Before providing the treatment the type of brain injury suffered needs to be diagnosed. This is not always easy to do. For example, when it comes to traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, the symptoms can be very similar. To make things even more difficult, some individuals suffer from both.
Determining how the brain has been injured is important because the treatments for TBI and PTSD are different. Patients who are treated for the wrong condition could actually suffer additional harm. Recently, researchers in Canada and the United States found a way to better diagnose brain issues.
The study, which was published in this month’s scientific journal, PLOS ONE, examined over 20,000 brain scans. Specifically, the activity and blood flow in 128 regions of the brain were measured during the completion of a mental task as well as while resting. A computer-based method was used to accomplish this.
This method works because TBI and PTSD affect the brain in different ways. Hyperactive reactions to stimuli result in abnormally high blood flow and brain scan patterns in PTSD. Conversely, where TBI are concerned, there is a reduction in blood flow and brain activity.
Depending on the circumstances leading to the injuries, both TBI and PTSD injuries could result in those injured taking legal action.
