Studies Reveal Better Detection Methods for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

For immediate release.

STUDIES REVEAL BETTER DETECTION METHODS FOR MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

Early determination of severity is key to effective treatment; other findings show potential treatments for brain swelling and brain cell damage

Washington, DC — New research released today shows that scientists are developing more effective ways of detecting and determining the severity of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). These new techniques promise to help health-care practitioners act faster to prevent and treat these currently difficult to diagnose injuries. Mild TBI affects an estimated 1.4 million Americans each year — including 10–20 percent of soldiers returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan — and often leads to a disabling loss of brain function. The research was presented at Neuroscience 2008, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. View full release.