The first installment identified three sports—professional hockey, skiing, and snowboarding—in which statistics show helmet use had no impact on the wearer’s risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI). But statistics can be misleading. Case in point: The rise in concussions among pro hockey players, who’ve been required to wear helmets since the 1979-1980 season, followed issuanceRead More
The Problem with Helmets: Part 1 (of 3)
If you play a contact or extreme sport, use a helmet, protect your head, and prevent a brain injury. Simple, right? Not so fast. Were helmets so helpful, why would incidences of concussion rise among pro hockey players after helmets were mandated by the league 1979? In the 10-year period 1986-1996, there were an averageRead More
New Drug Telmisartan Designed to Restrict Brain Inflation
“When an individual sustains a major traumatic brain injury, the swelling of tissues causes the damage observed later on. Car crashes are the most notorious causes of brain trauma. Unfortunately most of the action plans involved with brain trauma are management of swelling, not prevention. However, researchers have begun trials on an anti‐inflammatory drug thatRead More
Department of Defense and NCAA Team Up to Advance Concussion Diagnosis and Treatment
The Department of Defense (DoD) is extremely interested in the neurological care of their Airmen. How interested? 30 million dollars interested. The government has issued 30 million dollars to the Department of Defense as well as the NCAA to collaborate on a long-term research study to evaluate the brains of their cadets and the collegiateRead More
Concussion Detection Goggles
The University of Miami researchers have begun the process of collecting baseline data from their men’s football, women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball teams through a new technology: concussion detection goggles. Dr. Michael Hoffer, a former US Navy captain and current professor at UM, developed the examination technology during his time in Iraq. The athlete’s baselineRead More
If We Don’t Ask, We Don’t Know: Domestic Violence Head Injury
Head injuries have been making headlines these past several months following stories involving veterans who’ve suffered bomb blasts, NFL players who take on-field hits, even the comedian Tracy Morgan following his motor vehicle accident. Unfortunately, we may only have scratched the surface in identifying all of the many populations who may have a history of headRead More
Anatomy of Blast-Induced Head Trauma
Educational materials handed to patients diagnosed with a brain injury almost always show the same thing – a cut-away drawing of person’s head, striking a wall. In the drawing, large arrows show how the brain moves back and forth inside the skull, also known as contre-coup, French for ‘against sudden.’ The drawing illustrates that, afterRead More
Patients with Mild TBI Increased Risk of Mortality
Patients with a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are at a 4.2-times greater risk of death than the general population, according to research out of Scotland. By way of background, prior research has shown higher mortality rates among patients with severe head injuries, but little is known about mortality rates among patients mTBI.Read More
Neurodegeneration and Military mTBI
Most active military members who have seen combat have also faced mTBI’s. These mTBI’s are caused by improvised explosive devices (IED); the explosion can cause serious damage if the soldier is close to the explosion. However, recent studies have shown that the soldier only needs to be close enough for the shock waves to travelRead More
Accrual of MRI white matter abnormalities in elderly with normal and impaired mobility
White matter signal abnormality (WMSA) is often present in the MRIs of older persons with mobility impairment. We examined the relationship between impaired mobility and the progressive accrual of WMSA. Mobility was assessed with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and quantitative measures of gait and balance. Fourteen subjects had baseline and follow-up MRI scans performed 20Read More
