Pitt Researchers Presenting Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Mobility Research at American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Annual Meeting.

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ --

Breakthroughs in rehabilitation research continue to provide an opportunity for the nearly 50 million persons living with some degree of disability in the United States to achieve healthier, more active lives. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, which houses some of the nation's top experts in rehabilitation research and clinical care, will present their research at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) Annual Meeting, Nov. 2-5 at the Hilton San Francisco & Towers in San Francisco. Their presentations involve findings on traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and wheelchair mobility.

THURSDAY, NOV. 2

Serotonergic Agents in the Treatment of Acquired Brain Injury

Ross Zafonte, D.O., chair of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh, will moderate a panel discussion on the use of a selected neurotransmitter, serotonin, to treat brain-injured patients. Serotonin is important in maintaining proper signaling among the brain's neurons, and a lack of it can result in sleep disorders, depression, poor attention and impulsiveness. Certain brain injuries result in a drastically lower production of serotonin, thereby increasing a…