Recovery from Brain Injury: The Nexus of Neuroscience and Neurorehab (1007253)

This symposium is a review of acquired brain injury (ABI) recovery from a neuroscience perspective. Simple to implement neuroplasticity-driving treatment options will be outlined. And simple is the foundation. The survivor drives cortical neuroplastic changes, making simplicity fundamental to reaching the highest level of recovery. Simple rules allow anyone—including survivors and caregivers—to understand the process and how it relates to the lifelong quest towards recovery. Having everyone—the survivor, clinicians, and caregivers—coalesce around simple core brain plasticity-driving concepts expands the therapeutic footprint to allow discharge to be “the end of the beginning,” not “the beginning of the end” of recovery.
Included will be the role of brain healing during the subacute phase, and driving neuroplastic change during the chronic phase. A synopsis of basic cortical-level concepts including core cavitation, the resolution of the penumbra, diaschisis, and the four phases of recovery will be provided.