Traumatic brain injury patients in West Virginia and elsewhere in the United States typically don’t have any post-TBI treatment options. This is true despite the fact that TBIs affect 3 million Americans each year in the U.S. However, a new therapy may benefit patients by preventing brain damage after an injury affecting the brain is sustained.

Researchers based their findings on tests conducted on mice after they had experienced a traumatic brain injury. After the new therapy was performed, the affected mice showed signs of reduced brain damage, so much that brain functions were almost restored to the level in the non-TBI rodents. The new therapy works by increasing the activity of special proteins that have the potential to stop uncontrolled or sudden electrical impulses in nerve cells. Abnormal electrical currents typically begin after a TBI occurs, which is what contributes to seizures.

The tests are relevant since mice react very similarly to how humans respond to a TBI, often experiencing symptoms that alter emotional state and affect cognitive abilities. The purpose of the new therapy is to stop changes with the flow of electrical current in the brain after a head or brain injury occurs. The belief is that doing so could prevent further damage to the brain. Researchers’ next goal is to determine how suitable the new therapy is for humans. If the treatment ends up working well in humans, it may also benefit patients with seizure disorders such as epilepsy.

The role of a personal injury attorney is to identify possible parties who may have contributed to an individual’s traumatic brain injury. If an auto accident occurred, the responsible party is often the driver of another vehicle. However, TBIs are sometimes the result of slip-and-fall accidents, assaults, workplace conditions or explosions. Legal action may also become an option if appropriate medical care wasn’t provided.