In January, scientists at the University of Kansas Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University announced a new device that may one day restore movement for people with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The invention offers hope for thousands of combat veterans who suffer from TBI (also known as acquired brain injury).
The innovative battery-powered microprocessor records electrical impulses in one part of the brain and relays them to another part. So far, it has only been tested on rodents.
The rodents used in the study had damaged brains and, at their best, were able to retrieve a food pellet once out of every five tries. With the new device turned on, the rodent’s food-retrieval skills returned to a near-normal level.
So many members of the armed services have suffered a traumatic brain injury — as many as 320,000 — that it is perhaps unsurprising that the joint research project was funded by the Department of Defense. Researchers involved in the development of the device are hopeful that the device will ultimately have a broader application to help humans.
Veterans who have sustained a traumatic brain injury also face an array of potentially complicating conditions, including chronic headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus, fatigue, behavioral or mood changes, convulsions, confusion, sleep disruptions, slurred speech, physical weakness or numbness of extremities, loss of coordination and nausea.
Hopefully, the new device will one day help veterans suffering from TBI to cope. In the meantime, the attorneys at Legal Help for Veterans stand ready to help TBI-affected service members to develop their claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs should their claim be denied.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
