Dr. Ramesh Raghupathi-Neurobiologist Drexel University - TBI and Concussions

Have Podcast will travel. On location at Drexel University School of Medicine. I met with Dr. Ramesh and we set up in a conference room next to his laboratory. One of his research interests is Cell death and plasticity after traumatic injury to the mature and immature brain. The spectrum of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) ranges from mild concussions that are treated in the emergency room, to severe head injuries that require acute critical and neurosurgical care. Improved critical and advanced radiological and neurosurgical techniques have led to decreases in mortality rates over the past two decades. However, survivors of brain injuries suffer long-term behavioral problems such as learning deficits, memory dysfunction, psychological and emotional disturbances – functional aspects that affect the quality of life and currently have no therapies.  The damage observed after TBI comprises both primary disruption of neural tissue related to the impact, and secondary mechanisms that develop over the weeks to months after the traumatic event. The spectrum of pathologies observed after TBI include focal contusions in the grey matter and diffuse injuries to axons in the white matter. It has been suggested that these pathologies are a consequence of the biomechanics of the impact, i.e., focal injuries occur due to contact forces to the head, while diffuse injuries are a result of non-contact, rotational forces to the brain.

Dr. Ramesh and his team have been working on concussions for 15+ years. He spoke about a mechanism that can be worn by an athlete to calculate the impact, send a message wirelessly and can be treated immediately before they arrive at the hospital. This will be the next step in the evolution of the proper treatment for any brain injuries.