Pittsburgh, October 4, 2006 -- The University of Pittsburgh Brain Trauma Research Center (BTRC) has been awarded a $6.3 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue groundbreaking research into the effects on the brain following head injury. Researchers will look at the factors that often contribute to poor outcomes and investigate new treatments that may lead to better recovery for patients at all levels of brain injury. The five-year grant is an extension to the BTRC, an NIH Center of Excellence originally established at the Department of Neurological Surgery in 1991.

“Traumatic brain injury is a huge public health problem for which there is no cure,” said Edward Dixon, PhD, professor of neurological surgery, anesthesiology, neurobiology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation, and director of the BTRC. “Since there are so few treatments for brain trauma, our special focus is to translate our research into practical, clinical approaches that can ultimately help the brain-injured patients who are on the road to recovery.”

“This grant truly distinguishes us as one of the leading centers in the world in brain trauma research and treatment. This focused and concerted effort lays the foundation for better understanding of trauma to the central nervous system, enabling us to develop treatment strategies that will make a difference,” said Amin Kassam, MD, associate professor and interim chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery.

Since establishment of the BTRC researchers have made groundbreaking contributions to the understanding of how head trauma damages the brain, and the progression of that damage during the first few hours and days following injury. BTRC-led research has resulted in more than 150 peer-reviewed publications in leading scientific journals. In a 1997 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, BTRC investigators reported that moderate cooling of the brain was effective in improving outcomes following severe brain trauma, which has led to additional clinical testing by University of Pittsburgh neurosurgery investigators.

The continuing BTRC research projects include a comprehensive study of the links between Alzheimer’s disease and brain trauma; investigations of the mechanisms of nerve cell death and dysfunction; an investigation of learning and memory disruption after injury, which may shed light on post-traumatic amnesia and offer strategies to prevent or treat it; and a two-year neurocognitive follow-up study of severely brain-injured patients who received aggressive treatment.

“The awarding of the BTRC to the group at the University of Pittsburgh is recognition of the great talent and focus of our research group. Interdisciplinary studies of neuron death and cognitive loss after brain injury, and new studies of the relationship between brain trauma and Alzheimer’s disease, are directed toward improving therapy for people with brain injury. Through such research, care will be improved, which is the ultimate goal of this talented group,” said Steven DeKosky, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Neurology and director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) at the University of Pittsburgh.

The BTRC is one of only three NIH-designated head injury centers in the United States. It is closely allied with the Center for Injury Research and Control, Safar Center for Resuscitation Research, Epidemiology Data Center, Benedum Pediatric Trauma Program, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Traumatic Brain Injury Clinical Trials Network of the National Institute for Medical Rehabilitation Research of the NIH, all of the University of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh NMR Center for Biomedical Research at Carnegie Mellon University.

In the United States, traumatic brain injury is the most common cause of death, disability and mental impairment in people between the ages of 1 and 45 years and affects an estimated two million people each year. Because trauma disproportionately affects younger individuals, it accounts for more years of potential life lost than cancer and cardiovascular disease combined.

Each year, 50,000 people suffer severe brain injuries and require long-term care at a cost of more than $20 billion, according to the NINDS. Motor vehicle accidents are the most common cause of such injuries.