Friday, December 18, 2009

Brain Development A Human Right ,






By Amy Price PhD

Clicking on Train Your Brain , Save Your Mind here will take you to a fascinating short video on the power of personal brain optimization and contains a clinically validated assessment tool. This video is presented by Dr Evian Gordon of Brain Resource Company and speaks to the highly acclaimed wellness program, My Brain Solutions. It is well worth investigating, in less than 15 days I showed improvement on several measures of cognition. If you would like to sign-up for MyBrainSolutions please email me ….read on for why training your brain matters… If you have difficulty signing up or have questions please post a comment and I will be happy to help you with this.

Research on cognition that shows transfer of training and increase in quality of life is dependent on carefully assessing individual differences with  clinically accepted tools which provide personalized training to meet these perimeters[1,2,3,4,]


Learning and novelty are partners yet many brain fitness programs offer rote repetition of weak areas without variation in task or content in a bid to target learning, However research shows us this is not the way meaningful learning occurs. Tasks must be individually challenging to hold engagement and yet structured enough to be doable. Ideally tasks will adapt to changing learning curves to build neuroplasticity. The best learning capitalizes on emotional and intellectual strengths already present while strengthening areas of weakness in a positive atmosphere. For example, teaching a university student mnemonics and concept mapping may make the memory more efficient however teaching an individual with organic damage or early dementia how to remember names and faces with a mnemonic is an exercise in futility.

Specific training alone can lead to plastic changes in the brain as demonstrated by expert Braille readers who show an enlarged hand area and smearing of finger representations in the somatosensory cortex. This result was observed in expert, but not in novice Braille readers suggesting that the training and not the blindness which leads to the changes in cortical representation [5]Similar domain specific results were noted in London taxi drivers and expert violinists. Kramer et al [6] states recruitment of additional brain regions helps performance only if the recruited area complements processing of the task in question. This is likely why rote memorization fails to increase working memory whereas training that targets attentional networks and processing speed increases working memory limits. We are incapable of processing in depth what we have not attended to and our capacity for material attended to is limited by the speed at which we process stimuli.

My Brain Solutions has an inviting Dashboard where you can  Empower Your Own Life....See you at the Dashboard!

1. Posner, M., & Rothbart M. Educating the human brain. Washington, DC US: American Psychological Association.; 2007:189-208. doi:10.1037/11519-009


2. Jaeggi SM, Buschkuehl M, Jonides J, Perrig WJ. Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2008;105(19):6829-33. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18443283

3. Willis SL, Tennstedt SL, Marsiske M, et al. Long-term effects of cognitive training on everyday functional outcomes in older adults. JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association. 2006;296(23):2805-14. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17179457


4. Gordon E, Arns M, Paul RH. Research Report THE INTEGRATE MODEL OF EMOTION, THINKING AND SELF REGULATION: AN APPLICATION TO THE “PARADOX OF AGING”. Thinking. 2008;7(3):367-404.

5. Greenwood PM. Functional plasticity in cognitive aging: review and hypothesis. Neuropsychology. 2007;21(6):657-73. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17983277


6. Kramer AF, Bherer L, Colcombe SJ, Dong W, Greenough WT. Environmental influences on cognitive and brain plasticity during aging. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. 2004;59(9):M940-57.: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15472160.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Does Platelet Rich Plasma Really Work?


By Amy Price PhD

What is Platelet Rich Plasma Treatment (PRP)?


PRP has been around since the 1980s but mostly as an adjunct to surgical or dental procedures. PRP patients have a small amount of their own blood removed and then processed through a centrifuge machine. The high speed rotation separates red blood cells from the platelets. A teaspoon or two of the clear platelet rich concentrate (3 to 10 times that of regular blood) will be returned and injected into damaged areas to catalyze the growth of new cells.

Various methods are now commercially available for preparing PRP and a similar material called “autologous growth factor,” which is PRP plus the white blood cell buffy coat obtained during PRP preparation. As a result, assessment of these strategies in clinical orthopedic practice has accelerated.

The platelet rich mixture can be injected where the area does not normally have a rich blood supply and has the advantage of not triggering a clotting response. Patients are their own donors so there is little risk of rejection, allergy or transmissable infections Some stem cell companies are combining PRP with stem cell therapy to increase healing results. The theory and technique behind PRP is similar to that of Prolotherapy (proliferation therapy). Typically Prolotherapy treatments are offered first, and mostly resolve musculoskeletal problems. When results from traditional Prolotherapy treatments are not adequate, PRP may be employed. PRP and Prolotherapy, are office procedures.

How does PRP therapy help?

The body’s responds to injury by mobilizing platelet cells. Platelets are packed with multiple healing and growth factors which initiate repair while attracting stem cells the bodies built in construction managers. PRP intensifies the body’s healing efforts by delivering concentrated platelets. The technique appears to help regenerate ligament and tendon fibers, which shortens rehabilitation time.

