Virtual Didactic - Neurostimulant Use After Recovery From Traumatic Brain Injury presented by Heather Ma, MD, MS-Neurostimulant Use After Recovery From Traumatic Brain Injury Led by Heather Ma, MD, MS

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The video transcript is from a virtual didactics session on the use of neurostimulants in brain injury rehabilitation. The speaker, Sterling Herring, introduces the goals of the session, which include augmenting didactic curricula, providing additional learning opportunities for residents, and developing digital learning resources and support for psychiatrists during the COVID-19 pandemic. Herring also highlights the importance of recognizing and appreciating those who have been more affected by the pandemic.<br /><br />Once Dr. Heather Ma from the University of Rochester begins her presentation, she discusses the use of neurostimulants in brain injury rehabilitation. She focuses on medications such as amantadine, memantine, levodopa carbidopa, methylphenidate, dinepam, modafinil, and fluoxetine. She presents the research findings for each medication, the potential benefits, and the limited evidence available. For example, amantadine has been shown to hasten functional recovery and reduce disability in patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), while methylphenidate may improve attention and processing speed in TBI patients.<br /><br />Dr. Ma also mentions the use of zolpidem, or Ambien, as a GABA-mediated medication that can restore functional connectivity and improve arousal in patients with brain injuries. However, she acknowledges the short-lived nature of this medication's effects.<br /><br />In conclusion, Dr. Ma highlights the limited research available on the use of neurostimulants in brain injury rehabilitation and emphasizes the need for more studies in this area. She suggests that clinicians consider individual patient factors, such as sleep quality and cognitive deficits, when determining the appropriate neurostimulant to use. The session ends with an invitation for further questions and discussion.<br /><br />No credits were mentioned in the transcript.

Keywords

neurostimulants

brain injury rehabilitation

virtual didactics session

medications

research findings

functional recovery

attention

cognitive deficits