Neurology Advisor | May 18, 2018
A study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine demonstrates that misdiagnosis of concussion in adults is somewhat common in the emergency department, despite patients presenting with known concussion signs and symptoms. Approximately 16% of head injuries that met the World Health Organization's concussion criteria did not result in a concussion diagnosis.
NPR | May 18, 2018
For the first time, the U.S. military is speaking publicly about what it's doing to address potential health risks to troops who operate certain powerful shoulder-mounted weapons. These bazooka-like weapons produce forceful explosions just inches from the operator's head. Though several scientific reports over the past year have noted the possible risk, until now military officials have been reluctant to speak publicly about whether repeated exposure to these blasts might result in injury to a shooter's brain. Tracie Lattimore, who directs the Army's traumatic brain injury program, agreed to an interview with NPR to talk about steps the military is taking.
BBC Future | May 16, 2018
Concussion is a common brain injury. But what actually happens to the brain when we are concussed? As part of the Body of Evidence series, BBC Future explores what happens in the brain after a bang on the head.
Los Angeles Times | May 14, 2018
A new study shows that mild TBIs can have serious consequences for military veterans by raising their risk of dementia. Researchers who examined the medical records of more than 350,000 Americans who served during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan found that men and women who experienced at least one mild TBI were more than twice as likely as their uninjured peers to develop dementia after they retired from the military.
The New York Times | May 7, 2018
To the family of the former N.H.L. player Jeff Parker, the posthumous diagnosis of C.T.E., or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, was the predictable conclusion. All those hits to the head, including that final one that knocked him out of the game altogether, and all those subsequent years of struggle? In the final, difficult years before Parker’s death last September at age 53, the family figured that it must be C.T.E. “It just makes me sad,” John Parker, Jeff’s younger brother, said through tears. “It doesn’t bring him back. It just makes you feel sad, that he was living with this, and it’s a thing. It’s a real thing.”
ABC News (MN) | May 7, 2018
All totaled, Kyle suffered at least 10 severe concussions from grade school into high school and missed most of ninth grade because of recurring headaches. In college, Kyle's pain, depression and anxiety had become overwhelming. In 2015, he committed suicide in his dorm room at the age of 20. In a suicide note, he wrote that the concussions "altered" his life. An examination of Kyle's brain tissue revealed he had the early stages of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE.
ABC News (TX) | May 7, 2018
George Andrie was part of the legendary Cowboys Doomsday Defense, a 5-time pro-bowler and Super Bowl Champion. Andrie has also been diagnosed with dementia by 4 different doctors who believe it's related to the head blows he received while playing in the NFL. But these days the once powerful defensive end sits quietly at home, rarely leaving the house and unable to care for himself. “They said not only does your father not qualify for this level of dementia. He doesn't qualify for any neurocognitive damage whatsoever."
NBC News San Diego | May 3, 2018
The U.S. National Institutes of Health acknowledges CBD contains neuroprotectant and anti-inflammatory properties. In the case of a concussion, the brain swells or inflames. Theories suggest CBD could trigger repair mechanisms in the brain to counteract swelling. But sports leagues don’t want to touch CBD because of its source. That’s where a San Diego-based biotech company, Renew Biopharma, may have found a solution.
Boston University | May 3, 2018
Playing American football before age 12 leads to symptoms of cognitive, behavioral and mood disorders an average of 13 years earlier than other players, a Boston University study released Monday showed. The study by researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine and released on the school's website examined brain injuries, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), in 246 deceased American football players, 211 of whom were diagnosed with CTE after death.
Quartz | May 3, 2018
The most worrying part of Brady’s response, when asked if he was "concerned" about the risk of CTE, is the enthusiasm he showed to "arm" others with questionable information. When one of the league’s most high-profile players spouts dubious claims about CTE prevention, it draws attention away from meaningful discussions about how the game could or should be changed to protect its athletes.
Investigate West | May 2, 2018
Over the past six months, reporters working on a series about high school sports concussions in Oregon have made 235 requests for records — or rather, the same request 235 times. Oregon has one state law to govern how local jurisdictions handle public records. But the responses to this same request are wide and varied across the state.
WKYC News | May 1, 2018
Most people think of NFL players or male soldiers when they talk about Traumatic Brain Injuries. Did you know there is a lack of brain injury research for women? In fact, the world’s largest brain bank has fewer than 10 female brains. The VA’s National Brain Bank is trying to conduct more female brain injury research by collaborating with the non-profit PINK Concussions, a female brain injury organization.
The Roanoke Times | May 1, 2018
More than half of soccer players suffer some concussion symptoms annually. Virginia Tech researchers are working to reduce that number by rating the head injury-prevention effectiveness of headbands and caps available on the market for soccer players. The system will give players and their parents a unique safety perspective by using the first independent rating system of its kind.
