Healing the Brain Initiative

Pánfila Domestic Violence HOPE Foundation will promote research on the epidemic of Traumatic Brain Injury among women, children and men who have experienced domestic violence (DV-TBI) while they are living.

We know the long-term health and mental health risks from DV-TBI can be as severe as those experienced by athletes in collision and contact sports and members of the military.

However, scientists say the resulting conditions and symptoms may be different from others’ TBIs because of the unique aspects of domestic violence, especially the effects of chronic stress. There is evidence that chronic stress contributes to neuroinflammation, functional, chemical and structural changes in the brain, memory loss, and neurodegeneration. Moreover, the brain fibers in a female brain appear more susceptible to permanent damage compared to the brain fibers in a male brain.

Violence against children in DV homes is alarming since the brain is not fully mature, is more vulnerable to injury after TBI, and recovery may be prolonged and less complete. Indeed, children who are exposed to TBI before the age of 12 are significantly more likely to experience long-term neurological and psychiatric sequelae. This makes the DV-TBI epidemic a public health crisis and a research and medical priority.

The research Pánfila supports will be aimed at advancing scientific understanding and public awareness of the DV-TBI epidemic. It will also be aimed at helping those women, children and men who are suffering from DV-TBI symptoms and who are facing long-term consequences, by stimulating and facilitating research into treatments and therapies that will diminish or eliminate their symptoms and improve their ability to function and their quality of life.

Please contact us at Contact@panfila.org if you are a neurologist, scientist, research institution, or passionate individual or professional ready to join us in developing Pánfila Domestic Violence HOPE Foundation Healing the Brain Initiative.