBI Advocacy Project board.  

These industrious Bridge participants look forward to hearing — and learning about —your reactions to their TBI Advocacy Project.