Inflammation is a contributing factor in so many serious health conditions. But not all inflammation is bad. When you experience an injury or are exposed to harmful pathogens, your body reacts with acute inflammation to speed circulation and healing nutrients to the affected site. It’s when inflammation becomes chronic that it turns from Dr. Jekyll
Researchers conducted a pilot study to determine ways to assess social communication difficulties in children with impaired social functioning caused by moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The article, “The relationship between social communication and social functioning in pediatric TBI: A pilot study” was epublished on August 14, 2019 by Frontiers in Neurology. Social functioning comprises
Published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers report that a TBI causes changes in a brain region called the amygdala; and the brain processes fear differently after such an injury. The researchers studied the amygdala, which is known to be crucial in learning fear. People with anxiety disorders have increased activity in the amygdala, and
This study, reported in the journal Pediatrics, describes the epidemiology of concussions in 20 high school sports during the 2013–2014 to 2017–2018 school years. Overall, 9542 concussions were reported for an overall rate of 4.17 per 10,000 Athletic Exposures. Football had the highest concussion rate (10.40 per 10,000 AEs) followed by girls soccer with 8.19
Female athletes seek specialty medical treatment later than male athletes for sports-related concussions (SRC), and this delay may cause them to experience more symptoms and longer recoveries. Researchers reported these findings in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine after analyzing electronic health records of sports participants aged 7 to 18. The study raises the question of
Researchers found that even one mild blast to the brain can cause very subtle but permanent damage, and urine analysis taken within one week of a mild to TBI can provide faster diagnosis for such injuries. Even at one day post-injury, a simple urine analysis can reveal elevations in the neurotoxin acrolein. The research paper,
In a new study of adolescent and adult athletes, researchers published this month in the Journal of Neurotrauma they were able to detect damage to the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which protects the brain from pathogens and toxins, caused by mild TBI. The researchers studied high-risk populations, specifically professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters and adolescent rugby
A study finds that, with the use of MRI scans, it is possible to distinguish between memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury. The finding is important because it could help prevent a misdiagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, which can be devastating for patients and their families. One study found that as many
It has been shown that activating the innate cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) reduces brain swelling and neurological impairment. The endogenous cannabinoid 2-AG is released in the brains of mice following brain injury, though not enough to protect the damaged brain. The fact that 2-AG is released naturally following a brain injury made the team question
