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Mapping Technology May Predict Long-Term TBI Impact

Posted on May 8th, 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 7th, 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

Posted on May 7th, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

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 5th, 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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Soccer Referee Dies After Punch In The Face

Posted on May 5th, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

Last week I wrote about a a soccer referee in Utah who was in a coma after being punched in the face by a player he had flagged for a foul.  https://tbilaw.com/blog/soccer-referee-in-coma-after-being-punched-by-player/ There’s an update: The referee died. ABC News reported that Ricardo Portillo, 46, passed away on Saturday night...
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FDA Classifies Recall Of Deep Brain Stimulation Device

Posted on May 4th, 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

Posted on May 4th, 2013 · Posted in Brain Injury

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 2nd, 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 30th, 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 29th, 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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