Brain cell death
 

On a previous thread and post, I mentioned that concussions can have delayed symptoms because the injured brain cells try to continue but finally give up and die. A question was asked about whether the dead brain cells regenerate.

Brain cells do not regenerate. There are some controversial researchers who claim that brain cells do but even if they do, it is a very slow and minimal process. Axons and dendrites, the links between brain cells (neurons) do continue to grow. Many concussions cause diffuse axonal damage. This may require new axons to grow. The problem is that axon growth and reconnection is a very slow and haphazard process. The axons do not know where to reconnect so they just make contact with a dendrite. If the dendrite recognizes the axon as an appropriate connection, the connection is made. If not, the axon is refused, it pulls away and looks elsewhere.

Axons and dendrites need myelin to grow. Myelin needs proper nutrition to grow and heal. That is the primary valuer of brain nutrition.

Neuroplasticity tries to suggest neuro generation or regeneration but that is a stretch.

My concern is that lack of neuronal regeneration does not have the dire consequences that it may suggest. The brain is very adaptable. We can make many changes to enhance strong functions and minimize reliance on weak functions.

There is no reason for despair as we all have many opportunities to work around our limitations. If we lose the ability to participate in a favorite activity, we still have access to other activities.

I hope others can tell us of the ways they have rebuilt their lives despite their limitations.

My best to you all.

It just was reported in the media that a study recently showed that a certain portion of the hippocampus renews cells daily.

Here is a link:
http://gizmodo.com/how-fallout-from-...cell-511978917

Mark,
I know this sounds crazy, but sometimes it feels like part of my brain is "missing" on the left side. I feel disconnected and it is terrifying. if brain cells can grow, why aren't mine growing. this has been going on for years and I am at wit's end and stuck home most of the time due to the sensations. I am glad you are doing well and appreciate all of your input.

Based on recent research it's pretty well accepted by neuroscientists that neurons do in fact regenerate in certain areas of the brain, particularly the hippocampus (important part of the limbic system responsible for memory development) and in the olfactory bulb. Whether neurons regenerate in the higher areas such as the neocortex is still being researched and debated by neuroscientists, but recent research suggests that they can and do.

Good discussion on this can be found in the book Connectome; How the Brain’s Wiring Makes us Who We Are by Sebastian Seung, a professor of neuroscience at MIT.

Regarding rebuilding our lives and the adaptability of the brain, in my case, I went from a NPA assessment of:

“Patient shows significant difficulties with visuospatial learning and recall, as well as mental flexibility and multitasking. He displays weaknesses in aspects of executive system functioning (retrieval of learned information, mental flexibility, abstract reasoning, problem solving, and verbal fluency).”

To, three months later:

“On examination, the patient demonstrated intact cognition in all domains assessed including learning and memory, attention, processing speed, language skills and executive functions. He has shown an excellent recovery from his severe injury only five months ago. From a cognitive standpoint there are no concerns with respect to the patient returning to work full time or returning to driving”

Thanks, good discussion topic.

why do I seem to be the only person not recovering? is it becase had back to back injuries or the difference in the way my brain was damaged? or because it was worse that the other's injruries. I am glad for the other people who are getting better but don't understand why my life is at a standstill

You're not alone markneil. I'm almost 1.5 years after my injury and I've had little to no progress since. As has been stated time and again on this forum, no two brain injuries are alike and no two recoveries will be alike.

For some reason some people that have had horrible injuries and have been hospitalized etc, like Lightrail, have made amazing recoveries and others of us that didn't have injuries that required hospitalization have not nearly no improvement and everything in between.

Right after my injury, I was seen in the ER and then I had nearly no further medical intervention until nearly 6 months post injury. Now I am an outpatient at a rehab center where I had a neuropsych assessment and attend physio therapy twice a week, I see my physiatrist (rehab doc) every 4-6 weeks, meet with my rehab psychologist every 3-4 weeks and have an occupational therapist that is helping to develop adaptive strategies.

Due to my poor neuropsych assessment that was just done in April (over a year after my injury) my rehab team is not very hopeful for a full recovery. Now the focus is on dealing with the skills and strengths I have left and building on them and how to move forward with what I've got.

So you are not alone. :hug: I'm not recovering either. But I'm trying to gather up what I have and figure out a way forward. It sucks and its not easy and some days seem impossible, but I just keep reminding myself that the past is the past and the only way IS forward.

Good luck to you.
Starr

One factor in healing may be environmental.

It has been found that statins used for cholesterol lowering, block certain nerve growth factors involved with remyelination.

Also fluoroquinolone antibiotics (Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox) cause nerve damage by damaging DNA in cells.

Taking these two types of drugs for other problems, would seriously impact any healing from a TBI.

These are the only two I have seen recent studies on...there might be more.

Flagyl...causes lesions in the brain that resemble MS lesions. Conceivably it could affect healing from TBI also.

Starr, at least youre doing something about it. I don't know where to start. if told you some of my symptoms youd think I was crazy. I hope the best for you, for both of us, and I try to tell myself that the past is past, but it is hard sometimes, as i'm sure you know.

markneil,

Have you ever considered leaving Staten Island ? You may find that you will do much better living in a much less chaotic area. I left San Jose due to the congestion and chaos. As I have said before, it sounds like you have a serious need to reduce stress in your life.

Maybe you can do like many other New Yorkers have done, move to Vermont or upstate NY.

Have you ever spent any extended periods in quieter environments ?

I just checked out the June 7, 2013 report of the study. It said "They calculated that one-third of the neurons in the hippocampus are regularly renewed throughout life, amounting to the addition of roughly 1,400 new neurons per day, with the rate declining modestly with age."

It is interesting to hear the renewing of cell in the hippocampus. With the load of duties the hippocampus has, it is hard to imagine a concussion where the hippocampus does not have regeneration abilities.

The research also shows that this renewal ability decreases with age. That suggests that this renewal is a naturally occurring process and not a direct response to injury. It would be interesting to study the brains at the Sports Legacy Institute for the same C14 vs C12 differences. Would it show any renewing that is consistent with injuries ?

Too bad the hippocampus is such a small part of the whole brain. The researchers studied the hippocampus because it is the only area that suggested this renewing process. Maybe there will some day be a gene therapy to pass this renewal trait on to the many other classes of neurons.

The hippocampus is a primary part of balance and spatial awareness. Could it be that the hippocampus is a common area to be injured by a concussion ?

Lots more research is needed.