NPR | Apr 30, 2018
Military personnel may be endangering their own brains when they operate certain shoulder-fired weapons, according to an Army-commissioned report released Monday. The report, from the Center for a New American Security, says these bazooka-like weapons pose a hazard because they are powered by an explosion just inches from the operator's head. "When you fire it, the pressure wave feels like getting hit in the face," says Paul Scharre, a former Army Ranger who directs the technology and national security program at the Center. Scharre is a co-author of the center's report: Protecting Warfighters from Blast Injury. The report looks at a range of injuries caused by blast waves — pulses of high-pressure air that emanate from an explosion and travel faster than the speed of sound.
ABC News (AU) | Apr 30, 2018
According to a new report, the first of its kind in Australia, 40% of family violence victims have sustained a brain injury. Many victims were also unaware of the cumulative impact of mild traumatic brain injuries "and the fact that multiple blows to the head over a long period of time can really lead to significant disability and brain injury", Dr Ayton said. "The fact is that waiting lists to get assessed can sometimes take 18 months, so when you consider that along with the complexity and the chaos that might be happening in these situations, that's just not realistic in terms of being able to get accurate assessments and diagnoses." The report also found that perpetrators were twice as likely to have sustained a brain injury themselves in the past — in some cases, inflicted during childhood — creating "a vicious cycle of inter-generational violence".
The Conversation | Apr 30, 2018
Injury to the adult brain is all too common. A brain injury will often show up on brain scans as a well-defined area of damage. But often the changes to the brain extend far beyond the visible injury. Changes in the brain also continue to evolve for many months after injury. Part of this is simply the clearing away of debris by a normal healing process (for example, the clearance of bruising in the brain after a concussion). And there are things we can do to aid our brain’s recovery.
Conkite News (AU) | Apr 25, 2018
Concussions in athletes have received attention in recent years, but experts are now looking to also address the needs of a large, yet overlooked, population – domestic abuse victims. Most of the blows from an abuser are to one of the most vulnerable parts of the body and, over years of daily and weekly incidents, those hits take a toll. “In a domestic violence situation, a lot of the abuse is focused on the head,” said Jonathan Lifshitz, director of the Translational Neurotrauma Research Program at the University of Arizona. Lifshitz said that football players, who encounter significant blows but are supported by on-hand medical assistance at games and in the off-season, have a different brain-injury reality than abuse victims. Brain injury research has followed soldiers after combat and professional athletes but the subjects have been mostly male, Zieman said. Researchers are just beginning to understand differences between men and women with concussions.
Investigate West | Apr 23, 2018
If there’s one thing adults just don’t understand, it’s probably the world and culture of high school. So when we started talking about a series on head injuries in youth sports, we thought: “Why not ask student journalists to help?” Last fall, project manager Lee van der Voo and I visited Portland-area classrooms to tell students about Rattled: Oregon’s Concussion Discussion, ask for their input, and see if they wanted to contribute. Sure enough, they did. And for many of them, the interest is personal.
The Conversation | Apr 23, 2018
Much of what we know about traumatic brain injury is the result of a large body of research and media attention over the last 10 to 15 years on athletes and sports-related concussion. Until recently, the link between traumatic brain injury and intimate partner violence has been largely unexplored. So, since June of 2017, a research team at University of British Columbia has been collaborating with Kelowna Women’s Shelter in a community-based research project designed to examine the connection between traumatic brain injury and intimate partner violence.
Chicago Tribune | Apr 18, 2018
The NFL named a new chair to its head, neck and spine committee on Thursday, a Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon who co-authored a paper two years ago titled, "Football and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: How Much Evidence Actually Exists?"
NINDS | Apr 17, 2018
Following head injury, the protective lining that surrounds the brain may get a little help from its friends: immune cells that spring into action to assist with repairs. In a new study, scientists from the National Institutes of Health watched in real-time as different immune cells took on carefully timed jobs to fix the damaged lining of the brain, also known as meninges, in mice. These results may help provide clues to the discovery that the meninges in humans may heal following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and why additional hits to the head can be so devastating.
EurekAlert | Apr 17, 2018
The University of Glasgow's Sir Graham Teasdale, co-creator of the Glasgow Coma Scale, has teamed with Paul M. Brennan and Gordon D. Murray of the University of Edinburgh to create new assessment tools that build on the Glasgow Coma Scale in order to provide greater information on injury severity and prognosis in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) while still offering simplicity of use. These tools are described and evaluated in two companion papers published today in the Journal of Neurosurgery.
Gizmodo | Apr 17, 2018
A new study published this week in The Lancet Psychiatry reaffirms that traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), even those that are relatively mild, are linked to a higher risk of dementia in our later years. The researchers obtained and studied the medical records of 2.5 million Danish-born residents living in the country in 1995. (Unlike many countries, including the US, the medical histories of residents of Scandinavian countries like Denmark are easily tracked through various nationwide registries). They then looked ahead in time to see how many of the Danes over the age of 50 would go on to be diagnosed with dementia at some point between 1999 to 2013.
Medscape | Apr 16, 2018
Only a minority of all concussions in children are the result of contact sports, a new study suggests. The findings indicate that strategies to prevent such injuries in children will have to extend outside youth sports, the researchers say. "While sports concussions have been important in raising awareness of concussions, it is important to remember that many nonsports/life activities can result in concussion as well and that it is a common injury in childhood and not just in sports," senior study author, Christina Master, MD, pediatric primary care sports medicine specialist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Pennsylvania, told Medscape Medical News.
