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ild traumatic brain injuries can
result in long-term cognitive issues. According to research in mice, a new,
low-intensity form of magnetic stimulation could be the first effective
treatment for these injuries.
Current
research points to a possible new therapy for brain injury.
A traumatic
brain injury (TBI) can be mild or severe, but each case signals
a disruption in the usual functioning of the brain.
Doctors
tend to refer to less serious TBIs as concussions. These events
are more common, resulting from the likes of car accidents, falls, and sports
injuries.
Symptoms
range from headaches, dizziness, and
nausea to problems with cognitive and sleeping functions.
Most
people completely recover from a concussion in a short period of time, but some
may experience lasting effects — especially if they have had a mild TBI before.
Multiple concussions can lead to memory problems and issues with concentration
and balance.
Concussions
can be particularly problematic for young people, whose brains have not yet
fully developed. According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) report, more than 800,000 children received treatment in U.S.
emergency departments for some form of TBI in 2014.
"[TBI]
is a clinical condition that poses significant challenges to patients,
families, and health professionals," notes Dr. Yanbo Zhang, a professor of
psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine, in Canada.
"Patients
can suffer long-lasting cognitive impairments [and] emotional and behavioral
changes. Currently, we do not have effective treatment to improve the cognitive
impairment," he explains.
A novel form of treatment
Dr.
Zhang is the co-author of an investigation into a potential new treatment for
concussion, the findings of which appear in the Journal of Neurotrauma.
He and a team from the University of Saskatchewan examined the use of low-field magnetic stimulation (LFMS).
He and a team from the University of Saskatchewan examined the use of low-field magnetic stimulation (LFMS).
This
noninvasive technique is a form of repetitive transcranial magnetic
stimulation. Researchers first used this technique to painlessly stimulate
nerves and the brain in 1985.
LFMS
has shown particularly promising
results in treating mental health conditions, according
to Harvard Medical School's McLean Hospital, in Boston, MA. Some people report
immediate improvements in their mood after undergoing the therapy.
But
Dr. Zhang and his fellow researchers found that stimulating certain areas of
the brain also improved concussion symptoms in mice.
Using
a weight-drop technique, the team gave each mouse a TBI in the right hemisphere
of the brain. They repeated the injury once a day for 3 days.
The
researchers administered LFMS to the mice in the treatment group immediately
after the TBIs. This lasted 20 minutes a day for 4 days in a row.
Normal functioning restored
The
results showed that the mice could perform a number of cognitive and motor
tests within 4 days of LFMS treatment. Tasks included finding their way through
a maze, running on a wheel without falling off, and walking in a straight line.
In
fact, the rodents' performance levels were almost back to normal within this
time frame. The researchers also observed that regular sleep patterns resumed,
suggesting that the animals' body clocks were no longer affected by the
concussions.
The
investigators recorded a change in the levels of proteins that safeguard the
brain from inflammation and
degeneration. These, too, reverted to normal after 4 days of LFMS exposure.
Conversely,
mice that had not received LFMS therapy could not successfully perform the same
physical or neurological tasks.
A
longer study in rodents is next on the cards. If that provides positive
results, a human trial will eventually test the effectiveness of LFMS on mild
TBIs.
"The beauty of this therapy is
not only that it is effective, but that it is noninvasive, easy to use, and
cost-effective."
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