Brain injury hidden factor in homelessness
San Jose Mercury News / July 27, 2015
New research suggests brain injury may be a hidden reason why many of the chronically homeless keep returning to the streets despite programs to help them find housing and kick their addictions.
A scientist said sports-related head injuries aren’t a big deal. He forgot to say he works for the NFL.
The Washington Post / July 24, 2015
Scientific publishing watchdog Retraction Watch reports that Joseph Maroon, a neuroscientist and surgeon who penned a PLOS ONE study doubting the evidence for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, failed to disclose that he "has been the team neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers since 1981 and the medical director for World Wrestling Entertainment Corporation since 2008 for the management of spine and brain-related injury," according to the correction issued by the journal. Maroon also developed a system for testing concussions called ImPACT, which he sells to NFL teams.
Couple enjoys 'happily ever after,' helping each other cope with brain injuries Michigan Live
Michigan Live / July 24, 2015
Lori, 53, and Dale, 60, suffered serious brain injuries in separate car accidents decades ago. Lori's car was hit by a train in 1980, when she was a senior in high school. Dale was in a car accident in 1975, when he was 20. They met through Hope Network's brain injury program and began going to dinner once a week, accompanied by a recreational therapist. Their wedding is the first between clients in the agency's brain injury program.
Caring for cadets: Academy takes part in nation-wide concussion study
USAFA / July 24, 2015
All Air Force Academy cadets are taking part in a three-year, $30M collaboration between the Defense Department and the NCAA to study concussions. The study coincides with the White House Summit on sports concussions, a presidential commission created in May 2014 to encourage the identification, treatment and prevention of serious head injuries.
Traumatic Brain Injury: The Solution Is Here for Servicemen and Civilians Alike
National Review / July 23, 2015
The hope is real at three dedicated clinical facilities attached to military bases in northern Virginia (Fort Belvoir), southern Kentucky (Fort Campbell) and North Carolina (Camp Lejeune), and the NICoE research and treatment facility on the campus of Walter Reed National Medical Center, just outside the nation’s capital. These facilities are estimated to be six to eight years ahead of any other brain-treatment centers in the world.
New insights into the circuitry of PTSD and mTBI
Medical Xpress / July 23, 2015
Significant research has been conducted to understand the brain mechanisms underlying PTSD and TBI, but there has still been a lack of knowledge regarding exactly which brain networks are disturbed in these disorders. To fill this gap, Dr. Jeffrey Spielberg and his colleagues at the VA Boston Healthcare System examined brain networks in veterans with trauma exposure using functional magnetic resonance imaging and graph theory tools.
Former LSU, NFL defensive lineman Leonard Marshall addresses concussion concerns
The Times-Picayune / July 23, 2015
Leonard Marshall brought his message on one of football's major issues back to his Louisiana roots Wednesday. The former LSU, Pro Bowl and Super Bowl champion defensive lineman addressed LHSAA football coaches on the dangers of concussions, as well as stressing the particular importance of related safety precautions for young athletes.
Concussion treatment spawns a growing industry
Herald-Tribune / July 22, 2015
A growing industry has developed around concussions, with entrepreneurs, academic institutions and doctors scrambling to find ways to prevent, detect and treat head injuries. Over the past decade, the Defense Department has spent more than $800 million on brain injury research, with organizations and companies like the National Football League and General Electric spending tens of millions more. And as people become more aware of the debilitating long-term consequences of repeated concussions, businesses have been chasing salable solutions.
Will Football Players Someday Take a Concussion Pill?
MIT Technology Review / July 22, 2015
An experimental treatment helps restore normal brain structure and function in mice that have sustained severe concussions, and could lead to a drug that would do the same in humans, according to new research.
Biomarkers in Blood Shown to Be Highly Selective Indicators of Brain Damage Caused by TBI
Health Canal / July 22, 2015
Researchers have shown that the levels of two proteins present in blood and cerebrospinal fluid increase significantly at different time points following traumatic brain injury (TBI), confirming their potential value as biomarkers of trauma-related brain damage.
Me and my new brain: Brain injury in young people
BBC News / July 21, 2015
Snowboarding teacher Charlie Elmore had an accident on the slopes four years ago in which she sustained a traumatic brain injury. Charlie is now back on her feet and meeting others who’ve been through similar traumas, such as Callum, who survived an awful car crash, and Hannah who collapsed and hit her head on the pavement one day, and has had to learn to walk and talk again.
Stanford research suggests football helmet tests may not account for concussion-prone actions
Stanford News / July 21, 2015
Mounting evidence suggests that concussions in football are caused by the sudden rotation of the skull. David Camarillo's lab at Stanford has evidence that suggests current football helmet tests don't account for these movements.