University of Arizona News | Apr 4, 2018
New research results indicate that traumatic brain injury, such as that resulting from impacts in sports and auto accidents, is caused by stretching and straining of tissue well below the surface of the brain.
Science News | Apr 4, 2018
A recent study released by the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine shows a stunning number of participants not only experienced concussion-related symptoms and head impacts but also continued performing either without reporting the incident or without receiving the recommended care. These participants were not taking part in any sporting contest at the time, however. They are theater personnel.
Furturity | Apr 3, 2018
Concussions and other mild traumatic brain injuries seem to arise when an area deep inside the brain shakes more rapidly and intensely than surrounding areas, report researchers. The study combines data from football players with computer simulations of the brain. They also found that the mechanical complexity of the brain means there is no straightforward relationship between different bumps, spins, and blows to the head and the likelihood of injury.
The Spokesman-Review | Apr 3, 2018
Since the prevalence of traumatic brain injury among athletes has come to light, doctors and researchers studying the problem say it’s much broader than concussions or CTE. In interviews with The Spokesman-Review and KHQ this week, retired NFL quarterback Mark Rypien estimated he’d sustained “dozens of concussions and thousands of subconcussive injuries from playing this sport,” most of which went undiagnosed at the time. “You say dozens, but you don’t really know,” he said. His first was likely in middle school.
Reuters | Apr 3, 2018
Researchers invited members of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine to complete a 24-question online survey about their attitudes toward driving after a concussion and what they tell their patients. “In our study, 83 percent of physicians felt that concussion put individuals at a greater risk of a motor vehicle crash yet fewer than half, 49 percent, routinely counsel their patients about driving,” said lead author Dr. John Lucas IV of the Sports Medicine Institute at the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System in South Carolina.
60 Minutes | Mar 30, 2018
Doctors have found scar tissue in the brains of combat veterans who suffered from PTSD and were exposed to high explosive blast waves. The discovery could mean that many cases of PTSD, long thought to be a mostly psychological illness, may actually be caused by physical brain trauma. Scott Pelley reports on this medical breakthrough on the next edition of 60 Minutes, Sunday, April 1 at 7:00 p.m., ET/PT on CBS.
Study Breaks Magazine | Mar 29, 2018
Stephanie Everett, a junior at Dartmouth College, kicked off 2018 with a performance of her purely autobiographical one-person play, “It’s Fine, I’m Fine” at the New Works Now festival for an audience of over 200 people. Everett’s play centers on a character navigating the many struggles of modern-day adolescence including mental health, relationships, sexuality and tough parents while suffering the affects of many traumatic brain injuries. Everett hopes audiences will take away two important themes from her show: compassion and inner strength.
Gizmodo | Mar 29, 2018
In the latest advancement from the front lines of neuroscience, researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and USC successfully restored memory to people with poor short-term memory function. The research was funded by the military’s secretive DARPA research branch as part of the Restoring Active Memory, which launched in 2013. The program’s eventual goal is to create an implantable brain-computer interface capable of restoring normal memory function to people suffering from brain injury or illness.
Washington University School of Medicine | Mar 29, 2018
Years before people start showing characteristic symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, amyloid plaques begin forming in their brains, damaging nearby cells. For decades, doctors have sought ways to clear out these plaques as a way to prevent or treat the disease. The sticky clumps, known as amyloid plaques, are composed primarily of a brain protein called amyloid beta. But nestled within the plaques are small amounts of another Alzheimer's protein: APOE. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have shown that an antibody not only targets APOE for removal but sweeps away plaques.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle | Mar 27, 2018
Former NFL player Corey Widmer was in line to be celebrated as part of the Montana Football Hall of Fame. That is, until Widmer turned the honor down. Widmer explained the sport of football “destroyed my life,” and numerous concussions have brought on symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. “I’m 49 years old, depressed to the Nth degree, but have a lot of money … and some people might say it’s still worth it. I just tell them to watch what they wish for,“ Widmer said. “If someone could’ve explained all of this to me when I was 14, I would’ve given it all back in a heartbeat. I would’ve wished for something else."
Reuters | Mar 20, 2018
Young children who are hospitalized with head injuries may be at higher than average risk for developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) later on, a small study suggests. U.S. researchers examined data on 187 children, including 81 who were hospitalized overnight for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) at some point from age 3 to 7, and 106 who were hospitalized with other injuries. None of the kids had ADHD at the start.
NPR | Mar 19, 2018
High School athletes often raise money door-to-door for their teams. In Newton, Mass., a football player rang the doorbell of leading brain injury researcher Dr. Lee Goldstein. Instead of money, he got a talk. Goldstein cares a great deal about high school football. It's what he was thinking about when the doorbell rang.
