Traumatic brain injury takes the lives of 50,000 Americans annually, disables another 80,000 and puts almost a quarter of a million Americans in the hospital. Currently, there is no effective treatment to offer victims of brain injury. Researchers at Emory University in Atlanta, ... read more

Traumatic brain injury takes the lives of 50,000 Americans annually, disables another 80,000 and puts almost a quarter of a million Americans in the hospital. Currently, there is no effective treatment to offer victims of brain injury. Researchers at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, are trying to change that.

Background

Traumatic brain injury takes the lives of 50,000 Americans annually, disables another 80,000 and puts almost a quarter of a million Americans in the hospital. Currently, there is no effective treatment to offer victims of brain injury. Researchers at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, are trying to change that. They are leading the world's first clinical trial of the hormone progesterone as a treatment for moderate to severe traumatic brain injury.

This video news release features a man who was severely injured in a motorcycle accident and was entered into the study following diagnosis of a traumatic brain injury.

Soundbites include: Dr. Arthur Kellermann, chairman of Emory's Department of Emergency Medicine and lead investigator of ProTECT; Dr. Donald Stein, Emory University neuroscientist; and John Hutchison, brain injury patient.

Patient Info

Participants in the ProTECT study, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health, must be enrolled within 10 hours after the traumatic brain injury. Consent to enroll must be given by a family member or legally authorized representative.

For More Information

"Emory Announces Phase III Study of Progesterone for Traumatic Brain Injury " (Press Release, 6/23/09)
http://whsc.emory.edu/home/news/releases/2009/06/progesterone-for-traumatic-brain-injury.html

"Emory Traumatic Brain Injury Researcher Honored by Association for Psychological Science" (Press Release, 6/10/09)
http://whsc.emory.edu/home/news/releases/2009/06/traumatic-brain-injury-researcher-honored.html

"The Promise of Progesterone" (Feature Article, Emory Medicine, Winter 2007)
http://whsc.emory.edu/_pubs/em/2007winter/pdfs/PROGESLowres.pdf

ProTecting the Brain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJnNH21BZdw&feature=player_embedded

Death and Disability from Brain injury Reduced, Emory Researchers Report" (Press Release, 5/15/07)
http://whsc.emory.edu/press_releases2.cfm?announcement_id_seq=10183

"Progesterone Shows Promise as Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury" (Press Release, 10/2/06)
http://whsc.emory.edu/press_releases2.cfm?announcement_id_seq=7840 close