Local Doctor Striving to Bring a Happier Ending to "Concussion" Story

San Antonio, TX, June 03, 2016 --(PR.com)-- They played their hearts out on the NFL gridiron; however, it’s their heads that are now feeling the impact. The recent “Concussion” movie, starring Will Smith, will shed immense light on the disease process known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a disease stemming, in part, from repeated head injury. Currently, the diagnosis can only be made at autopsy. But while millions of dollars have gone into diagnosis, more needs to be done to advance treatment for individuals currently living with CTE-like symptoms. Even decades after their playing career is over, it is well-documented that repeated head trauma may lead to changes in behavior, mood, attention, executive function, emotion and may even progress to neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s or ALS later in life.

Recently, Restore Behavioral Health joined forces with ten other clinics nationwide to bring help to former NFL players with declining brain function. The goal is to provide a comprehensive Neurocognitive evaluation, including functional brain imaging and neurocognitive testing to 100+ former NFL players who may be experiencing brain changes as a result of concussions they received during their NFL careers. Players who are diagnosed with Mild or Major Neurocognitive Disorder will have the opportunity to receive a new treatment that can potentially improve brain function and reduce concussion related symptoms. The treatment is HPN Neurofeedback, and it uses each player’s own brainwaves to exercise the brain directly, helping it to reorganize, reset, and rebalance. Think about it like fitness training for the brain. This new treatment was highly effective in a recent pilot study of 9 former players who were having symptoms related to their concussion experience in the NFL. “All 9 players treated with HPN Neurofeedback demonstrated significant clinical improvements,” says Dr. George Rozelle of Sarasota, FL, who was lead clinician on the pilot study. “The players who have been re-evaluated at a one-year follow-up, show their improvements are holding.”

Restore Behavioral Health uses the HPN Neurofeedback technology, along with other modalities of Neurofeedback and medical therapies to help individuals of all ages improve brain function, regain emotional and behavioral control, and in many cases, get their lives back on track. While symptoms from a single mild concussion usually dissipate after one week, a qEEG, or functional "brain map" can detect dysregulation in EEG patterns up to four months after injury. The impact of multiple concussions can be evident in these brain maps years or even decades later. Post-concussion symptoms can be correlated to abnormalities in the “maps” and targeted treatment can be designed for each patient's unique pattern of injury. As treatment progresses, a patient's brain map should progressively move towards normal.

The doors have been open to former NFL players for screening and qualification since January 2016. Treatment is underway across many clinics nationwide and former players are already showing signs of improvement. “Many of the former players are exhibiting classic symptoms of neurocognitive disorder such as memory impairment, sleep issues, difficulty with emotional control and difficulty with problem solving and executive function,” reported one of the researchers participating in the study. “We are not sure what the future of CTE research will bring, but we are not going to sit on the sidelines and watch the decline when we can intervene now to improve these guy’s quality of life.” Dr. Melinda Down, the Clinical Director of Restore Behavioral Health, said “We are pleased to offer this innovative and healing technology to our NFL players in and around the San Antonio area and hope that it can help to reduce the debilitating effects of repeated traumatic brain injury.”