Desert Sun | Mar 19, 2018
“I use to be – I still try to be – outgoing and friendly to everybody. People knew me as the kid who was always smiling, and trying to make other people,” Salamone said. “And I’m trying to be happy again,” he adds, “but it’s a lot harder now.” Salamone is also at risk of losing the college education he worked so hard to obtain. After his injury, Vanguard University agreed to delay Salamone’s enrollment for one year, but he will lose his spot at the college and his scholarship if he is not ready to attend by the fall semester.
Courier Post | Mar 19, 2018
Anyone with an aging loved one likely knows the feeling: Wondering when and how you’ll recognize if your loved one needs help. But sometimes, the biggest concerns are often the silent ones. One of the most common causes of concern among older adults is traumatic brain injury - responsible for more than 80,000 emergency room visits each year among people over 65. While we often think of brain injury as a sudden, severe jolt to the head with obvious, immediate symptoms, brain injuries can take a much different shape in older adults.
News12 | Mar 19, 2018
Four eighth-graders have gained national recognition for designing a device that fits into a football helmet that can detect concussions. Middle School students Jake Carlin, Josh Chostaka, Alex Fisherman and Ian Langan say that they were inspired to create the device when a friend was hurt playing football. “One of our good friends got a really bad concussion during a game, so we felt that making something like this would help coaches and trainers keep their teams safe,” Langan says. The 14-year-olds developed a sensor that fits into a football helmet. Real-time data is transmitted directly to a smartphone, using an app that they also designed.
The New York Times | Mar 15, 2018
Just a few years after a car crash left him with a severe brain injury, Mr. Morgan is back with “The Last O.G.,” a new comedy about second chances. "It’s about getting second chances. I believe everyone deserves one.”
Reuters | Mar 13, 2018
Participation in high school football has been steadily falling in recent years amid mounting concerns about the potential for traumatic brain injuries to lead to lasting health problems, a U.S. study suggests. “This decline is associated with media attention focused on concussions or brain injuries among football players,” said study co-author Dr. Chris Feudtner of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Good Men Project | Mar 13, 2018
Brain Injury Awareness Day is Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at our Nation’s Capitol in Washington DC. Although BIAA and brain injury advocates work with Congress throughout the year, Brain Injury Awareness Day is important because it is the one day dedicated to educating your elected officials about brain injury and how vital federal funding is to continue the Federal TBI State Grant Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention TBI Programs, and brain injury research conducted by the TBI Model Systems.
ESPN | Mar 13, 2018
AFL players whose careers are ended by concussion will be eligible for payouts under a new injury and hardship scheme. The AFL Players' Association has allocated $24.7 million to the fund, which is expected to be accessed by up to 200 former AFL/VFL players per year. Greg Williams, Nicky Winmar and John Platten are among the AFL greats to have battled concussion-related health issues in recent years. All three have been linked to a potential class action against the AFL.
Boston Globe | Mar 13, 2018
Some 42 of about 100 Patriots who were members of New England’s first three Super Bowl title teams have alleged in a landmark class-action concussion suit against the NFL and the helmet maker Riddell that they have experienced symptoms of brain injuries caused by the repetitive head impacts they absorbed in games and practices. In all, more than 340 former Patriots or their estates have sued the NFL and its former helmet manufacturer. The Globe, using the team’s official all-time roster, has for the first time compiled and analyzed a list of the Patriots who allege they suffered brain injuries on the job since the franchise was founded in 1960.
The New York Times | Mar 8, 2018
In this city with a deep and proud relationship with football, a custody dispute has pushed the debate about the sport’s safety into a new arena: family court. A father, John Orsini, has gone to court to prevent the youngest of his three sons from playing high school football because, he said, scientific studies have revealed the perils of repeated blows to the head — especially for an athlete, like his son, who has a history of concussions. The boy’s mother, Mr. Orsini’s ex-wife, believes he should be allowed to continue playing because he understands the risks.
Everyday Health | Mar 8, 2018
Victims of domestic violence suffer brain injuries similar to football players. Find out how researchers are working to address this silent epidemic. Barrow Neurological Institute, the world's largest neurological disease treatment and research institution, conducted a study on TBI and domestic violence that included 115 victims. According to this research, published in February 2017 in the Journal of Neurotrauma, 81 percent of patients reported a history of loss of consciousness associated with their injuries and only 21 percent of patients sought medical help at the time of injury.
DVBIC | Mar 8, 2018
"During Brain Injury Awareness Month and beyond, we want our military community to know that recovery from a TBI is possible," said Dr. Scott Livingston, director of education at the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. "Each TBI is different, not everyone experiences the same symptoms or requires identical treatment. I encourage people in the military community to obtain early diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of TBI when possible." The spotlight of the videos launches a variety of activities to recognize Brain Injury Awareness Month in March.
Science Daily | Mar 5, 2018
Patients who sustain severe head injuries tend to have better outcomes if they are taken to a designated trauma center, but 44 percent of them are first taken to hospitals without these specialized care capabilities, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The results, published today in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, highlight a serious care disparity for these severely injured patients, and point to the need for systematic changes to improve care.
