The Brain Injury Research Center of Mount Sinai
NEWSLETTER
SPRING/SUMMER 2016
Brain Injury Research Center Volume 3, Issue 2
ABOUT US The Brain Injury Research Center (BIRC) of Mount Sinai conducts cutting-edge research that focuses on addressing the challenges of living with traumatic brain injury (TBI). We seek to gain information about life after TBI and to create and improve treatments for those living with a brain injury.
CONTACT US 5 East 98th Street, B-15 New York, NY 10029 212-241-5152
IN THIS ISSUE TBI in the News Resources for People with TBI & Friends and Family Resources for Health Care professionals Publication Highlight BIRC Feature Actively Recruiting Studies at the BIRC Research Study Opportunity - University of Pittsburgh Links from Newsletter
Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! Visit us at tbicentral.org!
PREVIOUS ISSUES Read past issues here.
TBI in the News Brain Scans Strongly Predict Return of Consciousness in Vegetative Patients “A simple measurement using a device available in every hospital could distinguish brain damaged patients who are likely to ‘wake up’ from those who are not,” a group of researchers recently reported. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen used positron emisson tomography (PET) imaging, which to measures brain metabolism, in an attempt to determine capacity for recovery in brains that appears to be equally unconscious.
Learn more about this exciting new research reported on by STAT health here. http://goo.gl/Dp8SWE Additionally, read the published article discussing these findings here.
Can Brain Scans Reveal Concussion-Linked Disease? Recent brain scans from a former National Football League (NFL) player are the “most dramatic” evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) seen in a living person to date. CTE is a progressive degenerative disease commonly found in people with a history of repetative brain trauma, likely marked by a widespread accumulation of tau protein in the brain. This new research uses a PET tracer called T807 to reveal deposits of tau protein in the brain. If deemed an accurate representation of CTE in a living person, this finding could be a milestone for imaging CTE, as this disease is currently only definitevely diagnosed post mortem. The BIRC’s own Dr. Kristen Dams-O’Connor and Dr. Wayne Gordon collaborated on this exciting recearch! Read more about these scans here.
‘Brain Dictionary’ Maps Where Specific Words Are Represented in the Mind Where exactly are the words in your head? Scientists have created an interactive map showing which brain areas respond to hearing different words. The map reveals how language is spread througout the cortex and across both hemispheres and how groups of words are clustered together by meaning. The beautiful, interactive model allows us to explore the complex organization of the enormous dictionaries in our heads.
https://goo.gl/6pA980 Watch the brain dictionary video and read more in STAT news here. You can also read the paper behind these brain maps recently published in Nature.
Scientists Use Animal Models to Simulate the Effects Brought on by Blast Explosion
Researchers at Aberdeen Proving Ground are working to develop explosive testing that can closely resemble the actual circumstances a warfighter might experience. Having a more accurate picture of what the brain undergoes in these situations will allow scientists to learn more about the long- and short-term effects of blast-induced, mild TBI and could aid in designing better protection equipment. Read more about these new computational models and simulations here.
Resources for People with TBI & their Friends and Family Mayo Clinic Q&A:
Risk for Depression After Traumatic Brain Injury Q: “Is there a link between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and depression? Would
treatment for depression in someone with a TBI be different than treatment for depression without this sort of injury?”
A:
”The results clearly show that when people without any prior mental health concerns or hisotry of depression suffer a traumatic brain injury, their risk for depression increases significantly.” Read the full answer here. http://goo.gl/wRUiTw
Carolyn Rocchio Caregivers Webinar:
How to Select the Right App and Use Strategies Consistently The next Carolyn Rocchio Caregivers Live Webinar features Michelle Ranae Wild, Co-Director of Coastline Community College’s Acquired Brain Injury Program. Do you ever get confused and overwhelmed when trying to choose an app? We all do! It’s no wonder with over a million apps in the App Store. This webinar will pose four questions you can ask when deciding which apps to download. Michelle Ranae Wild will go through each question with the webinar group and you will work together to evaluate several apps to illustrate the process. Additionally, you will cover ways to improve the consistent use of compensatory strategies on a daily basis
To learn more about these helpful apps firsthand, attend this BIAA-hosted webinar being held at 3:00 pm on Thursday, July 21st, 2016. Register for this event or other upcoming webinars here.
