Brain Waves: UAB Traumatic Brain Injury Model System Newsletter Volume 15 | Number 2

VOL 15 | NUM 2 2017 BrainWaves UAB Traumatic Brain Injury Model System Digital Newsletter Headline News The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is honored to again be designated as a Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (TBIMS). UAB is 1 of 16 Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research to institutions that are national leaders in medical research and patient care and provide the highest level of comprehensive specialty services. UAB has been continually recognized as a TBIMS since 1998. The University of Alabama at Birmingham Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (UAB-TBIMS) provides Brain Waves twice annually as an informational resource for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). UAB-TBIMS Program Director: Thomas Novack, PhD Brain Waves Editor: Phil Klebine, MA 529 Spain Rehabilitation Center 1717 6th Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35233-7330 Phone: [phone] TDD: 205-934-4642 Fax: [phone] WWW.UAB.EDU/TBI [email protected] /UABTBIMS /UABTBIMS /UABTBIMS The contents of this publication were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DPTB0015 ). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this publication do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. ©2017 University of Alabama Board of Trustees. The University of Alabama at Birmingham provides equal opportunity in education and employment. A New Online Program May Help People with TBI Build Emotion Regulation Skills. People with TBI may have challenges with emotion regulation (ER), the process of recognizing and controlling their feelings or their reactions to feelings. Researchers at the New York Traumatic Brain Injury Model System tested an Internet-based program to teach ER skills to people with TBI through group videoconferencing. Researchers wanted to find out whether people who participated in the program experienced less difficulty with ER after the program than before, and whether they experienced improvements in mood or quality of life. They also wanted to find out what the participants thought of the online program format. Here’s what researcher learned. For People with TBI, Early Depression and Behavior Problems May Be Connected. Two of the most common challenges after a TBI are depression and behavior issues. These challenges can result from the difficulties of adjusting to a new disability, as well as brain changes after TBI. Researchers at Rehabilomics: Revolutionizing 21st Century TBI Care and Research looked at the connections between depression and behavior problems during the first year after a TBI. They wanted to find out how the rates of experiencing both problems change over the first year after a TBI, and whether experiencing one problem 6 months after a TBI was associated with experiencing the other problem 12 months after the TBI. Here’s what they learned. The Internet and Social Media May Offer Valuable Support and Information for People with TBI. People with TBI may benefit from online resources such as support groups, discussion boards, or social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, to expand their support networks and feel more connected. Researchers at TBI Model System Centers in Alabama, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas looked at Internet and social media usage habits among adults with TBI. They wanted to find out whether people with TBI use the Internet more or less than people without disabilities, which subgroups were most and least likely to use the Internet and reasons that people with TBI gave for using or not using the Internet. Here’s what they learned.