tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129281942012-02-19T18:29:44.518-05:00Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18085447783715914447noreply@blogger.comBlogger494125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-72981039330914479962012-02-13T18:26:00.000-05:002012-02-19T18:28:10.091-05:00

The Post Game:  No one had a clue. Not his coaches. Not his teammates. Not even his mother, looking on from her usual spot in the grandstand. On a foggy November night four years ago, Drew Rickerson found himself wandering around the sidelines of a football field in Sequim, Wash., a city of 6,600 on the state's Olympic peninsula. He was 15 years old, playing quarterback for the Sequim High

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-81190382226423099322012-02-10T18:04:00.000-05:002012-02-19T18:05:53.129-05:00

From the Chicago Tribune: Falls are the leading cause of accidental death in people 65 years old and older."It's also the most common cause of hip fracture in people 70 years old and older," says Dr. Ning Sun, a neurologist on staff at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital. "Falls are also a marker for poor health and declining function."While some injuries fall into the minor category of scrapes and

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-64974652523303355422012-02-09T17:58:00.000-05:002012-02-19T17:59:17.364-05:00

From Denver WestWord: For decades researchers have attempted to fathom how the "criminal mind" differs from that of the average citizen. Now it appears there's often one critical physiological difference -- a significant percentage of convicted felons may be suffering from impaired thinking because of banged-up brains. A report published this week in Scientific American, drawing on surveys

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-87959491257608011752012-02-07T17:49:00.000-05:002012-02-19T18:29:44.550-05:00

From Scientific American: Prisoners suffer disproportionately from past traumatic brain injuries. Researchers are hunting for the best tools to treat this population in an effort to help them reintegrate into society--and avoid re-incarceration. A car accident, a rough tackle, an unexpected tumble. The number of ways tobang up the brain are almost as numerous as the people who sustain these

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-80770189567054951882012-02-06T18:35:00.000-05:002012-02-19T17:37:02.944-05:00

From Buffalo News.com: The Buffalo Bills won two championships in the 1960s in large part because of a ferocious corps of linebackers led by Harry Jacobs. Jacobs was known for his knowledge of the game, earning a reputation as an astute signal caller. But he also hit hard enough to be nicknamed "the baby-faced assassin." Since leaving the game, Jacobs has struggled with the aftershocks.

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-75768152728285166052012-02-05T14:28:00.000-05:002012-02-19T17:30:07.668-05:00

From USA Today: Super Bowls have turned on a John Riggins run, a Joe Montana pass and a Santonio Holmes catch. In this era of heightened NFL efforts to protect the brain on game day and for life, what if a Super Bowl hinged on a penalty for roughing the passer or hitting a "defenseless" receiver? For Super Bowl XLVI, New England Patriots linebackerBrandon Spikes said it was his job to play "

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-18811360921509054352012-02-04T14:29:00.000-05:002012-02-12T19:30:56.055-05:00

Go to WebMD for a slide show of information on concussions and brain injuries. You'll find some good information on concussions and other types of brain injuries. For example, on How to Tell if it's a Concussion: After a fall or hit to the head, you may be knocked out for a few seconds. But many people with concussions do not black out. A few telltale symptoms will show that you may have a

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-53141762431557599982012-02-03T18:59:00.000-05:002012-02-12T18:31:37.770-05:00

From the Times Herald-Record:  "We were told he has Alzheimer's — now you are saying he has dementia." Dementia is a general term for a brain disorder that has many causes. The two most common causes are Alzheimer's dementia and multi-infarct dementia. Alzheimer's is caused by the abnormal buildup of certain proteins in the brain. Multi-infarct dementia is the result of many tiny strokes over

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-5385602108625372532012-02-01T18:17:00.000-05:002012-02-12T18:19:07.484-05:00

From The New York Daily News:  As the New York Giants and the New England Patriots prepare for their Super Bowl showdown amid great hype and fanfare, another battle is being waged off the field which is not spoken about all that publicly. While the National Football League's management of traumatic brain injuries has been duplicitous at best, the current groundswell of class-action lawsuits

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-42297538971987343362012-01-31T18:43:00.000-05:002012-02-05T17:45:02.099-05:00

From Science Daily: A pilot study suggests infrared analysis of white blood cells is a promising strategy for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Spanish researchers, led by Pedro Carmona from the Instituto de Estructura de la Materia in Madrid, have uncovered a new promising way to diagnose Alzheimer's disease more accurately.  Their technique, which is non-invasive, fast and low-cost,

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-60485849273285642762012-01-30T19:34:00.000-05:002012-02-05T17:37:55.417-05:00

The following is an opinion piece from Chron.com (which, I assume, is The Houston Chronicle), written by Kurt Mossberg: The tragic circumstances surrounding the incident in which U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head have significantly increased awareness of traumatic brain injury (TBI). I believe her decision to resign from her congressional seat was the right thing to do. Rather

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-7136161811323650322012-01-29T13:56:00.000-05:002012-02-05T17:02:24.425-05:00

From Medill Reports:  Courtesy of National Institute on AgingThose who suffer from mild cognitive impairment may later develop dementia. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. First you lose your keys. Next thing you know, you find yourself blanking out on mundane tasks around the house. What were you supposed to be doing again? It’s common knowledge that aging is linked

