The Wall Street Journal published a devastating story today about Kenney Bui, a high school football player in Washington state who died two years ago at age 17, days after a collision in a game caused him to lose consciousness on the sideline. What distinguishes Bui’s death—aside from the obvious—is that he had sustained another
The new special issue of the Journal of Athletic Training, the scientific publication of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, is shedding more light on concussions through a series of studies. Among them is a study on the availability and efficacy of head-impact-measurement devices and their clinical utility. Among the conclusions were that “head-impact sensors have limited applications
When it comes to concussions, rest is often recommended as the first line of treatment. But in the last couple of years, staying sedentary while waiting for a concussion to heal is no longer a given. Instead, physical activity is now considered a viable part of an overall treatment plan — especially in those crucial first
The use of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has long been shown unsafe for human consumption. Let’s get one thing straight right from the start: HFCS is not naturally occurring. Although derived from corn, it is a manufactured, processed product! However on account of the numerous studies that have been suggesting how high fructose corn syrup contributes
The U.S. military is trying to figure out whether certain heavy weapons are putting U.S. troops in danger. The concern centers on the possibility of brain injuries from shoulder-fired weapons like the Carl Gustaf, a recoilless rifle that resembles a bazooka and is powerful enough to blow up a tank. The shell leaves the gun’s barrel at
Despite intense interest and years of study, the exact mechanisms linking force and neurological injury remain unclear. Researchers know that the membranes separating the skull from the brain play a key role in absorbing shock and preventing damage caused during a head impact, but the details remain largely mysterious. New research from a team of engineers
Rugby coaches are being urged to concentrate on improving players’ neck strength in a bid to avoid debilitating concussions. A ground-breaking New Zealand study has found players with weaker and uneven neck strength are more vulnerable to severe impacts that may cause concussion. Researchers used bluetooth sensors behind the ears of 23 players to measure
A concussion prevention program that teaches young football players safer ways to block and tackle was tied to about a one-third lower risk of head injury, according to a new study. And, in those players who did sustain a concussion, recovery was 27 percent faster for those involved in the program, the researchers found. Dubbed
Cannabidiol (CBD from cannabis (hemp or marijuana) could help treat people who have anxiety disorders, a new review of previous research suggests. CBD could be used in addition to talk therapy to treat anxiety disorders such as phobias and PTSD, the review concluded. However, most of the studies examining whether the compound works as a
A new report shows that many hospital admissions in England for TBI involve people aged over 75. The report found that 40 percent of hospital admissions in 2014/15 for TBI were for people aged over 75. Four of the top five listed causes of TBI in 2014/2015 across all ages were falls, including on or from
“While American football has been both scientifically and colloquially associated with the highest concussion rates, our study found that girls, and especially those who play soccer, may face a higher risk,” said Wellington Hsu, MD, professor of orthopaedics at Northwestern University. Data was collected from across the country from 2005 to 2015 in nine high school
Children with delayed visual perception as a result of serious head injuries may end up with structural changes in their brains that interrupt normal development, a new USC study shows. Researchers examined the brain scans of 21 children (and 20 healthy controls) in LA County who fell from skateboards, scooters and bikes or were hit by
Scientists have used a unique computational technique that sifts through big data to identify a subset of concussion patients with normal brain scans, who may deteriorate months after diagnosis and develop confusion, personality changes and differences in vision and hearing, as well as PTSD. This finding, which is corroborated by the identification of molecular biomarkers,
Head injuries can adversely affect hundreds of genes in the brain that put people at high risk for diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, PTSD, stroke, ADHD, autism, depression and schizophrenia, UCLA scientists report. The researchers identified for the first time master genes that they believe control hundreds of other genes which are linked to a wide
A career of heading a soccer ball may raise the risk of dementia, according to a small new study in the journal Acta Neuropathologica. Six longtime soccer players who died with dementia were found to have brain injuries from repetitive trauma. All six brains showed signs of damage, and four had CTE. The injuries are the
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology found that higher levels of EPA and DHA in red blood cells were associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in postmenopausal women. Over a 15-year period, the research analyzed data from more than 6,500 women ages 65 to 80 found omega-3 blood levels in
Omega-3 fatty acids fight inflammation, which may explain why they seems to lower the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women who are obese. Data from normal-weight women may have obscured the results, researchers say. These women have less inflammation than heavier women, and are therefore less likely to benefit from anti-inflammatory omega-3s. Published in the
An article appearing in the Journal of Clinical Investigation–Insight explains the role of omega 3s as specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) in asthma and reveals how the fatty acids are less effective when the disease is treated with corticosteroid drugs. “Recently, it was discovered that omega-3-derived SPMs are key mediators that possess proresolving activities,” Nina Kim and colleagues write.
Researchers reviewed the medical charts of 128 students who suffered a concussion during the 2014-2015 academic year. Their average age was 20. Overall, the students took much longer to recover from a concussion than the national average of 7 to 14 days and there were significant differences between the groups. Average recovery times were 11.5 days
A survey of Massachusetts youth indicated that almost half of athletes who experienced concussion symptoms continued to play that day, and only one-third stopped playing and were checked by a doctor that day. Hiding symptoms of concussion and continuing to play in sports can result in subsequent injury, delayed recovery, delayed access to treatment and
