Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke are the major causes of brain damage and chronic neurological impairments. There is no agreed-upon effective metabolic intervention for TBI and stroke patients with chronic neurological dysfunction. Clinical studies published this year present convincing evidence that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) might be the coveted neurotherapeutic method for brain repair. Here we discuss the multi-faceted role of HBOT in neurotherapeutics, in light of recent persuasive evidence for HBOT efficacy in brain repair and the new understanding of brain energy management and response to damage. We discuss optimal timing of treatment, dosage, suitable candidates and promising future directions.
Effects of hyperbaric oxygen on eye tracking abnormalities in males after mild traumatic brain injury.
The effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) on eye movement abnormalities in 60 military servicemembers with at least one mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) from combat were examined in a single-center, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, prospective study at the Naval Medicine Operational Training Center. During the 10 wk of the study, each subject was delivered a series of 40, once a day, hyperbaric chamber compressions at a pressure of 2.0 atmospheres absolute (ATA). At each session, subjects breathed one of three preassigned oxygen fractions (10.5%, 75%, or 100%) for 1 h, resulting in an oxygen exposure equivalent to breathing either surface air, 100% oxygen at 1.5 ATA, or 100% oxygen at 2.0 ATA, respectively. Using a standardized, validated, computerized eye tracking protocol, fixation, saccades, and smooth pursuit eye movements were measured just prior to intervention and immediately postintervention. Between and within groups testing of pre- and postintervention means revealed no significant differences on eye movement abnormalities and no significant main effect for HBO2 at either 1.5 ATA or 2.0 ATA equivalent compared with the sham-control. This study demonstrated that neither 1.5 nor 2.0 ATA equivalent HBO2 had an effect on postconcussive eye movement abnormalities after mild TBI when compared with a sham-control.
Repetitive long-term hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) administered after experimental traumatic brain injury in rats induces significant remyelination and a recovery of sensorimotor function.
Abstract: Cells in the central nervous system rely almost exclusively on aerobic metabolism. Oxygen deprivation, such as injury-associated ischemia, results in detrimental apoptotic and necrotic cell loss. There is evidence that repetitive hyperbaric oxygen therapy...
Randomized, Sham-Controlled, Feasibility Trial of Hyperbaric Oxygen for Service Members With Postconcussion Syndrome: Cognitive and Psychomotor Outcomes 1 Week Postintervention.
Abstract: Background Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and residual postconcussion syndrome (PCS) are common among combatants of the recent military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) is a proposed treatment but has not been rigorously...
Management of sport-related concussion: a review.
Abstract: To systematically review the evidence for rest, treatment, and rehabilitation after sport-related concussion. Nine databases including PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Sport Discus, and Web of Science were searched for studies that...
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy ameliorates local brain metabolism, brain edema and inflammatory response in a blast-induced traumatic brain injury model in rabbits.
Abstract: Many studies suggest that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can provide some clinically curative effects on blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI). The specific mechanism by which this occurs still remains unknown, and no standardized time or course of...
Department of Defense trials for hyperbaric oxygen and TBI: issues of study design and questionable conclusions.
Abstract: Harch, , , , , , , , (). Department of Defense trials for hyperbaric oxygen and TBI: issues of study design and questionable conclusions. Undersea & hyperbaric medicine : journal of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, Inc,...
Reply: Department of Defense trials for hyperbaric oxygen and TBI: issues of study design and questionable conclusions.
Abstract: Weaver, Cifu, Hart, Wolf, Miller, , , , (). Reply: Department of Defense trials for hyperbaric oxygen and TBI: issues of study design and questionable conclusions. Undersea & hyperbaric medicine : journal of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, Inc,...
Regulatory considerations for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) indication for hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2).
Abstract: Weaver, Dicks, Deru, Miller, , , , , (). Regulatory considerations for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) indication for hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2). Undersea & hyperbaric medicine : journal of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, Inc,...
Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) for post-concussive syndrome/chronic TBI–product summary.
Abstract: McCrary, Weaver, Marrs, Miller, Dicks, Deru, Close, DeJong, (). Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) for post-concussive syndrome/chronic TBI--product summary. Undersea & hyperbaric medicine : journal of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, Inc,...