Traumatic Brain Injuries
There are millions of people that suffer from very traumatic brain injuries. Therefore, memory becomes a huge issue in terms of living for the rest of their lives. This can be forgetting simple things. Many people also suffer from severe memory loss. They end up suffering from more severe conditions, such as depression and anxiety, because of it.
Therefore, people continue to hope for something to be done about this issue. They hope that there can be a treatment for something as severe as this. However, recently, there have been more studies being conducted on this particular issue. There seems to have been a new breakthrough regarding memory loss.
This is especially important when it comes to athletes. Athletes, in any spectrum, can certainly be affected negatively, either by a large crash against another player, falls, or really anything. That is why this is such a breakthrough, as many athletes have had their careers cut short because of traumatic brain injury.
What Is This New Breakthrough?
Short-term memory is a major issue, more so for those that have endured a brain injury that has impacted their memory. “For people who’ve had a traumatic brain injury (TBI), though, recalling recent events or conversations can be a major struggle,” according to NPR News. Therefore, there has been a new solution that continues to be tested on a daily basis.
“Sending weak electrical current into the brain for 20 minutes a day for four days in a row reversed declines in working and long-term memory that comes with aging,” according to STAT News. Therefore, this has been proven to work for people that are of age. Additionally, this is and continues to be tested on those that have undergone a severe brain injury.
However, this continues to be a work in progress. There are a very limited amount of technologies available to actually make this procedure more widespread.
“By demonstrating therapeutic efficacy in patients who have both a history of moderate-to-severe TBI and documented memory impairment, we hope our findings will accelerate the development of technologies for patients with acquired brain injuries, which could restore some degree of their lost memory function as they attempt to rebuild their post-injury lives,” according to New Atlas.
Therefore, despite this being a work in progress, scientists already have an outline of how they want this procedure done. Therefore, improving technologies to help assist with this, may certainly become a more widespread practice in the near future.
The Future of TBI and This Procedure
After hearing about this new procedure, there is a hope that within the very near future this technology can be made available. Therefore, restoring the lives of many people that have suffered traumatic brain injury. However, within the time being, there are certain practices being made available either way to assist elders and victims of a TBI, therefore, they are still receiving the support that they need.
The only thing that people may need to worry about when it comes to receiving a procedure of this type is the cost of the procedure. Additionally, it is unclear if many insurances will assist in covering a procedure of this nature.
There also has to be a lot of attention diverted to creating the technology for this procedure in particular. If there is a lack of attention, it will surely not happen in the near future. Finally, if insurances are able to help cover this treatment, this will certainly put an end to the way many people are currently suffering today.
Written by David Loran Jr
Sources:
NPR News: When a brain injury impairs memory, a pulse of electricity may help
STAT: Zapping the brain with electricity shown to boost older people’s short- and long-term memory
New Atlas: Targeted brain stimulation improves memory in traumatic brain injury
Featured Image Courtesy of Jesper Sehested Pluslexia.com’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of NTNU medisin og helse’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License