Science Daily | Mar 5, 2018
Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease earlier in life, according to a study from UT Southwestern's Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. The research -- the first to use autopsy-confirmed cases of Alzheimer's disease to examine the long-term effects of head injuries -- supports a correlation that could only be speculated about in previous studies, which lacked definitive diagnostic methods.
The Daily Mail (UK) | Mar 2, 2018
The NFL Players Association has created a 'health playbook' aimed at educating players on the risks associated with the high-contact sport. The first-ever football medical guide distributed to NFLPA members this week notably includes information about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease believed to be caused by repeated blows to the head. "The most important advice is not to assume you have a chronic, irreversible disease simply because you have symptoms," the playbook says. "Consult an expert in this field who can do the comprehensive neurologic evaluation and studies necessary to determine your status and the best treatment for it."
Chicago Sun-Times | Mar 1, 2018
Favre, who started a record 321 consecutive games spanning more than two decades, said that “probably 90 percent” of the tackles he endured resulted in some kind of concussion. When the NFL finally implemented a concussion protocol in 2010, “it [was] 20 years too late,” he said. Favre, fellow Hall of Famer Kurt Warner and even former Cubs catcher David Ross have become vocal advocates recently for concussion research.
News Atlas | Feb 27, 2018
Even if an armored military vehicle isn't destroyed when a land mine detonates underneath it, its occupants can still receive traumatic brain injuries. Scientists at the University of Maryland are trying to keep that from happening, with a new shock-absorbing system that could also have applications in civilian products.
The Telegraph (UK) | Feb 27, 2018
Specialists from the universities of Oxford, Exeter, Manchester, Glasgow and Sheffield, and the Centre for Mental Health, are calling for all prisoners to be routinely checked for signs of traumatic brain injuries. A comprehensive review, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, suggests that bumps to the head from falls, assaults or road accidents can lead to neural injuries which alter the brain structure, and increase the risk of violence offending. The experts say helping prisoners receive proper treatment could prevent future offending and called on schools, doctors and hospitals to help identify youngsters who have suffered head injuries before they commit crime.
Medscape | Feb 23, 2018
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report finds gaps in care and outlines opportunities for action on traumatic brain injury in childhood. Congress directed the CDC to compile the report to review the burden of TBI in children, identify gaps in systems of care, and offer recommendations for improving short- and long-term outcomes in this vulnerable population.
The Cavalier Daily | Feb 21, 2018
In a comprehensive review of literature published in the journal Clinics in Sports Medicine, researchers found that females have a higher rate of concussions compared to their male counterparts partaking in the same sport. At the same time, females also have a higher symptom burden, in that they report more severe symptoms, and they may take longer to recover from the head injury as well. These higher incidences may be due to the increased likelihood that females are more likely to report their injuries. In addition, females may not actually take significantly longer to recover from concussion-related injuries.
The New York Times | Feb 16, 2018
After examining 21 American diplomats said to have been victims of a mysterious “attack” in Havana, medical experts found concussion-like damage but no obvious causes. The experts’ report, published late Wednesday in the journal JAMA, does not solve the mystery, instead raising even more questions about what could have caused the brain injuries.
Los Angeles Times | Feb 15, 2018
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a first-ever blood test to detect the telltale signs of serious brain injury, bringing to fruition a long quest to make the diagnosis of concussions simpler and more precise.
Association of Academic Physiatrists | Feb 15, 2018
A new study, presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting in Atlanta, suggests that not all children follow the same path to concussion recovery, nor do they have the same predictors for returning to normal activity. The study also suggests that younger children should be considered separately from high-school-aged students.
Imperial College of London | Feb 15, 2018
Treatment with xenon gas after blast reduces blast-induced brain injury, suggests an early-stage study using mouse brain tissue. Previously, Dr Robert Dickinson and colleagues from Imperial College London showed that xenon gas helped limit brain damage and improve long-term neurological outcomes in mice that had suffered blunt force brain injury. Now, the same research group has found for the first time that xenon can also limit blast-induced brain injury from developing in mouse brain tissue exposed to a blast shockwave, in a study published in the Journal of Neurotrauma.
The Washington Post | Feb 5, 2018
Canadian skier Justin Dorey remembered being reluctant to speak up about a head injury, and he knew his teammates were, too. While most governing bodies of Olympic sports have issued guidance or concussion protocols in recent years, awareness has not resolved the issue. “The associations can hold the athlete back, even if they’re willing to take the risk. It creates a system in which athletes aren’t always honest.”
Tech Times | Feb 5, 2018
In 1976, an influential research showed that despite all the drilling, woodpeckers did not exhibit any apparent signs of brain damage. Since then, the study has been cited in over a hundred journals, which support the conclusion that the birds do not suffer from brain injuries as a result of the behavior. However, the recent findings of researchers from Boston University suggest that woodpeckers actually do get brain damage. In fact, the evidence that they found runs similar to the evidence of brain damage in humans with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE.
