The Mysteries Of The Brain: Investigators Search For Answers About Injuries, PTSD
In the first study of its kind, researchers at Saint Louis University are recruiting patients for a clinical trial that will use cutting-edge imaging equipment to map the brain injuries of combat veterans and civilians, aiming to better understand the nature of their injuries. Funded by a $5.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, researchers will use three types of imaging equipment together, producing better data and a more complete taxonomy of brain injuries, information that investigators hope may lead to better treatment for blast injuries and car accidents.
Scientists once believed that an injured brain was irreversibly damaged and that its function could not be recovered after being lost. It now appears, however, that the brain has the remarkable ability to rewire itself - if one pathway is damaged, another may be able to take over. Researchers anticipate that this study may aid them in identifying specific areas of the brain that can be rewired, as opposed to those which, once damaged, cannot be redirected.
The study will use Tesla 3 MRI, CT (structural imaging) and PET and MEG (magnetoencephalography) (functional imaging).
The results will help science and medicine advance to properly care for traumatic brain injury and PTSD survivors.
