UT Dallas Working On Better Treatment Options For Brain Injuries
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DALLAS (CBS11) - From battle fields to the labs at UT Dallas.
Dr. Robert Rennaker, a Marine veteran is the head of the Bioengineering Department at UT Dallas.
He said following his service and seeing his fellow Marines get hurt in many different combat deployments, he dedicated his life's work to finding new ways to treat brain injuries.
"As a Marine you see these guys coming back with injuries and the doctors really can't do anything for them," said Dr. Rennaker.
Along with a team of researchers, Dr. Rennaker has developed two new tools to help in what is called Targeted Plasticity Therapy.
It's a form of therapy that focuses on stimulating an injured brain's functions.
Dr. Rennaker said his research team has come up with eye scanning goggles that can detect the brains efficiency, and an implantable microchip that helps with regaining memory.
"We think this is going to revolutionize how we detect brain injuries and how we detect changes in brain performance," he said.
His hope is that returning veterans have better treatment options when they come home from battle and service.
"Our goal is to prevent that injury, prevent that concussion," he said.
Dr. Rennaker said he is hoping to get full FDA approval on his devices some time in 2017.
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