March is Brain Injury Awareness Month

Each year, the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) conducts an awareness campaign in March, with the theme of this year’s campaign being ‚ÄúMore Than My Brain Injury.

The #MoreThanMyBrainInjury public awareness campaign aims to educate others about the experience of living with a brain injury. The goals of this campaign include increasing awareness and understanding of brain injury as a chronic condition, and reducing stigma associated with brain injuries. Learn more about the #MoreThanMyBrainInjury campaign.

To improve the future outcomes for those with brain injuries, Cohen Veterans Bioscience is dedicated to fast-tracking the development of diagnostic tests and personalized therapeutics for the millions of Veterans and civilians suffering from the devastating effects of trauma on the brain.

What diagnostics & treatments are available for TBI?

Objective Diagnosis of TBI

Although a medical exam and imaging are the first steps in diagnosing a potential head injury, universally accepted “gold standard” diagnostic standards have not yet been established. In recent years, new diagnostic aids for mild TBI or concussion have come to the U.S. market, but further objective diagnostic methods are needed, as many TBIs are under-detected and under-treated. This is contributing to the growing epidemic of suicide among our nation’s heroes as trauma-related brain injuries often underlie suicide.

What treatment is available?

TBI populations are extremely diverse, representing a major hurdle to assessing therapeutic effectiveness. The symptoms and origin of these disorders are also diverse, highly complex, and frequently comorbid with other disorders. Current treatments for TBI depend on the severity of the injury. Treatment may include medications and rehabilitation that are based on specific symptoms experienced, including physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep disturbances.

A Strategic Roadmap to Advance TBI Research

We are rethinking how we study TBI and leading a collaborative, systems approach to better understand the brain’s biological processes and accelerate meaningful solutions for patients.

Our 2019 State of The Science Summit convened global thought leaders in TBI to drive research forward. Through this event, we evaluated the current state of the TBI research field, identified gaps where more work is needed, and provided recommendations on addressing these research gaps to ultimately accelerate new solutions for people suffering from the effects of TBI.

Goals of the strategic research roadmap:

• Foster collaboration and strengthen the scientific, clinical, and patient communities surrounding TBI
• Identify the underlying biological processes across TBI injury types to advance precision diagnostics
• Improve patient biotyping to advance personalized therapies for TBI
• Translate research into impactful solutions to improve the lives of people with TBI

Learn more about the Brain Trauma Blueprint

Additional Information & Resources

If you have taken steps to end your life, call 911 immediately.

Please use contact below if you are having suicide ideation:
National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255
National Sexual Assault Hotline (800) 656-HOPE
National Center for PTSD Veterans Crisis Line (800) 273-8255
Women’s Veterans Call Center 1-855-VA-Women

Learn more about Traumatic Brain Injury:

www.cdc.gov/TraumaticBrainInjury/index.html
www.biausa.org/brain-injury/about-brain-injury
www.brainline.org/tbi-basics/do-i-have-concussion

Resources for Caregivers:

www.brainline.org/caregivers/caregiver-basics
www.brainline.org/story/caregiver-caregiver-words-advice-and-encouragement
www.caregiver.org/caregiver-resources/health-conditions/traumatic-brain-injury/

Learn About Traumatic Brain Injury

View the TBI Fact Sheet Infographic References and Sources