How long will it take?

One to two hours, including preparation and recovery time is the average time for the procedure. Advantages include pain relief and speedy healing without the risk of surgery, Many individuals can return to work right after the procedure.

How often can a person have PRP done?

The norm is three injections within a six-month time frame, two to three weeks apart. Relief is usually recognized after the first or second injection.

What are the expected results?

Initial improvement may be seen within a few weeks, gradually increasing as the healing progresses. Some doctors describe PRP as a growth factor cocktail. MRI images after PRP have shown definitive tissue repair. It seems to work better on soft tissue areas like tendons and ligaments, in bone injury it may even slow healing. Results are donor dependent and certain health conditions such as diabetes, thyroid disease or habits like smoking and heavy drinking may hinder the effectiveness as can hormone deficiencies. Younger patients and athletes have more growth factors resident in platelets so this makes them better overall candidates Research into the effects of platelet-rich plasma therapy has accelerated in recent months, with most doctors cautioning that more rigorous studies are necessary before the therapy can emerge as scientifically proven. Even with a 20-40% failure rate many researchers suspect that the procedure could grow in attractiveness treatment for reasons both medical and financial. PRP is about 2000.00 dollars, stem cell therapy is about 8000.00 per site plus travel, diagnostics, preparation and time whereas surgery is much more expensive with extensive recuperation time. PRP has also been used to augment surgery with promising results.

References

1. Rai B, Oest ME, Dupont KM, Ho KH, Teoh SH, Guldberg RE: Combination of platelet-rich plasma with polycaprolactone-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds for segmental bone defect repair. J Biomed Mater Res A 2007;81:888-899.

2. Sipe JB, Zhang J, Waits C, Skikne B, Garimella R, Anderson HC: Localization of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs)-2, -4, and -6 within megakaryocytes and platelets. Bone 2004;35:1316-1322.

3. Kark LR, Karp JM, Davies JE: Platelet releasate increases the proliferation and migration of bone marrow-derived cells cultured under osteogenic conditions. Clin Oral Implants Res 2006;17:321-327.

4. Gruber R, Kandler B, Fischer MB, Watzek G: Osteogenic differentiation induced by bone morphogenetic proteins can be suppressed by platelet-released supernatant in vitro. Clin Oral Implants Res 2006;17:188-193.

5. Ranly DM, McMillan J, Krause WF, Lohmann CH, Boyan BD, Schwartz Z: Platelet-rich plasma: A review of its components and use in bone repair, in Akay M (ed): Encyclopedia of Biomedical Engineering, vol 5. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006, pp 2804-2815.

6. Ranly DM, Lohmann CH, Andreacchio D, Boyan BD, Schwartz Z. Platelet-rich plasma inhibits demineralized bone matrix-induced bone formation in nude mice. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2007;89:139-147.

7. Schwartz Z, Somers A, Mellonig JT, et al: Ability of commercial demineralized bone allograft to induce bone formation is donor age-dependent but not gender-dependent (abstract). Trans Orthopaed Res Soc 1997;22:230.

8. Weibrich G, Kleis WK, Hitzler WE, Hafner G. Comparison of the platelet concentrate collection system with the plasma-rich-in-growth-factors kit to produce platelet-rich plasma: A technical report. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 2005;20:118-123.

9. Thibault L, Beausejour A, de Grandmont MJ, Lemieux R, Leblanc JF: Characterization of blood components prepared from whole-blood donations after a 24-hour hold with the platelet-rich plasma method. Transfusion 2006;46:1292-1299.

10. Li H, Zou X, Xue Q, Egund N, Lind M, Bunger C: Anterior lumbar interbody fusion with carbon fiber cage loaded with bioceramics and platelet-rich plasma: An experimental study on pigs. Eur Spine J 2004;13:354-358.

11. Weiner BK, Walker M: Efficacy of autologous growth factors in lumbar intertransverse fusions. Spine 2003;28:1968-1970.

12. Muschler GF, Nitto H, Matsukura Y, et al: Spine fusion using cell matrix composites enriched in bone marrow-derived cells. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2003;(407):102-118.

13. Muschler GF, Matsukura Y, Nitto H, et al: Selective retention of bone marrow-derived cells to enhance spinal fusion. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2005;(432):242-251.

14. Brodke D, Pedrozo HA, Kapur TA, et al: Bone grafts prepared with selective cell retention technology heal canine segmental defects as effectively as autograft. J Orthop Res 2006;24:857-866.

15. Murray MM, Spindler KP, Ballard P, Welch TP, Zurakowski D, Nanney LB: Enhanced histologic repair in a central wound in the anterior cruciate ligament with a collagen-platelet-rich plasma scaffold. J Orthop Res 2007;25:1007-1017.