The world of brain research has fallen behind which is why Dr. Philip Defina founded the International Brain Research Foundation, or IBRF. Flanders, NJ (OPENPRESS) September 27, 2012 -- Dr. Philip Defina is one of the leading figures in the world of brain research, and his efforts have earned him heroic status among the people he has helped. Of course, Dr. Defina would never call himself a hero. He is simply interested in studying the brain so that medical professionals can understand the best ways to treat brain injuries, diseases and disorders. Science and medicine have advanced tremendously in the last few decades, but there is still much to discover about the human brain and its functions. Dr. Defina has recognized that the world of brain research has fallen behind which is why he founded the International Brain Research Foundation, or IBRF. This organization has brought together a number of brilliant minds to study the brain, and Dr. Defina has inspired the efforts of the organization through his positions as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer of the foundation. The first pillar of the foundation's wide-ranging and comprehensive mission is research. Dr. Defina and his colleagues believe that research is the key to finding answers to many of the most troubling brain issues. The IBRF is devoted to conducting cutting-edge research that takes advantage of new technologies so that innovative new treatments and procedures can be developed. The second pillar of the IBRF mission is education. The ground-breaking work done by the foundation would be worthless if its discoveries were not shared with the world. This is why the organization works to provide excellent training to physicians and other medical professionals who are interested in healing those with brain injuries, diseases or disorders. This education is provided through seminars, lectures, presentations and various conferences which are attended by some of the brightest minds in medicine. Technological advancement is the fourth aspect of the IBRF mission. Dr. Philip Defina( http://www.ibrfinc.org/ ) and the rest of the foundation have committed themselves to exploring technology so that new methods of detection, mapping and treatment of brain disorders can be discovered. Through these efforts, many advances have been made recently which have led to the remarkable improvement of patients all over the world. The final pillar of the International Brain Research Foundation's mission is collaboration on an international scale, as well as on a multi-center level. Dr. Defina and his colleagues believe that success in the world of treating brain disorders can only come as a result of collaboration with organizations and medical professionals throughout the world that share many of the same values as the IBRF. By connecting these groups and individuals, the foundation is able to make the process of finding treatments and cures more swift and effective. Dr. Philip Defina is only one man, but his efforts at bringing people and ideas together through the IBRF have changed countless lives. Through the foundation's research, new treatments have been developed that have allowed people to live fuller lives. The work is not done, however, and Dr. Defina( http://www.ibrfinc.org/ ) will surely continue to fight the courageous battle against brain injuries, disorders and diseases.

#braindeath #coma #important #science #medicine

These scientists are changing the way we view brain death. 

#brain #neurology #science #neuroscience #coma #tbi #ibrf #brainresearch #medicine #research

TAKE THE TIME TO READ! Brain Research Charity!

Pictured above: Jessica, injured on her way to church in a car accident. Traumatic brain injury shows no deference to age or sex. It can occur at any given time, and the ramifications can be devastating. According to the CDC 1.7 million people sustain them annually. Sean Biesty is part of that statistic. On November 17, 2002 Sean suffered a severe traumatic brain injury as a result of a head on automobile collision. While undergoing treatment for the injuries he sustained, he was carelessly administered the wrong medication. As a result, he went into cardiac arrest for more than 25 minutes. He was revived, but was subsequently hospitalized for 11 weeks in the ICU. For 3 of those weeks he remained in coma, when he emerged, it was as a quadriplegic. Today, thanks to the efforts of the International Brain Research Foundation and his own strength and determination, Sean is living Independently in Brooklyn and is able to walk and talk. He continues to achieve milestones in his recovery, and is now focusing on further improvements of his speech and motor skills. Furthermore, A new “epidemic” of severe brain injury is now affecting our military personnel. The Congressional Brain Injury Task Force stated that “Traumatic Brain Injury is often called the Signature Injury in the war in the Middle East. Blast related injuries and extended deployment are contributing to an unprecedented number of warriors suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). More than 40% of the injured troops returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts have been diagnosed with brain-related disorders — many from traumatic brain injury (TBI), and a good number in coma. Many of the wounded soldiers have either been written off prematurely or not afforded rehabilitation techniques that will optimize their potential for recovery. Please help support Sean, Jessica, our soldiers and the groundbreaking, charitable work of the IBRF. The IBRF uses 80% of funds raise directly for treating patients, with the other 20% covering administrative and fundraising costs. You can be confident that your donation will be going to the care and treatment of every neurologically impacted patient. PLEASE DONATE HERE: https://www.crowdrise.com/brainresearchfoundation/fundraiser/alexandradefina Or at least pass around and raise awareness! How many people have to waste away unnecessarily in nursing homes before we make brain injury awareness a priority? for more information on Jessica: http://www.journeyforjessica.com/JessicasStory.html for more information on the IBRF: http://www.ibrfinc.org/video.htm

video on the IBRF by NYU student Terrence Crawford

Many sufferers of long-term, debilitating brain disorders have been told that there's no hope. We're here to reverse that thinking. Our goal is to continue to provide diagnostic research and clinical applications that will benefit this increasingly large number of people - and to continue to work toward a cure for many of the brain-related disorders." - Dr. Philip DeFina, Founder of the International Brain Research Foundation, Inc.

