Blog

NBA Concussion Rules Bench George Hill During Semifinals

Posted on May 19, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

Indiana Pacers player George Hill made headlines last week when he became the first NBA player to miss a post-season game because of the league’s new concussion rules, as The New York Times wrote. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/18/sports/basketball/concussion-protocols-loom-large-after-injury-to-pacers-george-hill.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 The basketball league’s protocols for concussions were put in effect in September 2011, and mandate..
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Military TBIs Linked To Lifetime Risk Of Suicide

Posted on May 16, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

Here is something that shouldn’t come as a surprise: People in the military who suffer more than one mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) face a significantly higher risk of suicide — throughout their lives! That’s the finding of new research by the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University..
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Study Finds Brain Can Rewire Itself After Damage

Posted on May 15, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

It always astounds me how much research is ongoing on the brain – and yet how little we still know about it. Here is the latest science from UCLA. “When the brain’s primary ‘learning center’ is damaged, complex new neural circuits arise to compensate for the lost function,” or so..
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Research projects obesity-related dementia will increase in England

Posted on May 12, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

There has already been research that links obesity to a bigger risk for dementia as one ages. And data recently presented at the European Congress on Obesity projected that dementia will skyrocket in Great Britain if obesity rates stay the same, according to BBC Health News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22479049 Don’t expect things..
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Let’s Find A Helmet For Pitchers, To Stop TBI

Posted on May 10, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ took a line drive to the head Tuesday night — and didn’t get a concussion. He suffered a fracture behind his right ear, that’s all, miraculously. But the incident resurrected talk about ways to protect pitchers’ noggins when a well-hit baseball, with the power..
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Mapping Technology May Predict Long-Term TBI Impact

Posted on May 8, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

A new application of an existing medical imaging technology could help predict long-term damage in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to a new University of California San Francisco study. http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2013/05/105821/imaging-technique-could-help-traumatic-brain-injury-patients Researchers analyzed brain scans using applied rapid automated resting state magnetoencephalography (MEG) imaging, which maps brain activity by..
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Baxter Pulls Plug On Alzheimer’s Disease Antibody Drug Trial

Posted on May 7, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

In yet more disappointing news regarding  a potential Alzheimer’s-disease cure, Baxter International Inc. this week said it will abandon late-stage trials of the drug Gammagard after it didn’t succeed in improving cognitive decline in patients. The Deerfield, Ill.-based drug maker issued a press release Monday on the results of it..
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Reflecting On Soccer Referee’s Fatal TBI After Being Punched

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Ricardo Portillo is just the second official in the United States reported to have died due to referee assault, The New York Times said Tuesday. But I have a feeling he may not be the last. The Times did an opus on the tragic story of Ricardo Portillo, 46, who..
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Ex-NFL Player Kyle Turley Talks Concussions, Suicide

Posted on May 5, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

I’ve read a lot of stories about the mental deterioration and psychological anguish that ex-NFL players suffer from the brain injuries they sustained during their careers. And one of the best ones I’ve seen is a recent story about former tackle Kyle Turley by The San Diego Union-Tribune. In the..
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FDA Classifies Recall Of Deep Brain Stimulation Device

Posted on May 4, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

The Food and Drug Administration has classified the recall of a deep brain stimulation device (DBS) as Class I, meaning that the agency believes there is “a reasonable probability” that the use of the product “will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.” http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm350691.htm In an interesting twist, in response..
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How Brain Focuses To Find Lost Objects

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Our brains, both their visual and non-visual areas, mobilize and work in tandem when we try to spot a lost item – be it a contact lens on a bathroom floor or a key in grass on a lawn. At least, that what a recent study by scientists at the..
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Soccer Referee In Coma After Being Punched By Player

Posted on May 2, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

What do you do when a soccer referee gives you a warning about your unsportsmanlike behavior? You punch him in the head. At least that’s what one 17-year-old did Saturday during a game in Taylorsville, Utah, according to the Deseret News of Salt Lake City.  Now the referee is in..
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Dissecting The Criminal Mind And The Brain

Posted on April 30, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

The Wall Street Journal had a great story last weekend written by Dr. Adrian Raine, a professor of criminology and psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of a new book, “The Anatomy of Violence: The Biological Roots of Crime.” http://stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-221713/ Raine starts out the piece by talking..
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TBI Patients Face Burden Of Sexual Problems

