The Stanford Concussion and Brain Performance Center is at the cutting edge of concussion diagnosis and rehabilitation, with eye-tracking technology and a treatment protocol combining exercise and recovery. Scott Anderson and the rest of Stanford’s Athletic Department worked closely with Jamshid Ghajar, clinical professor of neurosurgery and director of the Center, to develop a protocol for
A 12-point clinical score for children with concussion has been developed and shown in a new study to identify those who are more likely to have prolonged symptoms and therefore need closer follow-up. The study, published in the March 8 issue of JAMA, was conducted by a team led by Roger Zemek, MD, Children’s Hospital
Schoolchildren given a supplement containing a mix of vitamins, minerals and omega-3 for 12 weeks were better behaved at school, researchers found in a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition. Experts say the findings add to a body of evidence showing deficiencies in young people’s diets can contribute towards poor brain health and antisocial behaviour. Omega-3 is known
TBI risk is high in seniors and continues to rise, prompting researchers to believe that it may initiate Alzheimer-like neurodegeneration. Traumatic brain injury is a major cause of death and disability in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Daily, 138 Americans die from TBIs, while many of the survivors
The flood of media attention highlighting damaged brains, dementia and suicides in retired NFL players has made concussions synonymous with football. That attention was greatly needed; the debilitating consequences of brain injuries in football players of all ages has been severely overlooked. But the focus of this controversy has been far too narrow. It’s true that young
Explosions are obviously the most common cause of brain injuries for troops. But scientists don’t understand exactly how a blast damages the brain. And this limits their ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat the injury. Desperate for a breakthrough, one Navy researcher looked to some seemingly unlikely inspirations: propellers, submarines, and shrimp—and a phenomenon known
Phytocannabinoids like cannabidiol (CBD) are derived from plants, typically hemp. In the 1800s, hemp plants were widely cultivated as a fiber source and food in the form of seed oil. Even George Washington grew hemp on his farm in Mount Vernon. Today, these same hemp plants are also the major source of commercial CBD extracts,
For children who have experienced TBI, early nutritional support is associated with better outcomes and less mortality. “What is exciting about our findings is that kids seemed to have a better outcome, both with respect to mortality and to functional outcomes, if they were fed within 72 hours of being in the ICU,” said Elizabeth
The NCAA knows even less about concussions among women than it does about those among men; will that change? Even in a groundbreaking decade in research on concussions, one with more increased awareness on head trauma in sports than any time in U.S. history, there’s still a noticeable knowledge gap between what we know about the effects
Consuming EPA and DHA omega-3s at doses as low as 0.7 grams per day may produce clinically meaningful reductions in systolic blood pressure, says a new study from the UK. Data from 312 healthy men and women indicated that 0.7 grams of EPA + DHA per day for eight weeks was associated with a 5.20
Organic milk and meat contain about 50 percent more beneficial omega-3 fatty acids than conventionally produced equivalents, according to a pair of large-scale studies. They found clear differences between organic and non-organic products, especially when it came to omega-3. “Western European diets are recognised as being too low in these fatty acids, and the European Food
A substantial proportion of stroke survivors develop seizures in the years following their strokes, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2016. Researchers studied information on hospitalizations and emergency department visits from 2005 and 2013, identifying patients at the time of a first documented ischemic (clot-caused) or hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke.
In a small pilot study reported in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, a team of US researchers has discovered how vitamin D3, a form of vitamin D, and omega 3 fatty acids may help the immune system clear the brain of amyloid plaques, one of the physical hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. In their earlier work, the
People with brain injuries from trauma to the head may have a buildup of the same plaques seen in people with Alzheimer’s disease in their brains, a small, new study suggests. Moreover, the areas of the brain where the plaques were found in people with brain injuries overlapped with the areas where plaques are usually
Concussion due to everyday and recreational activities triples long-term suicide risk. The risk increases even further if these injuries occur during the weekend, results of a large study show. “The increased risk applied regardless of demographic characteristics, was independent of past psychiatric conditions, became accentuated with time, followed a dose-response gradient and was not as
Patients should give themselves ample time to rest after a concussion, the most common type of traumatic brain injury, a new study argues. Conducted at Georgetown University, the study states that more than a day’s rest is “critical” to allow the brain to recover and rebalance itself by rehabilitating neural networks. Not resting, meanwhile, may result in
We’ve long known that there are benefits to playing football, like any organized sport. The gridiron may be the world’s best classroom for teaching teamwork, communication, hard work, and goal-setting. I’ve carried those lessons throughout my life, and so has my son. It’s provided him an exceptional college education and molded him into a young
A study published in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology titled “Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Prevention of Early Preterm Delivery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Studies,” found omega-3 supplement consumption was associated with a 58 percent decrease in the likelihood of early preterm birth (babies born before
Tau oligomers from traumatic brain injury (TBI) were associated with accelerated cognitive decline and pathologic seeding in a mouse model, suggesting the importance of their role in TBI. “Scientists have identified altered, dysfunctional tau as a factor in the memory loss and other symptoms associated with both Alzheimer’s disease and TBI. These results suggest that the
The nutrients range of Nordic diets is associated with better physical performance and a decrease in disability risk later in life, a study confirms. Along with the Mediterranean diet, the Nordic approach to food has long been held up as a blueprint for healthy eating and nutrition. The diet is rich in foods including apples
