Researchers have reported encouraging results regarding the use of Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) in minimising the effects of traumatic brain injury.
The latest research was conducted by the Slavica BioChem division of Hard to Treat Diseases, Inc. (HTDS:PK), which conducted experiments in collaboration with doctors from the University of Belgrade, Serbia. The results were presented by Professor Mirjana Stojiljkovic at the 38th Annual Meeting of Society for Neuroscience (SfN).
HBO has been used as a primary therapy for traumatic brain injury over the past 50 years with controversial results, both in experimental and clinical studies. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of the treatment are still uncertain. It is thought to minimise secondary brain injury by improving the oxygen supply to the brain, therefore reducing the area of brain that dies.
The results of the current study revealed that repetitive HBO treatments in rats, which started one hour after traumatic brain injury, significantly reduced axonal loss and neuronal degeneration, suggesting that HBO was able to minimise the effects of brain injury by reducing its progression. These data indicate that HBO might be beneficial in the improvement of neurological outcome after traumatic brain injury. However, previous trials in humans have provided mixed results and a systematic review for the Cochrane Foundation in 2004 concluded that large scale trials would be needed to discover the true benefit of the treatment.
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