Archive for 'Brain Injury'

American Academy of Neurology Position Statement re Concussions

Athletes with head injuries should be removed from play until cleared by a specialist, and youth sports practices and games need to be monitored by a certified athletic trainer, the group says.

Full Story

Army claims simple blood test can identify mild traumatic brain injury

USA Today reported today that the Army claims it has discovered a simple blood test that can diagnose mild traumatic brain injury  (mTBI), also referred to as mild brain damage or concussion. Army Col. Dallas Hack, who has oversight of the research, says recent data show the blood test, which looks for unique proteins that [...]

Full Story

Vietnam Vet Tracks Down Richmond Doctor Who Saved His Life

In December of 1969, Donald Mason lay on a operating table in a field hospital in Vietnam.  A grenade had blasted a hole in his head and his chances of living were slim.  The Army doctor that operated on Mason and saved his life was Harold F. Young.  Mason was later treated by Young again [...]

Full Story

CDC Resources re: Concussion a/k/a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

The Centers for Disease Control has an excellent website on which many resources are available concerning mild traumatic brain injury.  For all coaches of contact sports concerned about doing the right thing to protect young athletes from the effects of concussion, I recommend that you post the NFL Concussion Poster in your locker rooms. Anyone (including [...]

Full Story

Whiplash Causes Brain Damage in 23% of Cases

Preliminary findings showed that brain injury occurred in 23% of the whiplash cases studied.

Full Story

Biomarkers May Revolutionize Brain Injury Treatment

The Department of Defense (DOD) is planning on providing $17 million to a study that is attempting to identify certain “biomarkers” in patient’s blood that could indicate whether the patient has suffered a brain injury.  These biomarkers, which are proteins in the blood that an injured brain produces, could be a break through for the [...]

Full Story

Brain Atrophy After Traumatic Axonal Injury

Researchers from the Universities of Texas, Dallas, and Utah performed prospective image studies of the brains of 25 patients with diffuse traumatic axonal injury, all of whom were 22 years of age and sex-matched controlled.  The objective of the study was to determine the spatial distribution of cortical and subcortical volume loss in patients who [...]

Full Story

PTSD and TBI in the Military

On Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing to discuss brain injuries and mental health problems in the military.  The recent rise in the suicides within all branches of the military have lead experts to examine the effects of post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury on soldiers and how to properly [...]

Full Story

Pediatric Neurologist Fraudulently Diagnosed Hundreds of Kids with Epilepsy

How did Awaad earn the extra cash? By falsely diagnosing hundreds of children with epilepsy and then putting them on powerful ant-seizure medications, most of which are narcotics, and ordering four annual and equally unnecessary brain MRIs or CTs at thousands of dollars a pop.

Full Story

NFL Concussion Committee Finally on Track

Kudos to Commissioner Goodell and the NFL for putting in place the right people to allow science to trump politics with respect to the issue of the long-term dangers from concussions.

Full Story