Some facts and figures...

This was all taken from www.ibrfinc.org:

Currently 5.5 million people suffer from brain injury in the U.S.

50,000 Americans have died in the last year due to brain injury.

20% of U.S. veteransreturn from Iraq with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI).

The Traumatic Brain Injury Act is the only federal law that currently authorizes program support for people with TBI.

Of the 1.4 million who sustain a TBI each year in the United States:

235,000 are hospitalized;

1.1 million are treated and released from an emergency department;

50,000 die.

Among children ages 0 to 14 years, TBI results annually in an estimated:

2,685 deaths;

37,000hospitalizations;

435,000 emergency department visits.

Autism Spectrum Disorders affect an estimated 1 in 150 births.

1.7 million Americanstoday are afflicted with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Alzheimer's consumes the lives of 4.5 million Americans, and their families.

Chi Cheng, the former bassplayer for the band, the Deftones, is one of the IBRF's current patients (more information on his situation can be found on oneloveforchi.com)

"WAKING UP THE BRAIN-DEAD

Challenge: Only 3 to 7 percent of patients in vegetative or minimally conscious states recover. Radical Cure: Jolt the brain back to life. Status: Active in one specialty clinic

Steven Domalewski had just released the ball when the batter smacked it right back at him, hitting his chest so hard that his heart stopped. A doctor put the then 12-year-old pitcher on life support and said that he would never wake up from the vegetative state. Then neuroscientist Philip De Fina heard of the case and treated Domalewski with his one-of-a-kind therapy. The boy woke up six weeks later. Domalewski’s first doctor called the recovery a fluke. “We’re proud of our record of flukes,” De Fina says. He and his colleagues have a lot of them: They wake up 84 percent of their patients from a minimally conscious or vegetative state. The nationwide rate is less than 7 percent.

Waking Up the Brain:  John MacNeill

When a patient like Domalewski comes under the care of De Fina and Jonathan Fellus at the Kessler Institute in New Jersey, he doesn’t get the standard “life-sustaining” drug treatments. Instead, patients get a cocktail of therapies to jump-start their brain. First the doctors prescribe stimulants that boost mood-enhancing dopamine, as well as brain-arousing drugs normally used to treat depression, anxiety and Parkinson’s disease. Then it’s Narcan, a drug used to treat heroin overdoses that prevents natural endorphins from slowing a return to consciousness.

After two weeks, the doctors attach electrodes to each wrist that send pulses to the brain. The shocks draw blood to the brain, increasing levels of oxygen and glucose—brain food critical for everyday function—by 20 percent. In week five, patients receive vitamins, amino acids, herbs and minerals that decrease cell stress and promote normal synaptic transmission. This protocol has woken 43 patients from vegetative or minimally conscious states, with no major negative side effects.

With 320,000 vets returning from war with brain injuries, the U.S. Department of Defense has taken a new interest in caring for these patients and has awarded De Fina’s organization, the International Brain Research Foundation, $6.4 million to find what makes the treatment so effective. But patients are still the priority, Fellus says. “We want to get results first; then we’ll worry about how it works.”

How It Works

Electrodes send electrical signals along the median nerve in each wrist, up the spinal cord and to the thalamus, the main relay station in the brain. The electrical activity excites the brain and increases oxygen- and glucose-rich blood flow to the cerebral cortex, the area of the brain that controls cognitive function, personality and emotion. Scientists think this helps stimulate new axon growth and rebuilds connections between damaged areas of the cerebral cortex."

The Foundation...

So, this isn't my typical tumblr post, but it's something I've been thinking about for a while... My father is a neuroscientist, and he actually runs a pretty amazing not-for-profit organization that not only researches, but more importantly, implements the research methods on their patients. Most of the IBRF's patients are so badly brain-injured, that doctors originally suggested they be put in nursery homes, so I think this is pretty amazing and important research that deserves a little more publicity. 

I went ahead and took this part directly from the website (my dad's on the right, and the guy on the left was a police officer who was in a coma after an injury on the job. Now he's awake (which is probably apparent in the photo) and doing very well): 

"The International Brain Research Foundation, Inc. (IBRF) is a 501c3 public charity that serves as a platform for support of, and collaboration with, leading neuroscientists and research institutions around the world. The objective is to create, operationalize, validate, and disseminate 

diagnostic and treatment protocols derived from innovative, novel research and translate those protocols into clinical practice for implementation with individuals afflicted with disorders, diseases, and injuries of the brain.

The IBRF has developed the Advanced Care Protocol (ACP)that utilizes targeted neuromodulation procedures to normalize the brain's electrochemical environment to improve brain function. IBRF has already been successful in awakening 43 of 52 coma patients with its remarkable ACP."