Single traumatic brain injury not a contributing factor for ALS onset
ALS News Today / July 21, 2015
In a new study researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center report that a one-time traumatic injury to the brain is not an accelerating factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progression.
Could reducing number of TBIs lower the crime rate?
Medical Daily / July 20, 2015
Could a traumatic brain injury lead to criminal behavior? A modest increase in the risk of offending, including violent offending, follows a hospital-documented TBI, an Australian research group finds.
Judge dismisses concussion lawsuit filed against FIFA
Sports Illustrated / July 20, 2015
A concussion lawsuit that was brought against FIFA by soccer players and parents has been dismissed by a U.S. judge. The lawsuit had sought to force rule changes, including modified substitution protocols and limits on headers for younger players. It alleged that FIFA acted “carelessly and negligently” in its role as soccer's governing body. Chief judge Phyllis Hamilton found that FIFA is not responsible for soccer played throughout the U.S. and said the plaintiffs could not change FIFA's "laws of the game" through the court system.
New antibody may treat brain injury and prevent alzheimer’s diisease
Healthline News / July 16, 2015
Scientists have discovered the causal link between traumatic brain injury and the later development of Alzheimer’s disease. They’ve also developed a new antibody to block this process.
6 things you must know about the disabilities we can't see
Mic.com / July 16, 2015
Six things people who live with invisible disabilities want people to know about what their experience is like — and, most importantly, how others can best understand and support them.
Out of thin air: Namath's uncommon cure for concussion
ESPN / July 15, 2015
In 2012, Joe Namath began an experimental hyperbaric oxygen treatment from two doctors at Jupiter Medical Center. Neither of them was a neurological specialist, but after 120 trips into Jupiter's oxygen chambers, Namath perceived extraordinary improvement in his brain function. And ever since, he's been telling the world -- friends, teammates, reporters -- about the benefits of his therapy.
Would banning headers in soccer solve the concussion problem?
NPR / July 15, 2015
Heading the ball in soccer has been accused of causing most concussions. But the hazard may be more due to rough play than to one particular technique, researchers say.
Brain scan can tell PTSD apart from Traumatic Brain Injury
Healthline News / July 14, 2015
PTSD and TBI have many overlapping symptoms. Now, a brain study of 20,000 people has found how to tell the two conditions apart.
Alexia: what happens when a brain injury makes you forget how to read
The Conversation / July 14, 2015
Patients with pure alexia lose the ability to read fluently following injury to areas in the rear part of the left hemisphere of their brain. The curious thing is that they can still walk, talk, think, and even write like they did before their injury. They just can’t read. Not even what they have written themselves.
People With Brain Injuries Heal Faster If They Get Up and Get Moving
NPR.org / July 6, 2015
When Kate Klein began working as a nurse in the Cleveland Clinic's Neurointensive Care Unit, one of the first things she noticed was that her patients spent a lot of time in bed. She knew patients with other injuries benefited from getting up and moving early on, and she wondered why not patients with brain injuries.
Injuries in Women’s World Cup Semifinal Bring Concussion Debate to Fore
The New York Times / July 1, 2015
The reaction to the collision between Morgan Brian and Alexandra Popp further raised questions about whether FIFA was more concerned about the players’ interest than its own.
FDA Clears New Traumatic Brain Injury Assessment Device
Army.mil / July 1, 2015
A new handheld medical device for analyzing brain injuries has been cleared by the FDA to help clinicians assess mildly-presenting head trauma patients. The device, which was developed by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command's Combat Casualty Care Research Program, or CCRP, and the BrainScope Company, Inc., uses commercial smartphone technology to analyze a patient's brain activity for signs of a traumatic brain injury within 24 hours of the injury.
Researchers Develop Simple Concussion Test That Uses Pocket-Sized Tools
WNDU News / July 1, 2015
We’ve all heard a lot recently about the danger of concussions and how critically important it is to protect ourselves from repeated brain injury. Experts often use sophisticated equipment to measure concussion, but researchers in Pittsburgh have developed a simple test that is highly accurate, using items a doctor could carry in his pocket.
Brain Injury Patients Fear Kentucky Rule Change
WAVE 3 News / July 1, 2015
Brain injury patients and their advocates are fighting the state's plan to change reimbursement rates, saying it will leave them paying higher bills for therapy. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services has proposed eliminating state waivers for some intensive therapies, moving everyone to a state plan in an effort to comply with federal rules.
In some cases, the change would reduce reimbursements significantly.