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-72561995606931645952012-01-28T17:20:00.000-05:002012-02-05T17:21:54.761-05:00

From Medical News Today:  Findings published Online First by Archives of Neurology, a JAMA/Archives journal, show that people who keep their brain active throughout their lives with cognitively stimulating activities like reading, writing and playing games seem to have lower levels of the β-amyloid protein, which is the major part of the amyloid plaque in Alzheimer disease. The recently

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-49612714834954477662012-01-28T16:46:00.000-05:002012-02-05T16:50:37.207-05:00

From The Homelessness Resource Center (the article was originally published by BrainLine.org) :  Life after Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is not only impacted by the physical and/or intellectual results of the injury, but also deep emotional stress brought on by feelings of isolation and helplessness. This randomized controlled trial finds that people living with TBI are found with higher rates

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-85690599568710759862012-01-28T15:10:00.000-05:002012-02-05T15:18:14.376-05:00

Risk Factors for Stroke that Can be Changed high blood pressure -- The most important controllable risk factor for brain attack is controlling high blood pressure.  heart disease -- Heart disease is the second most important risk factor for stroke, and the major cause of death among survivors of stroke.  cigarette smoking -- The use of oral contraceptives, especially when combined with

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-88339365276467461132012-01-25T20:20:00.000-05:002012-02-05T15:25:50.930-05:00

From The Wall Street Journal: Approximately 20 percent of all stroke survivors will develop cognitive problems later in life, including vascular dementia. Experts with the Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston say recent research showing a possible link between vascular lesions and Alzheimer's disease is yet another reason to be more vigilant in our efforts to prevent a stroke.

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-47564837300537055122012-01-22T15:52:00.000-05:002012-01-29T17:54:59.451-05:00

From Senior Journal.com: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) appear to cause risk to rise with higher doses Nursing home residents with dementia who use average doses of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are three times more likely to have an injurious fall than similar people who don’t use these drugs. The association can be seen in people who use low doses of SSRIs

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-45980022953648016362012-01-21T09:00:00.000-05:002012-01-29T17:24:50.650-05:00

Sad news. So sorry to hear this. From The New York Post:  Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke died Thursday, more than a week after suffering severe brain injuries in a training accident in Utah. "Groundbreaking Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke passed away at 9:22AM January 19, 2012 at the University of Utah Hospital from injuries sustained in an accident on the Eagle Superpipe at Park

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-39450771899481049012012-01-19T17:29:00.000-05:002012-01-29T17:30:27.366-05:00

From MSNBC.com:  A third lawsuit has been filed in Philadelphia by retired NFL players over brain injuries allegedly caused by on-field concussions, a week before U.S. judges decide whether to consolidate similar cases filed around the country. At least eight related lawsuits have been filed in New York, New Jersey, Georgia and Florida. The lawsuits claim the National Football League hid

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-61450812544588010582012-01-18T19:13:00.000-05:002012-01-29T17:14:17.738-05:00

From The Post and Courier: For action sports stars accustomed to leaving fans breathless with acrobatic aerial stunts, those same athletes are now in shock themselves. Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke remains in critical condition at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City after a seemingly unremarkable fall last week. Burke, a six-time Winter X Games medalist and winner of the

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-30768187070846598592012-01-14T14:08:00.000-05:002012-01-22T19:14:12.519-05:00

From The Boston Globe: “YOU SEE all those brown little things?’’ Ann McKee asked me as I looked through a microscope. I was viewing a slide sample of the brain of Dave Duerson, the Notre Dame All-American defensive back who won Super Bowls with the 1985 Chicago Bears and the 1990 New York Giants. Duerson was a Notre Dame trustee, a National Football League Man of the Year for community service,

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-42775650931031298172012-01-12T18:38:00.000-05:002012-02-05T14:40:47.556-05:00

No Clear Link to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, So Far From Science Daily:  Could heading the ball in soccer lead to degenerative brain disease, like that seen in athletes in other sports? That's the question addressed by a review in the January issue ofNeurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. As yet there's not clear evidence to link heading to short- or

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-82860376126173151202012-01-10T18:58:00.000-05:002012-01-22T19:01:27.313-05:00

This is a really interesting article from a site called "Bloody Elbow." The site focuses on mixed martial arts, something I have to admit I never heard of before. The author of this piece, David Castillo, makes several informed observations and compelling points, some surprising. (Although I live and work in Florida, for example, I did not know our state does not recognize professional athletes

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-65856668874749371842012-01-06T19:29:00.000-05:002012-01-22T18:32:20.421-05:00

From ABC News: Researchers have found a possible connection between a hormone found in body fat and the risk of dementia, adding to the growing evidence on the potential link between the condition and diabetes.A new study found that women with high levels of a hormone called adiponectin were at an increased risk of developing dementia. Scientists say the findings reflect the complicated and

jtnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12928194.post-45433959341630282892012-01-02T18:22:00.000-05:002012-01-22T18:24:05.698-05:00

From The New York Times: DEXTER, Me. — The roadside bomb that separated Sgt. Matthew Pennington from his left leg in 2006 also shattered his right leg and scorched his lungs. Those injuries he understood. But then came the ones he did not, the ones inside his head. In the months after checking out of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he found himself easily frustrated and, his wife said,

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