Traumatic Brain Injury Support Group - Mount Sinai The Traumatic Brain Injury Support Group is a monthly, in-person meeting for individuals who have suffered from a traumatic brain injury. In this support group, individuals will have the opportunity to talk to other TBI survivors, provide emotional support to help tackle the obstacles of living with a brain injury, make new friends, and learn more about brain injury. The group is lead by Timothy Pruce, the outreach coordinator and TBI advocate for the Brain Injury Research Center, who is also an individual living with brain injury himself. This group meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 2:00pm - 3:00pm in the Brain Injury Research Center at Mount Sinai Medical Center (5 East 98th Street Room B10 New York, NY 10029). For more information, contact Timothy Pruce at 212-241-5152.
Traumatic Brain Injury and Stroke Support Group Geneseo, NY All survivors and caregivers are welcome - concussion to severe TBI as well as strokes. This free support group meets on the 2nd Saturday of each month from 10 am - 11:30 am at Geneseo United Methodist Church* (Behind SUNY Geneseo), Route 63, just before Court Street. Please enter on the side where the pavillion is located. (*Not associated with the church, they kindly let the group use the room). For additional information, call 585-689-1157.
Resources for Healthcare Professionals Business of Brain Injury Webinar:
Creating a Successful Transition from Acute Care to Post-Acute Care What are the best practices in transitions from an acute care setting to a post-acute care setting? How can transitions be coordinated to protect patient health, safety, and outcomes? In this webinar, the Medical Director at the Center for Rehabilitative Medicine at Mercy Hospital, along with the Director of Therapy Services, the Director of Case Management, and the Outpatient Clinic Manager from On with Life will discuss how they as a group of professionals manage the complex responsibilities of the process.
To learn more about the best ways to create a successful transition to a post-acute care setting, attend this BIAA-hosted webinar held at 3:00 pm (EST) on Thursday, June 30th, 2016. Register for this event or other upcoming webinars here.
Publication Highlight Dams-O’Connor, K., Gibbons, L. E., Landau, A., Larson, E. B., & Crane, P. K. (2016, April). Health Problems Precede Traumatic Brain Injury in Older Adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 64(4), 844-848. This paper examines whether preinjury health and functioning are associated with a higher risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI) with loss of consciousness. Additionally, health-related factors associated with mortality in indivduals with TBI are evaluated. The researchers found that several health, mood, and functional factors can predict incident TBI with loss of consciousness in older adults. These results suggest that older adults with health problems might benefit from fall prevention or gait training programs to reduce risk for falls and injury. For more information, access the full paper here.
BIRC Feature Adventures in Brain Injury Podcast:
A discussion of the TBI Model Systems Centers with Clinical Research Coordinator Gabrielle Guetta
Hosts Calvin Balaster & Alek Hess interviewed Gabrielle Guetta, a Clinical Research Coordinator here at the Brain Injury Research Center, for an episode of their podcast about traumatic brain injury research, the NIDILRR Model Systems programs, and our center more broadly. Listen to the full podcast here. Subscribe to the podcast on their website here.
Actively Recruiting Studies at the BIRC Late Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury (LE-TBI) The LE-TBI Project aims to learn more about the long term effects of TBI in the general population. This study is unique in that it involves brain banking - traumatic brain injury has never been studied in the general population with brain autopsy as a major focus. All particpants involved in LE-TBI at Mount Sinai will participate in: • an assessment of their cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning • an MRI scan • a blood draw Participants will be asked regardless of their age, gender, or health condition, to consider brain donation and to make their wishes known. If you are interested, please call Jeanne McPhee at (212)-241-2119 or email her at jeanne.mcphee@mountsinai.org.
Management of Post-TBI Fatigue with Light Exposure Many people who have sustained a TBI experience fatigue and trouble getting a sufficient amount of sleep. This particular study is for people who have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and are experiencing fatigue in their daily life as a result. We are trying to see if two different types of light, red light and white light, can help improve people’s fatigue, sleep, mood, and thinking abilities. If you are interested, please call Lauren Nelson at (212)-241-5190 or email her at lauren.nelson@mountsinai.org.
