Music Helps with Neurological Development for Brain Injury Patients

A study recently published in an August edition of Medical Hypotheses found that music therapy can benefit patients with neuropsyhciatric disorders often caused by a traumatic brain injury accident.

According to researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, located in Boston, "the brain grows in response to musical training in the way a muscle responds to exercise." While more research is needed to better understand the outcome and scientific findings of music influencing the rehabilitation of neurons in the brain, music is currently being used as part of a number of TBI patients cognitive rehabilitation and music research is being used to treat the following conditions:

* stroke

* schizophrenia

* Huntington's disease

* Alzheimer's disease

Traumatic Brain Injuries

According to a September 2007 issue of Behavioral Pharmacology, a study was conducted to determine if those affected with psychiatric disorders, Parkinson's disease as well as other brain-related conditions would respond to music. The study found that "music exposure significantly enhanced learning performance" to injured mice. The study also suggested that the findings might also "help in several central nervous system pathologies."

Living with TBI

TBI is an unfortunate condition that affects approximately 5.3 million Americans with this number rapidly increasing due to the additional 1 million citizens who are, on average, diagnosed with TBI each year.

The side effects of TBI are extensive and the severity of these side effects often depends on a per basis diagnosis. However, the common elements of a TBI injury include the following as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

* headaches and neck pain

* inability to concentrate

* memory loss

* slow thinking, speaking and slowed actions

* mood changes

* light-headedness

* blurred vision, tired eyes

* loss of sensory ability

* ringing in the ears

* changes in sleep patterns

* nausea, vomiting

* becoming lost or confused more easily

Scientists and researchers are continually studying new ways to better treat and rehabilitate TBI victims as well as to more adequately understand the brain and all of its functions. A $60 million grant was also recently awarded to the University of California San Diego (UCSD) to study treatments for TBI patients as well as those returning from the war with TBI and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Of the types of TBI injuries that can be diagnosed are an array of additional types/categores of TBI, according to the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), include:

* concussion

* contusion

* coup-contre coup injury

* second impact syndrome

* penetrating injury

* shaken baby syndrome

* locked in syndrome

Acquiring TBI Legal Assistance

Individuals who suffer from TBI should consider contacting a TBI law firm for a free legal consultation on a traumatic brain injury lawsuit. An experienced TBI lawyer or TBI attorney will be able to provide the details of developing brain injury litigation that may offer an award of monetary compensation to a victim for costly medical bills associated with living with a TBI injury.

Additional monetary compensation may also be awarded for the time and loss of an individual's normal life including losing a job because of injuries related to a TBI accident.