Head injuries topped the list of emergency room injuries involving electric scooters, yet very few e-scooter riders wore helmets, an observational study found. About 40% of patients treated for two-wheeled e-scooter injuries at two southern California emergency departments had head injuries, but only 4.4% wore a protective helmet. Despite the wild popularity of rental scooters — Bird
Widely used clinical concussion tests miss important changes to brain function in hockey players who have been cleared to return to play, a new multi-year study reveals. Researchers at Simon Fraser University and the Mayo Clinic have developed a more sensitive tool to measure the brain’s vital signs using complex brainwave data that can be deployed
A decline in DHA levels has been observed in Alzheimer’s patients in areas of the brain associated with cognition and memory, namely the hippocampus and frontal cortex. A diet rich in omega-3s (rich in DHA; fish oils) could therefore be beneficial in restoring cognitive performance and brain function. Animal studies have shown that omega-3 supplementation can
Brightlamp Inc., a Purdue University-affiliated startup, has launched an application that lets a smartphone user quickly record data that can be sent to a medical trainer or other medical professional who can objectively determine if that person has sustained any neurological disturbance, including concussion, with potentially serious long-term health repercussions. The app, called Reflex, works exactly like
Getting enough of the omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA into the brain to study their effects on conditions such as Alzheimer’s and depression — which they have been shown to help — is no easy task. Now researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago report that adding a lysophospholipid form of EPA (LPC-EPA)
Oculogica’s concussion test has received FDA clearance and takes some of the guesswork out of concussion assessment and does not require a baseline measurement for comparison. EyeBox uses eye-tracking to provide objective information to aid in the assessment of patients with suspected concussion via a four-minute test. Most concussion assessment methods rely on subjective measures or baseline testing.
BrainScope makes a portable medical device that can quickly assess a range of TBI. The company’s tech recently received clearance from the FDA for use as a “multi-modal, multi-parameter assessment,” to determine the likelihood that someone has suffered a “concussion” or “mild traumatic brain injury,” and evaluate how severe the injury may be. BrainScope One uses
With President Trump signing off on the 2018 Farm Bill, the federal government now fully recognizes hemp as a legal agricultural product. But while many reports are claiming that this means that CBD is also legal, that’s not quite correct. With a lot of misinformation flying around, and contradictions between state and federal laws, things are admittedly somewhat confusing. Hemp
Depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. While cognitive therapy and antidepressants that increase serotonin can be effective treatments for depression, these treatments don’t work for more than a third of depressed patients. More recent theories of depression suggest that an imbalance in gut microbiota and dysfunction in the axis connecting the gut and the brain may be
A new study published in Circulation showed that fish oil, omega-3s, did not increase perioperative bleeding in surgery patients. In fact, higher blood omega-3 levels were associated with lower risk of bleeding. For this study, 1516 patients scheduled for cardiac surgery were randomized to omega-3s or placebo. The dose was 6.5-8 grams of EPA+DHA over 2 to 5 days before surgery,
Omega-3s are vital for cardiovascular health, cognitive function, and cancer prevention. But what happens when you don’t eat enough of them? The signs of an omega-3 deficiency are more subtle than you might think. Most of the symptoms one would experience without an adequate intake of omega-3 fatty acids are internal and have no real physical signs.
Disorders of sleep are some of the most common problems experienced by patients after TBI. It is important to recognize and treat these problems early to allow for optimal cognitive recovery, but because they are so common, the importance of treating them is often underestimated. In NeuroRehabilitation scientists address the interplay of sleep and TBI with the
Supplements of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E may help control genes involved in brain inflammation and body metabolism in patients with Parkinson’s disease, a study published in Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery. Study participants were randomly divided into two groups: one taking 1,000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseed oil together with 400 IU of vitamin E supplements daily; and another
Using MRI to study the brains of young female athletes has helped researchers develop an objective way to monitor a concussion injury. By using a technique that combines both structural and functional MRI information, Western University researchers were able to identify three unique signatures – one that shows acute brain changes after an athlete has
Researchers investigated whether kids with depression who play the contact sport are at a higher risk of suffering a concussion. Surprisingly, new research on the matter says yes, as children who have been previously diagnosed with depression have a “five-fold increased risk” of suffering concussions. The new study collected data on 863 youth football players (aged 5
Severe or very severe postconcussive symptoms, including sleep difficulties and forgetfulness, persist at 1-year follow-up in service members with mild TBIs, according to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology. A significantly greater number of patients with mTBI were more likely to have ≥1 postconcussive symptom at either severe or very severe levels and at all time
In the wake of cannabis legalization in Canada, scientists have delivered encouraging news for chronic pain sufferers by pinpointing the effective dose of marijuana plant extract cannabidiol (CBD) for safe pain relief without the typical “high” or euphoria produced by the THC. The findings of their study have been published in the journal PAIN (The Journal of
Higher blood levels of omega 3 fatty acids found in seafood are associated with a higher likelihood of healthy ageing among older adults, finds a US study published by The BMJ today. The study involved 2,622 adults who were taking part in the US Cardiovascular Health study from 1992 to 2015. Average age of participants at the
A gene associated with dyslexia, a learning disorder, may make some athletes less susceptible to concussions, reports a new study published in the Journal of Neurotrauma. There are three variants of every gene. Athletes with one variant of the gene that did not confer dyslexia were more likely to have a history of concussion injuries. Athletes
A new study in the journal Clinical & Experimental Metatasis says omega-3 fatty acids, like those typically contained in fish oil, may suppress the growth and spread of breast cancer cells in mice. Researchers observed that omega-3s stopped further delayed tumors from forming and blocked the cancerous cells from spreading to other organs in mice. Researchers speculate
