Brain Injury Law Blog : Head Injury : Coma : Personal Injury : Las Vegas Nevada Lawyer & Attorney Tim Titolo

While driving with his head lights off down a country highway, Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), his girlfriend Kelly (Laura Vandervoort) and two friends crash into a stalled combine on the road, which results in Chris' brain damage affecting his short-term memory, and death of the two friends.

Four years later, Chris has to write things down to remember them. Chris works at the Noel State Bank & Trust as the night janitor. He aspires to work as a teller, but the bank manager, Mr. Tuttle (David Huband), does not think that Chris is capable. While cleaning the bank, Chris is watched by four men: Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode), Marty (Morgan Kelly), Cork (Aaron Berg), and Bone (Greg Dunham). Also, every time after his shift, a police officer Ted (Sergio Di Zio) comes by to chat with Chris and brings donuts. At home, Lewis (Jeff Daniels), Chris' blind best friend, makes Chris tell the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears backwards to help him with his sequencing problems, and Chris writes down "start from the end." Later, as Chris is sitting alone at a bar, Gary walks in and introduces himself.

 Chris and Lewis go to visit Chris’ wealthy family for Thanksgiving. Lewis tells Chris' parents, Barbara Pratt (Alberta Watson) and Robert Pratt (Bruce McGill) about a gas station that he and Chris want to turn into a restaurant.

 The next time Chris is at the bar, Gary and two girls walk in, and one of them, Luvlee (Isla Fisher), starts talking to Chris. The four leave together to Luvlee’s apartment, where Chris ends up sleeping with her. Afterwards, Gary invites Chris to a farm to have a late Thanksgiving dinner. At home, Chris tells Lewis about his recent experience with Luvlee and Gary, which makes Lewis suspicious.

Chris goes to the farm, where Gary introduces Chris to his gang. In the basement, Chris notices a board, which Gary says is a plan still in progress. Chris sees pictures and notes of banks and Gary says he needs his help because he is going to rob the bank Chris works at. Gary tries to convince Chris that he is still dependent on his family and others, which Chris does not acknowledge initially. Gary tells Chris that he can have his old life back and reinforces this with the phrase "Whoever has the money has the power." Chris starts noticing that he is dependent and agrees to take part in the robbery. Chris is told that he is the lookout and has to call Gary when money arrives at the bank.

In Chris' apartment, Luvlee talks to Lewis, who tells her that he used to cook meth, which blinded him. Lewis makes it clear that he had known plenty of "Luvlees" and "Garys", and knows that they are going to hurt Chris. Chris hears the entire conversation, and when Chris and Lewis go to a restaurant to eat, Chris loses his temper and says that he’s going to move out. Chris also tells Ted to stop checking on him. The next day, Luvlee packs up and leaves despite seeing Chris coming to her house.

On the night of robbery, Mr. Tuttle tells Chris that he noticed his improvement, and that he will try him as a teller. Subsequently, Chris tells Gary and his team that he does not want to take part in the robbery and will not tell anyone about it. However, Gary attacks Chris and tells him to do his job. After the safe is opened, Gary makes Chris retrieve the money because of the cameras. When Ted comes, he notices a suspicious activity, and a gun fight breaks out. Ted kills Marty and shoots Cork and Gary as well. However, Bone shoots Ted. Chris runs out leaving in the getaway car with the money.

Chris drives to his apartment, where Gary and Bone are holding Lewis hostage, so he goes to his family’s house and comes up with a plan. He puts a shotgun into one of the duffel bags, calls Gary and arranges a meeting at the ice rink to exchange the money for Lewis. Chris then drives to where his car accident was and buries the money. At the ice rink, Chris says that he buried the money but forgot where. Gary, who is bleeding to death, finds the place in Chris' notebook and tell him to dig it up. Chris hands Bone one of the bags, and just before Bone shoots Lewis, Chris shoots him. Gary then dies on the ground.

Chris is cleared of all charges because he returns the money, confesses, and the camera footage shows that Gary forced Chris to participate. Chris and Lewis open their planned restaurant, although Chris' impairments make giving change difficult. Chris starts to ice skate again. Although he knows that his life is still limited, he has accepted it and is willing to move forward.

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In the ongoing quest to understand and treat war injuries, the NIH has shown that certain organic injury to the brain actually reduces the the occurence of non-organic injury.

NINDS is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and is the nation's primary supporter of biomedical research on the brain and nervous system.

Brain scans of combat-exposed Vietnam War veterans showed that certain serious head injuries to certain parts of the brain can prevent soldiers from developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The findings, from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Naval Medical Centre, suggested that drugs or pacemaker-like devices aimed at dampening activity in these brain regions might be effective treatments for PTSD.

Jordan Grafman, Ph.D., a senior investigator at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of NIH, turned to the Vietnam Head Injury Study (VHIS) to make that distinction. The VHIS is a registry of Vietnam veterans who sustained penetrating brain injuries (which are less common in Iraq compared to concussion brain injuries). It has received support from the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans of Affairs and NIH, and is currently supported by NINDS.

