Many people who are involved in car accidents in New Jersey sustain traumatic brain injuries during the impact. While the devastating physical and cognitive effects of a TBI are well known, very little is known about how to treat these injuries. However, a biomedical engineering professor at Columbia University believes that if more is known about the brain cell death that occurs after a TBI, drugs may be developed to stop the process.
The Columbia professor and a team of researchers have been studying traumatic brain injuries by reenacting common TBI-causing events using rat brain tissue samples. After simulating the damage caused by a motor vehicle collision accident or a rough football tackle, the researchers observe the tissue samples to determine how many cells die, how far the brain tissue can stretch before it tears and how many neurons fire when the accident occurs.
According to the Columbia professor, brain cells do not die immediately after the initial trauma that leads to a TBI. There may be a way to stop brain cell death during the first two or three days after a person suffers a blow to the head. However, the professor said that the only current treatment for TBI is prevention. Right now, traumatic brain injuries are the cause of 30 percent of injury-related deaths in the U.S.
Traumatic brain injuries are most often the result of sports injuries, falls and car accidents. In many car accident situations, the incident was caused by the negligence of another motorist. In such an event, an injured victim may want to speak with a personal injury attorney to determine the best way of seeking compensation for medical expenses and other damages that have been incurred.