The Sydney Morning Herald | Feb 5, 2018
Domestic Violence NSW Service Management (Australia) released a paper exploring the intersection of domestic and family violence and brain injury. The report detailed well-established links between brain injuries, strangulation and domestic family violence homicide.
WBUR | Feb 5, 2018
Zac Easter, who never played football after high school, showed symptoms of CTE for six years before dying by suicide. Now his family and longtime girlfriend are honoring Zac's legacy through the organization, CTE Hope.
The New York Times | Feb 2, 2018
My husband, Rob Kelly, is a retired N.F.L. player. By the time he retired in 2002 at 28, he had been playing tackle football for about two decades. Professional football is a brutal sport, he knew that. But he loved it anyway. And he accepted the risks of bruises and broken bones. What he didn’t know was that along with a battered body can come a battered mind.
NBC News | Feb 2, 2018
Just in time for the Super Bowl, three retired NFL linebackers are pleading with parents to keep younger children out of tackle football to avoid traumatic brain injuries. This push to change how youth football is played is the latest response to the increasing number of football players diagnosed with CTE, with such symptoms as depression, memory loss and dementia
The New York Times | Feb 1, 2018
When a teenager is hit in the head, his brain can begin to show signs, within days, of the kind of damage associated with degenerative brain disease, according to an unsettling new study. The findings indicate that this damage can occur even if the hit does not result in a full-blown concussion. Boston University has established strong links between such hits to the head and later C.T.E. But for the small new study, which was published recently in Brain, they hoped to learn more about how and how quickly such injuries might contribute to the disease.
The Intercept | Feb 1, 2018
Since the season started, there have been more than 280 concussions in the NFL. That is an average of 12 concussions per week. Though it claims to take head injuries very seriously, the National Football League holds this data relatively close. It releases yearly statistics, but those numbers are published in aggregate, making it difficult to glean specific insights. I have been tracking these injuries all season. Using a variety of methods, including reviewing daily injury reports from NFL.com, I have created what I believe is the most complete dataset of individual concussions sustained during the 2017-2018 season. The resulting film, “Concussion Protocol,” is a visual record of every concussion in the NFL this year.
Today | Feb 1, 2018
In 2016, former NFL player Mike Adamle had a neurological assessment. Doctors told him that he had "all the symptoms concurrent with what we know about CTE." But Adamle refuses to sit on the sidelines. He’s launching a national support network for suspected victims and their families called the Mike Adamle Project: Rise Above. It's under the umbrella of the nonprofit Concussion Legacy Foundation, which was co-founded by Dr. Robert Cantu, a leader in CTE. research. Adamle's also pledged to donate his brain to the CTE bank for research.
Business Insider | Feb 1, 2018
After sustaining a brain injury, Chelsea started physically attacking her parents. Before the injury, Chelsea experienced a level of anger similar to any other person. She had certainly never been aggressive. But ever since, she has grappled with mood swings and can't contain her rage or impulses. Chelsea's story is not unique. Behaviour changes after brain injuries have been well documented for many years. There are cases of people recovering from a brain damage with a new talent, or even in some cases, an accent from a foreign country. Sometimes, brain damage can create a criminal.
ABC News | Jan 31, 2018
We know that TBI can have devastating effects that include impaired thinking, memory and emotional functioning. But now, new research suggests it may also increase the risk of dementia, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal PLoS Medicine. In the study, researchers from Umeå University in Sweden looked at 3 million Swedes 50 years old and older who were diagnosed with TBI or dementia between 1964 and 2012. They compared subjects with TBI with those who hadn’t had it. When possible, they also compared those with TBI to a sibling without TBI.
KPVI | Jan 30, 2018
After corresponding with wives of current and former NFL players, Idaho State University researcher Caroline Faure has concluded that concussion is likely underreported in the NFL and that the wives and families of concussed and potentially concussed players could use more support. Faure was able to have the moderator of a NFL wives’ closed Facebook page post a 30-question survey on that site, which is dedicated to wives of current or former NFL players from the 1980s on. The survey was designed to gauge the observations of the wives relative to published concussion identification guidelines and provided the data for the studies.
The Washington Post | Jan 29, 2018
As the use of hyperbaric therapy for brain injury has grown, it has become increasingly controversial. A growing group of scientists and physicians say that hyperbaric treatment, which exposes patients to pure oxygen at higher-than-normal air pressure, may work. But other researchers believe that the treatment has no merit and should not be recommended.
HUB | Jan 29, 2018
Most football fans will watch Sunday's Super Bowl matchup between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles for the big plays, the big hits, and—of course—the commercials. K.T. Ramesh, a biomechanics expert at Johns Hopkins University, will be looking for something more specific: head injuries.
Ramesh, who has been researching traumatic brain injuries for years, is helping develop a tool to better diagnose concussions and predict where related brain damage is likely to occur. Recently Ramesh has been working with researchers from the National Institutes of Health and Jerry L. Prince, a professor in JHU's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, to create a digital head model.