"If we could show that lesions in a specific brain region eliminated PTSD, we knew we could say that the region is critical to developing the disorder," said Dr. Grafman. The results of his study appear online today in "Nature Neuroscience".

To read the full article click here.

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Wayne State Univiersity is leading the research with a grant to study the effect of the "invisible fist" of blast injuries.  To see a short 2 minute video click here.

Dr. Pamela VandeVord, assistant professor at Wayne State University, is seen here using a blast tube to study how pressure from explosions might cause brain injuries.  The tube mimics explosions in Iraq to study what happens in the brain.

About 1.4 million people suffer a TBI every year in the United States, according to the Brain Injury Association of America.

Researcers now believe that what was once believed to by PTSD is actually TBI; organic versus non-organic injury.

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Important research may lead to amending the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) to include Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

"As an organization dedicated to providing information and resources to adults with ADHD, we are excited to see such attention paid to this disorder," said Evelyn Polk-Green, MS, Ed., ADDA President-elect and adult living with ADHD. "The reason why these findings are so important is that they help to inform people that ADHD is not just a childhood disorder, but in fact, a disorder that may affect multiple aspects of adult life and should be properly diagnosed and treated. This research also reinforces the need for formalized and validated criteria for the diagnosis of adult ADHD and may play a significant role in the development of this diagnostic criteria and the addition of it to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders."

You can visit the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) by clicking here.

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eBay has begun selling Psychological tests used in the assessment and evaluation of criminal defendants, students and others, including TBI victims, online.  Harcourt, the publisher of the Weschsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) argues that allowing such public dissemination of the test will impugn the test's credibility since unscrupulous lawyers or parents will attempt to abuse its availability.

Given more than a million times a year nationwide, according to Harcourt, the intelligence tests often are among numerous tests ordered by prosecutors and defense attorneys to determine the mental competence of criminal defendants. A low IQ, for example, can be used to argue leniency in sentencing.

This issue, whether to allow dissemination of psychological tests to non-psychologists, in cases of traumatic brain injury is ongoing.  Frequently, neuropsychologists who do not want the raw data they have compiled for a testee scrutinized, will assert that releasing test booklets is a violation of ethics.  Doing so, they argue, will allow lawyers to coach their clients to give false results.

"In order to maintain its integrity, there needs to be limited availability,"  Harcourt spokesman Russell said.

This issue is frequently seen in cases of traumatic brain injury when plaintiff lawyers try to analyze the results of the testing done at the insurance company's insistence.

To read the AP article click here.

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The Associated Press reports senate approved defense spending bill to assist troops.

The Senate on Friday passed a defense policy bill that would offer more help to troops returning from combat and set conditions on contractors and pricey weapons programs.

The measure reflects the best Democrats could do this year on their national security agenda while holding such a slim majority. Powerless to overcome GOP objections in the Senate, the bill does not order troops home from Iraq, as Democrats would have liked.

To Read the full story click here.

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A New York Times report reveals the effects of a child's I.Q. and family income.

Children develop most of their basic verbal, memory and abstract reasoning skills from ages of 6 to 10, and the effect of family income on these abilities may be smaller than previously thought, scientists are reporting. The findings, which appear online in The Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, are from a large, continuing government study tracking changes in cognitive abilities and brain structure. The difference in I.Q. scores between low-income and high-income was about 10 points, when youngsters with learning disabilities were excluded; previous studies have found differences of 15 to 20 points. “The purpose is to provide a large, public database of healthy, normal brain development,” said the lead author, Dr. Deborah P. Waber, a pediatric researcher at Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard University.

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Dr. Elizabeth Zelinski of the University of Southern California is making a presentation today at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America.  She is revealing initial data from the Improvement in Memory with Plasticity-based Adaptive Cognitive Training study (IMPACT).  This study is the largest  for aging and cognitive training.

The right kind of brain exercise enhances memory and other cognitive abilities of older adults.  To read the entire article click here.

The website Posit Science: Your Brain will Thank You is a great resource to improve you cognitive ability.  The Brain Fitness Program is a series of computer-based exercises that are scientifically proven to improve important brain functions.

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Leading neuroscientists and practitioners debunk common myths related to health and fitness of the brain in a new whitepaper from SharpBrains, Inc. The 11 experts help illuminate the growing research on the role of "brain exercise" for brain fitness, one of the promising areas being discussed this week during the 37th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego.

Health and Medicine-related myths

- Myth 1: It's all in our genes. Reality: A big component of our lifelong brain health and development depends on what we do with our brains. Our own actions, not only our genes, influence our lives to a large extent.

- Myth 2: The field of Brain Fitness is too new to be credible. Reality: The field rests on solid foundations dating back more than a decade - what is new is the number and range of tools that are now starting to be available for healthy individuals.

- Myth 3: Medication is and will remain the only evidence-based intervention for problems such as ADD/ ADHD for many years to come. Reality: Cognitive training programs are starting to show value as complements to drug-based interventions.

