TBI, Brain Injuries:

Solving the Puzzle of Uncertain Recoveries

Jan 18 2011 - As soon as word got out that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) had survived a bullet wound to the brain, one question seemed to reverberate throughout the nation: Would she be OK?

Her surgeons have been optimistic about her condition in recent days, but they cannot say with certainty what her recovery will be like. While swift action and modern medicine can save the lives of those who suffer traumatic brain injuries, understanding what life will be like afterward is a different story.

Despite the growing research regarding these types of injuries - and the cultural attention they've received, especially because of their increasing prevalence among veterans and professional athletes - recovery from a traumatic brain injury is unpredictable, researchers say, and forecasting the final outcome remains difficult.

"We are not very good at it, to be honest," said Dr. Deborah Stein, chief of critical care at the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Shock Trauma Center. "Each individual is very different. We sometimes see some very small-looking injuries that cause major, major dysfunction. And we see some very large-looking injuries that people do very well with," Stein said. "The brain is an unbelievably complex organ."

But new technologies, and ones on the horizon, might soon change that. Brain imaging techniques used in research are starting to find their way into hospitals, letting doctors see which parts of the brain aren't working, and might one day allow more accurate prognoses. Researchers are also investigating using biological markers to diagnose mild brain injuries, or indicate how recovery will progress. And technologies that stimulate brain cells might aid a patient's recovery process, researchers say.

Here are some promising technologies and ideas that experts say could improve lives of traumatic brain injury patients. {continued}