The Washington Post | Jan 29, 2018
The number of diagnosed concussions suffered by NFL players increased nearly 16 percent this season over last season, and the rate of injuries suffered by players during Thursday night games exceeded the injury rate in other games. Those were among the key developments as the NFL released its preliminary injury data for the 2017 preseason and regular season. According to the data, which is gathered and analyzed by the independent company IQVIA (formerly called Quintiles), players suffered 281 concussions during the preseason and regular season. That is an increase of 15.6 percent over the 243 diagnosed concussions suffered by players during the 2016 preseason and regular season.
Chicago Sun-Times | Jan 26, 2018
When former Bears safety Dave Duerson killed himself in 2011, his family donated his brain to Boston University to understand him and get answers. Seven years after the university found 50-year-old Duerson’s brain showed signs of CTE, his family and CTE advocates came together on legislation bearing his name that would prevent children under 12 from playing tackle football in Illinois. The Dave Duerson Act to Prevent CTE, or HB-4341, was filed by state Rep. Carol Sente, D-Vernon Hills, Thursday in honor of the 1985 Super Bowl star.
CNN | Jan 18, 2018
A study published online Thursday in Brain, a journal of neurology, presents the strongest case yet that repetitive hits to the head that aren't concussions — meaning there's no loss of consciousness or other symptoms that can include headaches, dizziness, vision problems or confusion — do cause CTE. "We've had an inkling that subconcussive hits — the ones that don't [show] neurological signs and symptoms — may be associated with CTE," says Dr. Lee Goldstein, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine and the lead investigator on the study. "We now have solid scientific evidence to say that is so." And this evidence, he says, leaves researchers "terrifically concerned."
CTV News | Jan 16, 2018
Researchers at Western University believe they have found a common link between the degenerative brain condition CTE, and a variant of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Some people with the signs of CTE also show symptoms of a variant of the muscle-weakening disease ALS that causes cognitive impairment. Now, in a study published in Neurology, researchers think they may have found how the two brain diseases might be connected.
Medscape | Jan 16, 2018
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) may be present in 10% of relatively young patients with intractable epilepsy, a new pilot study suggests. The study was small and can't really determine whether relatively young patients with epilepsy who sustain head trauma because of their disorder are at higher risk for CTE. However, "this is a start," study investigator Gregory D. Cascino, MD, Department of Neurology, Division of Epilepsy, Mayo Clinic.
WTOP | Jan 10, 2018
Two scientists at George Mason University have been working on a potentially groundbreaking diagnostic tool that could change the way we test for and treat brain injury across the sports world and beyond. Although their findings are still a ways from translating to a marketable product, they shed new insight into a field that many are only beginning to understand.
Star-Tribune | Jan 10, 2018
Brett Favre has a new concussion documentary set to debut Thursday that explores head-to-field hits, arguing that those kinds of hits in football, soccer and other sports are a hidden factor in the concussion discussion. The argument made in the documentary is that making turf fields softer will lessen the damage from such hits. "Shocked: A Hidden Factor in the Sports Concussion Crisis" is a short documentary in which Favre serves as both subject and executive producer. It debuts at 5:30 p.m. Thursday on a variety of platforms via Stadium.
U.S. News & World Report | Jan 10, 2018
The Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska told the Education Board last week that schools across the state respond to concussion injuries in an inconsistent manner, despite the 2012 Concussion Awareness Act requiring schools to establish protocols to handle such injuries. The act originally required schools and youth sports groups to educate coaches, athletes and parents about concussions. They also had to remove injured students from play and required written approval from parents and health care professionals before allowing students to return. The law was widened in 2014 to require the creation of protocols for students returning to the classroom after an injury.
60 Minutes | Jan 8, 2018
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) isn't just affecting athletes, but also showing up in our nation's heroes. Since 9/11 over 300,000 soldiers have returned home with brain injuries. Researchers fear the impact of CTE could cripple a generation of warriors.
Chicago Tribune | Jan 5, 2018
The NFL has reallocated more than $17 million of funding for research into concussions and the effects of brain injuries after a dispute last year related to funding for research by the National Institutes of Health. The funding now will be divided among research done by the Department of Defense, TRACK-TBI (a study funded by NIH) and the National Institute of Aging, a branch of NIH, according to the NFL.
CBS News | Jan 5, 2018
They did not lose limbs, but many veterans exposed to blasts in combat will eventually lose their minds. Just like athletes who endured repeated blows to the head, veterans are suffering from the same degenerative brain disease. Sharyn Alfonsi reports on chronic traumatic encephalopathy and its impact on combat veterans on the next edition of 60 Minutes, Sunday, Jan. 7.
Chicago Sun-Times | Dec 27, 2017
A formerly gregarious, witty man, Doug Buffone was turning inward more and more in the years before his death. ‘‘He became reclusive. As time went on, he definitely wasn’t as social. If people came over to the house, he stayed downstairs. There were times when he would drive around all night long. Sleeping was always an issue.’’