Education-related myths

- Myth 4: We need to buy expensive computer-based programs to improve our brains. Reality: Every time we learn a new skill, concept or fact, we change the physical composition of our brains. Lifelong learning means lifelong neuroplasticity.

- Myth 5: Schools should just focus on basic skills like Reading and Math. Reality: "Mental muscles," such as working memory, are fundamental to academic performance and are currently overlooked by the school system.

Corporate Training myths

- Myth 6: On-the-job training is the only way to train one's mind. Reality: Computer-based programs can be more effective at developing specific "mental muscles."

- Myth 7: Brain exercise is only for seniors. And, only about memory. Reality: People of all ages can benefit from a variety of regular brain exercises. For active professionals, managing stress and emotions is often a good first step.

- Myth 8: This all sounds too soft to be of real value to business people. Reality: There is nothing soft about the hard science-based training of specific cognitive and emotional skills.

Gaming-related myths

- Myth 9: Videogames are always a waste of time. Reality: Scientifically designed, computer-based programs can be a good vehicle for training specific skills. For example, it has been shown that short term memory can be expanded by such programs.

- Myth 10: This means kids will spend more time playing videogames. Reality: In Japan - the world's earliest adopter of brain-related videogames - overall home videogame sales have declined, with children playing less over time. Interestingly, adults in Japan have started to play brain-related videogames more. 

 For more information about health and fitness and the brain, visit www.SharpBrains.com.

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The Washington Post wrote:

Much as physical fitness buffs hit the gym daily, seniors are doing brain exercises to tone their minds. The theory -- so far with little hard science behind it -- is that mental stimulation slows memory loss and other cognitive declines associated with aging.

Encouraged by research suggesting the brain can sprout new cells and rewire existing ones late in life, senior communities are supplementing their usual lineup of bingo and art classes with new video games, Sudoku puzzles and computer activities.

To find out more click here.

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Any blast that impacts the eye is a "head injury" and impacts the brain as well.  Glenn Minney lost most of his sight from a combat explosion. But it wasn't just the injuries to his eyes that cost him his vision it was also damage to his brain.  

Minney, then a Navy corpsman, was wounded when a mortar landed near him in Haditha, Iraq, in 2005. The blast threw him 30 feet. His back struck a metal railing, whipping his head backward. He lost his right eye. Vision in his left eye is impaired from physical injury and brain damage, he says.

An emerging threat from the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan is damage to the brain that affects vision, Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs medical researchers say. This type of injury could mean that there are thousands of veterans with undiagnosed vision problems, says Tom Zampieri, of the Blinded Veterans Association.

Doctors didn't find Minney's neurological damage until after he left the military and was screened for brain injuries by the VA. "The public doesn't know the true extent of these (brain) injuries," says Minney, 40, married and the father of two. He's now a patient advocate for the VA in Frankfort, Ohio.

Concerns about eye injuries have prompted federal legislation that would create a $5 million Pentagon-based center for research and treatment of injured eyes. It also would create a registry to track eye wounds.

Minney suffered severe vision loss. Researchers are finding that less-severe vision problems also can occur among troops who suffer minor brain concussions from combat, particularly exposure to a blast. "There are a lot of patients who have suffered mild to moderate brain injuries. Upon initial examination their eyes looked healthy, but they were still reporting problems with their vision," says R. Cameron VanRoekel, an Army optometrist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

Gregory Goodrich, a research psychologist at VA facilities in Palo Alto, Calif., had similar findings in a study of 101 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans with mild traumatic brain injuries. Many are still in the service.

Goodrich found that 40% to 45% of the patients suffered vision loss even though their eyes were physically healthy. The biggest problem was an inability for both eyes to operate precisely together. This can lead to eye strain and blurred vision.

Left undiagnosed, it can also hamper vocational or educational training and aggravate depression and post-traumatic-stress disorder, Goodrich says. Veterans may need an eye care specialist and corrective eyewear, he says.

But Goodrich fears that routine eye examinations may not uncover the problems. "In many cases, we're seeing active-duty troops, and they want to get back and join their units," he says. "So they don't want to hear that there's something they need to go get treated for."

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USA Today reports that blast injuries are producing more damage than previously realized.  The war in Iraq will be no different in producing a "signature wound" only this time the wound is in the brains of those affected. Medical experts are witnessing an emerging and significant increase in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

The new findings are the result of blast experiments in recent years on animals, followed by microscopic examination of brain tissue. The findings could mean that the number of brain-injured soldiers and Marines — many of whom appear unhurt after exposure to a blast — may be far greater than reported, says Ibolja Cernak, a scientist with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

Blast injuries are getting the attention of the war as a laboratory.  And now that attention is revealing what is already known from other familiar mechanisms of injury:  brain injury occurs at the cellular level.

The North American Brain Injury Society formed a committee to examine blast injuries.  Dr. Mariusz Ziejewski, biomechanical engineer, is heading that effort.  For more information go to http://www.nabis.org/public/message.shtml

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