For patients with traumatic brain injury, medical rehabilitation is the only chance for a quick recovery. There are simply no other therapies available at the moment. In general, children recover faster than adults, which, according to the researchers, is due to the higherNumber of stem cellsis with children. A team of researchers from Korea now reports that recovery time can be shortened by regulating proteins.
Korean researchers develop new method for treating traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injury refers to skull and brain injuries that are caused by force on the head. Falls, car accidents and hits are most often to blame for such an injury. The duration of traumatic brain injury and the severity can vary greatly from case to case. For some people, it is enough to recover at home. If the brain swells and bleeds, surgery is necessary.
Korean scientists from the Institute of Science and Technology conducted a study together with researchers from the Brain Science Institute and the School of Medicine in Kyungpook. Proteins have been found to play a crucial role in rapid recovery in adults. The protein hevin-calcyon is released by the glial cells in the brain. The more the released hevin-calcyon proteins interact with each other, the more effectively the electrical signals are transmitted between the nerve cells.
However, after a traumatic brain injury, the body tries to release anti-inflammatory substances. However, they inhibit the interaction between the proteins and thus slow down the recovery process. The researchers found that using an anti-inflammatory inhibitor could shorten recovery time by half. Conversely, recovery time was increased when they applied a protein. If the interaction between the hevin and the calcyon proteins was initially missing, then the recovery process was negatively affected.
The researchers hope that the interaction between the proteins can help treat patients with traumatic brain injury. Neurodegenerative diseases can also be treated by regulating the body's anti-inflammatory response.
