Alzheimer's can help treat patients with brain injury

Researchers have found that memantine, used to treat Alzheimer's-related dementia, may also help patients with brain injury.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, traumatic brain injury (or TBT) is an interruption in the normal function of the brain, possibly due to a head injury or injury.

Although progress has been made in treatment with neuromonitoring and neuroprotection therapy, pharmacological interventions have not been very successful in saving lives of brain injury victims.

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The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, showed that scientists tested the effectiveness of memantine on NSE serum levels at levels determined to be a sign of nerve damage.

The researchers also measured the Glasgow Coma Scale system concentration, or GCS, in 41 patients with moderate levels of TBI divided into treatment and control groups.

The patients in the treatment group received memantine 30 mg twice a day for seven days along with standard treatment.

GCS is the most popular scoring system used to describe the level of consciousness in humans after having TBI.

Research has shown that moderate TBI patients who received memantine showed signs of NSE neurological damage in the blood after seven days had significantly reduced and improved GCS scores after three days.