New research at UW Madison is showing that cooling brain cells soon after injury can help them better repair themselves.
Christian Franck says right now, the only treatment that really exists is to put someone on extended rest.
“The hope is that the brain will take care of itself and in some individuals that works and in some it doesn’t.”
Early tests in their department are showing that putting brain cells into a state of hypothermia after they take damage can drastically improve recovery chances. Christian Franck says that chronic brain injuries get worse over time.
“We’re really excited about the prospect of having a treatment that might work very effectively, is a very easy treatment that can be implemented across all levels, it’s not expensive.”
For now the treatment is working on groupings of brain cells in lab conditions, but Franck is excited to see the future of human trials in the area.