ESPN | Dec 27, 2017
Detroit Lions offensive tackle Emmett Cleary has pledged to donate his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation to help with research into CTE. The Legacy Foundation announced the donation Wednesday morning on its website. "Everyone in football should be supportive of this research," Cleary said in the announcement. "I feel like you have a responsibility to your teammates, other players in the league, and the next generation of football players to support the research. I would encourage anyone who loves the game to get involved with brain research." He is the second active NFL player to pledge to donate his brain to research this year, joining Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Eric Winston.
The New York Times | Dec 26, 2017
Several changes to the NFL’s concussion safety protocol, including requiring the presence of an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant at the league command center for all games, were revealed by a league official. The changes, backed by the N.F.L. and its players' union, were agreed upon Dec. 11 by the league’s head, neck and spine committee. They went into effect the following weekend.
Federal News Radio | Dec 26, 2017
“You shoot a .50 caliber that’s about half a PSI of pressure wave, a breecher you’re seeing maybe two PSI, but a breecher may see four or five hundred of those. Then certainly an IED can be something much higher than 10 or 15 [PSI]. We’re very worried about what we see downstream,” says Defense Department Director for Military Health Policy and Oversight Capt. Michael Colston. He added some studies of troops are showing brain legions associated with blast injuries.
Richmond-Times Dispatch | Dec 26, 2017
Sports news producer, Charlie Broaddus, wrote a five-part series for on brain damage in high school football players. Here, he reflects on what he learned reporting the series: "I learned things while writing this series that heightened my concern for high school players. I heard stories of teenagers who spent years dealing with anger issues, memory problems and uncharacteristic behavior after suffering big blows on the field. Shortly after I started researching the topic, Boston University’s CTE Center announced that CTE was diagnosed in three former high school players. Then, Dr. Robert Cantu, co-founder of the CTE Center, told me something that amplified my discomfort.
Westword | Dec 26, 2017
University of Colorado Boulder has been chosen to coordinate a research project into traumatic brain injury among student athletes with one of the main tools being EYE-SYNC, a cutting-edge device designed to diagnose concussions by way of eye movement. "It's essentially a VR headset that's got infrared cameras that will track the movement of the eye," says Matt McQueen, an associate professor of integrative physiology at CU. "It's a more objective measure than just asking student athletes questions."
Scientific American | Dec 21, 2017
There may very well be gender differences in concussion, but when looking at subjective measures we need to be careful to look at the whole picture and consider context.
Star-Tellegram | Dec 21, 2017
Billed as nation’s largest statewide effort to track concussions among youth athletes, only one-third of Texas school districts are participating.
ThinkProgress | Dec 19, 2017
Pink Concussions and National Center for PTSD has announced an exciting partnership - the first-ever brain bank for women. The two organizations will work together to actively recruit women over the age of 18 to donate their brains to TBI and PTSD research.
Scientific American | Dec 18, 2017
Researchers have known for some time that female athletes experience higher rates of concussion than their male counterparts, and also often suffer harsher symptoms and take longer to recover. But why women seem more vulnerable to such injuries has long remained a puzzle. Several explanations have been proposed including sex hormones, neck structure and cerebral blood flow, but no one really knows what is to blame. Now, however, a study led by Douglas Smith, director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania, adds a new candidate: differences in axons—the output “wires” of neurons.
NavyTimes | Dec 14, 2017
Concussions may be among the most common and least understood military injuries, with the identification of so-called “mild” traumatic brain damage a major challenge to combating the problem, health experts warned lawmakers on Wednesday. But they also said the reasons for those shortfalls don’t fall solely on Defense Department and veterans researchers. Understanding and diagnosing the problem remains frustratingly elusive in the medical community, even as an ever-increasing amount of is compiled from sports injuries, workplace accidents and other non-military events.
The Washington Post | Dec 14, 2017
While reliable tests in living patients for the neurodegenerative disease have yet to be developed, the Redskins quarterback said he would retire if he learned he had CTE.
The Washington Post | Dec 13, 2017
Larry Johnson played his last game in 2011, and he now believes he suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disorder linked to more than 100 former football players. For now, CTE can be confirmed only after death, but Johnson says his symptoms — anxiety, paranoia, the occasional self-destructive impulse — are consistent with those of past victims.
Daily Mail | Dec 7, 2017
The 68-year-old, who has since worked as a football announcer and WWE interviewer, said he can 'feel the decline every day' as the disease slowly robs him of brain function. Alongside wife Kim he is now in the process of starting up a national support network for other sufferers and those at risk of the illness.
PR Newwire | Dec 5, 2017
Concussions are common injuries among contact sport athletes. While most athletes experience full recovery within a few weeks and can return to their sport, according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, female athletes tend to experience a higher concussion injury rate than male athletes. Additionally, athletes who suffered a concussion injury prior to college were three times more likely to suffer a contact sport-related concussion than their collegiate peers without a history of the injury.
MedicalXpress | Dec 5, 2017
Stroke and brain injury patients are being guided on the best choice of digital help thanks to students in the School of Health Professions at the University of Plymouth, in collaboration with a national network of healthcare professionals.Students are clinically testing apps to see if they are suitable to be part of the mytherappy website – a database of clinically recommended health apps developed by the stroke and neuro rehab team at NDHT.
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