In its 14th year, the Chattanooga Brain Injury Association conference on April 10 will highlight research on traumatic brain injuries and the reality of life and recovery following them.

To shed light on the issue, we connected with LearningRx Chattanooga to better understand traumatic brain injuries (or TBIs) and the cognitive difficulties survivors often face — such as working memory, language, reasoning, attention and processing speed.

Drew F. is a TBI survivor and current client at LearningRx. He suffered a bicycle accident in 2014 that damaged his brain, changing his life in an instant.

“I had to relearn everything. I had to relearn how to walk and I struggled with my short-term memory,” he said. “I even had to use journals to write down what I had done or said that day, or else I’d forget.”

Drew made significant progress and even learned to walk without a cane. But when he went back to school, Drew noticed he still had difficulty speaking and recalling information.

“That’s when CABIA recommended I go to LearningRx,” he said.

Drew says he does a mixture of computer-based assessments and in-person sessions with LearningRx clinicians. Since starting, he said he’s noticed significant progress.

“My responses are quicker and I have more overall speed and clarity. My memory is stronger and I don’t have to use the journal anymore,” he said.

CABIA conference + TBI research

In-person cognitive training is a scientifically tested method for TBI treatment. In a clinical trial, eleven soldiers who suffered from TBI “achieved statistically significant changes in long-term memory, processing speed, auditory processing, and fluid reasoning with very large effect sizes.”

Research on the effects of brain training after a TBI will be the subject of a presentation by Christina Ledbetter of the Louisiana State University Department of Neurology during the CABIA conference. The conference also features sessions on the impact of things like nutrition and tai chi following TBI, as well as a cooking demo focused on brain recovery.

The CABIA conference is open to the public, and survivors of TBI, as well as their friends and family, are encouraged to attend. More information and tickets can be found here.

What is LearningRx + brain training?

LearningRx is a brain training center located near Hamilton Place Mall. They’re dedicated to improving clients’ lives and cognitive skills using brain training exercises — a series of challenging (but fun) mental exercises that work on the way the brain thinks, learns, reads and remembers. Brain training can help with many skills, including memory, attention, visualization and logic, to name a few.

Clients work one-on-one with a personal brain trainer for about an hour a day, for 12 weeks or longer, depending on the program. LearningRx says this face-to-face aspect of their program takes the training experience to a new level and is a big part of what makes them unique and effective.

LearningRx clients include a range of people from children to adults, including seniors. They help people who struggle with reading, learning disabilities or traumatic brain injuries, and people on the autism spectrum, as well as people who just want to improve their cognitive function. In fact, LearningRx says it has trained the brain of 100,000+ individuals between age 5 and 94.

How to get a free session

In support of TBI survivors and the CABIA, LearningRx Chattanooga is giving away free 30-minute sessions now through April 30, 2019. Email chattanoogaeast.tn@learningrx.net or call 423-305-1599 to inquire about a scheduling a session.

This content was created in partnership with LearningRx.