Tbi and Health in Older Adults: An Exploratory Study We are seeking people who had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) when they were at least 40 years old, are at least 1 year post injury, and were hospitalized for this injury. Interested individuals will have the opportunity to participate in either 1 or 2 interviews designed to learn more about brain injury and aging. Interviews can be completed over the phone, online via e-mail, as a hard-copy in the mail, or in person, and will include the following: • a brief test of your thinking abilities • questions about your health & functioning after your brain injury. Compensation will be provided for your time. If you are interested, please call Lauren Nelson at (212)-241-5190 or email her at lauren.nelson@mountsinai.org
Research Study Opportunity - University of Pittsburgh TBI BAST Study Investigators at the University of Pittsburgh, are looking to better understand certain emotions and behaviors among adults with traumatic brain injury. As part of the study, you will be asked to complete a brief web-based questionnaire (about 10-15 minutes). There are no foreseeable risks associated with this project and all the information you provide to us is anonymous. Your participation in this study is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time. Upon completion, you can elect to be entered into a raffle for a chance at winning a $50 gift card. Drawings will occur once every three months.
This study is run by Shannon Juengst, PhD, CRC. She can be reached at 412-648-8186 or sbj7@pitt.edu. Please click on the following link to complete the survey if interested: https://www.ctsiredcap.pitt.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=MWGzEW9Kxf https://goo.gl/UFfDHF
BIRC Study Update: Online Emotional Regulation Study No Longer Recruiting Participants Our Online Emotional Regulation Study is officially closed for recruitment. If you are interested in particpating in a similar program addressing emotional dysregulation utilizing a cognitive behavioral approach and live in the New York area, we have an in-person treatment group that takes place at the Brain Injury Research Center of Mount Sinai. The group meets one time per week on Thursdays from 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm and is covered by several insurance plans. For more information, please contact Maria Kajankova PhD at 212-241-3379.
Email us at birc@mountsinai.org and tell us what you would like to learn more about so that we can cover it in one our next issues!
Links from this Newsletter
The URLs below correspond to the links in this newsletter. If you are unable to open up a link in this newsletter, simply copy and paste the corresponding link below into your web browser for easy access!
TBI in the News BRAIN SCANS STRONGLY PREDICT RETURN OF CONSCIOUSNESS IN VEGETATIVE PATIENTS • https://www.statnews.com/2016/05/26/brain-scans-consciousness-vegetative/ • http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822%2816%29303463 CAN BRAIN SCANS REVEAL CONCUSSION-LINKED DISEASE? • http://science.sciencemag.org/content/352/6288/881.full ‘BRAIN DICTIONARY’ MAPS WHERE SPECIFIC WORDS ARE REPRESENTED IN THE MIND • https://www.statnews.com/2016/04/27/brain-dictionary-mapwords/?s_campaign=tw&utm_content=buffer41814&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer%20https://www. washingtonpost.com/sports/injured-snowboarder-helps-other-brain-injurysurvivors/2016/05/28/1b66c866-24f7-11e6-b944-52f7b1793dae_story.html • http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v532/n7600/full/nature17637.html SCIENTISTS USE ANIMAL MODELS TO SIMULATE THE EFFECTS BROUGHT ON BY BLAST INJURY • http://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2016/05/20/Scientists-probe-Traumatic-Brain-Injury-effects-at-research-lab Resources for People with TBI & their Friends and Family MAYO CLINIC Q&A: Risk for Depression After Traumatic Brain Injury • http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-risk-fordepression-after-traumatic-brain-injury/?linkId=25023835 CAROLYN ROCCHIO CAREGIVERS WEBINAR: How to Sepect the Right App and Use Strategies Consistently • General- http://www.biausa.org/biaa-events.htm • Specific Event- http://shop.biausa.org/product/CARM072116/howtoselecttherightappandusestrategiesconsistentlyacarolynrocchiocaregiverslivewebinar.
Resources for Healthcare Professionals BUSINESS OF BRAIN INJURY WEBINAR: Creating a Successful Transition from Acute Care to Post-Acute Care • General- http://www.biausa.org/biaa-events.htm • Specific Event- http://shop.biausa.org/product/BOB063016/creatingasuccessfultransitionfromacutecaretopostacutecareabusinessofbraininjurylivewebinar.php Publication Highlight “HEALTH PROBLEMS PRECEDE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY IN OLDER ADULTS” • http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.14014/full Resources for Healthcare Professionals ADVENTURES IN BRAIN INJURY PODCAST • http://adventuresinbraininjury.com/podcast-12/ • http://adventuresinbraininjury.com/podcasts/
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This newsletter was developed under grants from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), grant number H133A070033 and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), grant number 5 R49 CE002092-02. However, this does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.