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University of Central Florida opens on-campus TBI program for UCF studentsDr. Schutz and Dr. Rivers of GiveBack, in conjunction with Dr. Janet Whiteside and the staff of the Communication Disorders Clinic, have opened a unique campus-based academic cognitive rehabilitation program. This program applies the principles of self-therapy to processing college-level information, studying, test-taking, and time management.A research study they conducted with GiveBack Assistant Director Emilio Lobato indicates that approximately 8,000 current students sustained significant injuries, while approximately 2,000 are at risk for academic disability. If you are a UCF student interested in this program, please contact the clinic at (407) 882-0468. Head injury refers to brain injury sustained after birth due to trauma from a motor vehicle accident, a fall, a blow to the head, a weapon wound or some other source of damaging impact. Although the after-effects of a head injury often include losses of oxygen and blood supply as well as blood clots, brain disorders caused by stroke, oxygen loss from heart attack, choking or drowning, poisoning, infection, tumors or diseases (such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, etc.) are not considered to be head injuries. Brain disorders due to inherited conditions and birth injuries, including attention deficit disorder, learning disability, cerebral palsy, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Asperger's syndrome, autism, mental retardation and schizophrenia are also not considered to be head injuries. Some of the information provided by GiveBack, Inc. may be relevant and useful to people with these brain disorders that are not head injuries, but users should be aware that parts of the information will not apply, and that many issues important to those brain disorders will not be discussed by this organization. Head injuries are traditionally classified into the categories of severe, moderate and mild. Severe injury, which is the focus of GiveBack, is indicated by the presence of a focal injury (see below), a coma in excess of two hours, or a memory gap around the time of injury in excess of eight hours. Those who have mild or moderate injuries are welcome to participate in GiveBack, but they should be aware that the GiveBack materials are designed for symptoms that are more intense than their own. Head injury affects the brain in two ways: focal damage and diffuse damage. Focal damage means that a specific area in the brain has been destroyed. Focal injury results from a penetrating wound such as a gunshot, or when a broken piece of skull is driven into the brain, or a spot that takes severe damage (called a concussion), or a blood vessel explodes where it passes through the brain, or a blood clot forms on the brain (called a hematoma), or an area of damage turns soft (called encephalomalacia). Penetrating wounds and damage from a shattered skull can be easily seen with the naked eye, but all other focal injuries can only be detected when the skull is opened by a neurosurgeon or visualized by a special brain scan (CT, MRI, PET). Diffuse injury refers to the microscopic damage to brain cells that is produced when the brain is subjected to strong forces such as the impact from a car crash. Coma and memory gap are the main evidence of diffuse damage. The longer is the coma, and the longer is the memory gap, the more diffuse damage there is. Diffuse damage is the main factor that determines impairment (lost motor skills), disabilities (lost abilities to accomplish real-life tasks) and handicap (loss of the opportunity to serve in real-life roles such as jobs, relationships, friendships and community positions). Science is beginning to fix damaged brainsWe have been waiting for many years for research scientists to learn how to link the brain with computers, and use the computers to supply missing signals or support weakened energy systems. Now the first reports are coming in of brain implants being used to "wake up" a patient who was in a state of deep unresponsiveness for many years. You can see the link to his story on our "Resources" page. This is the case of a young man whose brain was so badly damaged that the brain stem could not wake up the thinking centers. After a year of stimulation treatments, implanted electrdes have succeeded in waking him up so effectively that he can perform simple actions, speak, recognize his family, he has in a real sense "come to life" thanks to this new technology. This is only the beginning of a long story, as there will be many different ways to program and use these brain implants. It still seems beyond our wildest hopes to imagine an implant that will help to compensate for the diffuse effects of a head injury, but who can say how long it will take for that to happen. While these developments don't offer anything at this point to those of us who can walk, talk, get around in the community, and do things on our own, we should celebrate how much they could mean for our brothers and sisters who are bed bound and unable to respond, and for their families. --Dr. SchutzBob Woodruff's storyThe recovery story of ABC News anchorman Bob Woodruff has been receiving a great deal of media attention this week. The gentleman looks terrific, and on film, except for a few head-injured moments, sounds terrific. His story is being told as a heart-warming "heroic recovery accomplished" by the TV producers. To his credit, Woodruff is not playing along. If you listen closely, you can hear him clearly saying that he is still recovering and is not normal. Between his candor about himself and the reporting he is doing to expose the inadequate help veterans are receiving, the general public is getting some badly needed education.What the stories have not talked about so far is the long road of long-term recovery, how little the fancy services at even the best government hospitals prepare people for that, and how difficult it is for all survivors to get back a productive career, an active social life, and full participation in family and community. We can only hope that when the hype has faded away, Woodruff will continue to investigate and be allowed to discuss the hard truths of recovery on prime time TV. Shocking Developments in Research on TBIThree years ago, Terry Wallis amazed the medical world by coming out of a coma after 19 years. He not only became responsive, but able to speak and interact and even recognize his mother. This kind of late recovery is unexpected and our present science struggles to explain it. Terry was transported to Robert wood Johnson Medical Center, where he was given a battery of tests and examined by Dr. Joseph Giancino, one of the leading experts on extremely severe brain injury. Terry’s brain had been so badly torn up by his injury that there was almost no organized activity visible on the brain scans. Although very little professional therapy was provided for him, his wife and mother declared that they were going to work full time to try to help him come back to a higher level of functioning. Dr. Giancino told his family that they should not expect to see him get any better, although no one could be certain about what the future held.In March of 2006, Dr. Giancino and other medical researchers ate their words in public. Terry has in fact gotten much better. Not only has his speech and his self-care improved, but some kind of communication channels in his brain are working more or less normally again. This kind of improvement, documented by MRI and PET scans, is even more shocking to the world of science than his waking up. It indicates that at least in this one case a disorganized brain can get re-organized. The experts are still trying to figure out what they have learned, but they admit that there are probably pathways to recovery that are more effective than they ever imagined. Although I am as stunned as the rest, I think this case may make more sense to us at GiveBack than it does to the brain scientists. We know that effort produces recovery–it not only makes coping happen, but actually makes the brain work better. The hours Terry’s wife and mother have put in trying to motivate him to do things may have paid off in a huge way. When you ask what you can do to help yourself or your family member, don’t forget about Terry Wallis. He achieved some recovery that everyone was sure was impossible. Trying your hardest can make a difference! Dr. Larry E. Schutz Founding Director, GiveBack Inc.
GiveBack, Inc.
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