Posted on April 29, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

Those who have suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI) face daunting challenges on many fronts, physical and mental. And unfortunately, sexual dysfunction often becomes an issue in the aftermath of brain damage, according to a new study. The website Health Day did a story Monday on the sexual problems that can..
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A Call To Call Brain Injury In Sports Exactly What It Is

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Props to Matt Calkins, a sports columnist for the The San Diego Union-Tribune, for his recent writing on brain injuries and sports. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/28/tp-no-soft-soap-lets-call-brain-injuries-exactly/ In his column Sunday, Calkins essentially said that people — team officials, athletes, the press — should call a spade a spade. The injuries that have plagued..
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Did Boxing-Related Brain Damage Trigger Boston Marathon Suspect?

Posted on April 26, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

Here’s a provocative question: Did Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev sustain brain damage during his amateur boxing days that prompted his horrific actions? Two co-founders of the Center for the Study of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University are calling for special tests to be performed on Tsarnaev’s brain..
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NFL Alum Group, Neuralstem Set Trial With Brain Injury Drug

Posted on April 24, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

The National Football League Alumni Association (NFLAA) and Neuralstem Inc. are working together to develop a trial using one of the company’s drugs to treat retired football players suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI). In a press release Wednesday, the two announced that the trial would incorporate NSI-189, the lead..
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Study Finds Astrocytes Play Part In Brain Healing

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The production of certain brain cells, called astrocytes, thought to be an impediment to healing may actually be needed to staunch bleeding and foster repair after a stroke or head trauma, according to researchers at Duke Medicine. Duke issued a press release on the results of the study, which was..
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Hypothermia Treatment Used To Stave Off Newborn Brain Damage

Posted on April 12, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

Hospitals are increasingly using hypothermia treatment, a cooling method, to prevent  newborns suspected of brain damage from suffering permanent injury, according to The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324504704578410483353736480.html Infants who aren’t breathing when they are born are at risk of suffering brain damage due to the lack of oxygen to that..
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Transparent Mouse Brain Will Make Research Easier

Posted on April 11, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

In a feat that almost sounds like science fiction, researchers at Stanford University have found a way to render a mouse brain transparent, making it easier to study the complex organ. On Wednesday Stanford announced the news about the process it calls CLARITY, which it claimed “ushers in an entirely..
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Concussion Suit Players Allege NFL ‘Glorified’ Violence

Posted on April 9, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

Lawyers for the National Football League and for the 4,000 players suing it over the issue of brain damage faced off in court Tuesday in Philadelphia. They argued before a federal judge who will decide if the litigation should be dismissed. The players’ lawyer, David Frederick, got the best sound..
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It’s Done! App Helps The Brain Injured Overcome Memory Loss

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Some people say that there’s an app for everything and maybe it’s true, because now there’s one for brain injury survivors. This new iPhone app is called It’s Done!, and its purpose is to help the brain injured recall whether they have remembered to do life-saving tasks such as  turning..
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NFL Concussion Lawsuits Face Dismissal Motion

Posted on April 8, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

Today a federal judge in Philadelphia will conduct a hearing on whether roughly 200 concussion lawsuits filed against the NFL on behalf of more than 4,000 former, current and deceased players should be dismissed, according to The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/08/sports/football/nfl-and-retired-players-in-court-over-concussions-and-other-head-trauma-cases.html?adxnnl=1&src=recg&adxnnlx=1365480599-XOXgq2zzXWBkhjH1UqK73Q The action will be heard by U.S. District Court..
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Ex-Mouseketeer Annette Funicello Dies Of Multiple Sclerosis

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Multiple sclerosis, another brain and nerve disease without a cure, has claimed the life of someone who was once America’s sweetheart. Singer-actress Annette Funicello succumbed to complications of MS on Monday, at age 70, in California. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/09/movies/annette-funicello-mouseketeer-dies-at-70.html?hp&_r=1& According to People magazine, Funicello had been in a coma and on life..
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NHL Sued Over Derek Boogaard’s Death

Posted on May 13, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

Several thousand current and ex-NFL players are suing the league over what they claim is the permanent brain damage they suffered while playing. Now the family of a deceased NHL player has filed a similar lawsuit against the hockey league, according to The New York Times. New York Rangers Derek..
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