New Concussion Treatment Being Developed

February 7,2018

Concussion prevention and treatment received a lot of press in recent years as High School, Collegiate, and Pro sports teams began taking the issue very seriously. Though the NFL instituted their “concussion protocol” in 2009, the program has been updated as more research into the long-term effects of concussions has come to light. Now a Florida doctor with a personal tie to concussions is working toward a medical solution for this problem.

In 1995 Jake VanLandingham was attacked by a homeless man who threw a wild punch, landing Jake on the ground with his head hitting the pavement. Though he was treated by ER doctors and released, the next day he began experiencing more severe concussion symptoms. He was found on the floor of his brother’s apartment by a family friend and rushed back to the hospital where doctors determined he had three blood clots in his brain. Had he not been treated immediately he most likely would have died within two hours.

 

FSU Professor Develops Prevasol

This experience led Jake to go to medical school and get a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Now Dr. Jake VanLandingham, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Florida State University, is working toward a medicine, which can help concussion patients. The new drug, currently dubbed Prevasol, is delivered through the sinuses as a nasal spray for quick delivery to the brain. It acts in three ways: first reducing inflammation of the brain, next taking additional fluid off of the brain to reduce swelling, and finally minimizing a stress reaction. The goal is that such a drug can be administered on the field and dramatically reduce the long-term effects of concussions.

In and of themselves, concussions are not necessarily the real issue. The problem is that repeated concussions can lead to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) which is a progressively degenerative disease leading to memory loss, dementia, and depression. In 2016 the results of a three-year study of the brains of deceased NFL players, who had donated their brains to science, were released. Of the 111 brains, 110 showed signs of CTE. The goal of researchers is not only to bring awareness to the problem, but also to find new treatments for concussions and prevent future cases of CTE.