Brain Stem Injury Treatment Recovery, Brainstem Mind Damage (updated June 2009)

Having a brain stem injury can be a serious condition. The brain stem is located beneath the cerebrum and is vitally important to overall bodily functioning. This area of the brain connects to a person's spinal cord. The brainstem is able to control specific involuntary muscles. Depending on the severity of the condition, current therapies may be of limited value for this condition. However new neuro technologies are continuously being created to help people with brain injuries.

Japanese scientists have recently synthesized whole brain tissue from stem cells. In the future this could allow a brain damaged person to have their missing brain cells replaced. It could allow the repair of all sorts of brain damage, including possibly brain stem injury. A company has recently been allowed to begin a trial of using stem cells to help stroke patients. So stem cells for other types of brain injuries will likely follow. Doctors may increasingly use robotic neurosurgeons to perform brain surgery and precisely place things in the brain.

There are also a variety of brain stimulation therapies like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) that could be used to alter the plasticity of the brain. TMS has recently been used to help awaken a coma patient. Another more recent tool is called ultrasonic neuromodulation and it may eventually be used to spark new neuron growth non-invasively. Two more new technologies of some value are transcranial direct current stimulation and deep brain stimulation. Future brain manipulation tools will continue to get more and more precise. These tools can either increase or decrease neuron activity in select regions. Many brain impairments are associated with altered functioning of neurons. So these methods could be used to adjust functioning for rehabilitation in certain instances when the severity of damage is not too great.

Researchers have also been creating better brain-computer interfaces that may help those who are paralyzed. A brain-computer interface takes brain waves recordings from a person's mind. Those EEG readings are then translated into the movement or workings of an external device. This would allow a so called "locked in" patient to move a robotic arm, for example, solely with their own thought processes. Brain imaging is also getting much better and can help in several ways. Brain scans have been used to communicate with people who have had severe brain damage. MRI scans are also getting higher resolution of detail so as to be able to assess any injuries better.

Other researchers are working on creating computer simulations of the brain. These simulations may be used to accelerate the development of new pharmaceutical drugs or other therapies for those with brain disorders. Many of the more ambitions simulations may be less than 15 years away from coming to fruition. So they could go a long way in helping scientists develop techniques to improve brain injuries.

The people with the highest risk for getting a head insult are males ages 15-19. Often these types of males are more reckless than the rest of the population. The brain stem itself is rarely the only part of the mind that is affected after a traumatic head injury. The symptoms of a brain stem injury can be very similar to a regular traumatic brain injury. Specific symptoms of this type include having difficulty concentrating or memory problems. Other symptoms include an inability to remain balance or walk.

The brainstem is fairly vulnerable since it is located at the base of your head. Brain imaging techniques such as fMRI, magnetic resonance imaging, and CT scans may be useful for those with brain injuries. Sometimes damage to the mind may not be easily detectable using current brain scanning techniques. Researchers are continually refining these head scanning techniques, though. New brain imaging technologies include diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging and also magnetoencephalography (MEG). They are able to detect all sorts of head trauma.

There is a range in the severity of brainstem insults. Severe types may lead to a person losing consciousness all together. They may become totally stuck in a coma or a vegetative state. Or they may be in a minimally responsive state or paralyzed. More moderate damage of the mind can leave a person with a variety of cognitive or behavioral impairments. Minor types of injuries leave a person with much fewer symptoms.