Neurotrauma is the largest cause of death and disability for persons under the age of 45 in the world and the societal cost of the resulting disability exceeds $60 billion per year in the United States. The National Neurotrauma Society (NNS) Annual Symposium is the primary forum for exchanging information in the fields of both traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI). The National Neurotrauma Symposium is now in its 33rd year and has been primarily a forum for integrating new information regarding the pathophysiology and treatment of brain and SCI for many years. This application seeks funding to support 20 pre- and postdoctoral trainees to attend the 33rd National Neurotrauma Symposium and partial support for travel of 56 invited speakers. The meeting will be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico at their Convention Center. The 3-day meeting will focus on important and timely topics in the field of Neurotrauma including basic, translational and clinical investigations. The 2015 meeting is co-hosted by the National Neurotrauma Society (NNS) and the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Neurotrauma and Critical Care (AANAS/CNS JSNCC). Members from both societies are included on the Program Planning Committee to be certain there is a sufficient mix of topics targeting both brain and SCI. An exciting collection of state-f-the-art sessions on the consequences of damage to the nervous system and treatment strategies for protection and repair are planned. Highlights of the scientific program include new investigators and new visions for CNS injury research, inflammation after trauma, aging with spinal cord injury, emerging imaging strategies for detection and diagnosis of neurotrauma, cell therapies including preclinical and clinical outcomes as well as the importance of genetic indicators of a predisposition for neurotrauma. Other sessions include genetic dissection of locomotive circuitry, the use of therapeutic hypothermia and targeted temperature management after neurotrauma, as well as a variety of other important topics that would be of interest to scientists and clinicians. We have tried to incorporate speakers and topics that have not previously been emphasized in prior meetings. There will be a special workshop hosted by the Women in Neurotrauma (WiNTR) devoted to human TBI neuropathology. Several networking events will also be organized in order to maximize opportunities for students and young investigators to interact with established researchers. Due to the growing concern of mild traumatic brain injury in the field of neurotrauma, a session on the clinical science of sports concussion as well as executive function after experimental TBI will emphasize the growing knowledge in this emerging field. Two patient perspectives will provide personal viewpoints on living with injury and their views regarding scientific progress in the field of Neurotrauma.
Over 1.8 million new cases of traumatic brain injury present to emergency rooms in the United States and over 50,000 die each year. In addition, each year over 12,000 new cases of spinal cord injury occur in the United States with many of these individuals living with chronic disabilities. Neurotrauma is the largest cause of death and disability for persons under 45 years of age in the world, and the societal costs of these neurotrauma disabilities exceed $60 billion per year. Currently, there are limited treatments that can protect against the devastating consequences of TBI or interventions to promote recovery after injury.
