Enriched environments could heal brain injuries

One of the greatest risks in contact sports such as boxing and football is a violent blow to the head, which can cause mild to severe traumatic brain injury leading to debilitating and even fatal consequences. And despite great strides made in recent years in the area of brain science, there still aren’t any effective medical or cognitive treatments for patients with this type of injury.

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But a new Israeli study points to an “enriched environment” — specially enhanced surroundings — as a promising path for the rehabilitation of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) patients. The research study using a model of mTBI in mice, published in Behavioural Brain Research, was led by Prof. Chaim G. (Chagi) Pick of Tel Aviv University’s Sagol School of Neuroscience and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, and conducted by a team of researchers from TAU and its affiliated Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. The scientists put one group of the mice into standard cages, while they moved a second group to larger cages outfitted with additional stimuli, running wheels, food and water. More...

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